By Ronron
April 4, 2007
Two militant leaders in Cagayan province were found dead on Wednesday morning along a river in Lallo town.
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) spokesman Carl Ala said Arthur Orpilla and Dionisio Battag, both 50 years old and officers of KMP and Anakpawis, were found with stab wounds and gunshot wounds, respectively, in their bodies at around 8 am yesterday.
Their bodies, Ala said, were discovered by vendors along the Cagayan River near the Magapit Bridge.
Ala said the two were allegedly abducted last March 27 by unidentified men believed to be members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Orpilla and Battag are residents of Barangay Bagunot in Baggao town of said province.
Contacted by phone, the Region II Police Office said it has yet to receive an official report about the incident from the Cagayan Police Provincial Office.
But already, Philippine National Police (PNP) Task Force USIG commander Chief Supt. Geary Barias said yesterday that he has ordered the mobilization of “all resources and personnel of the Regional Task Force USIG in Cagayan Valley to lead the investigation into the deaths” of Orpilla and Battag.
Barias said the probe will be in coordination with the Regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Office, the Crime Laboratory, the Intelligence community and the local police units.
He said he will fly to Cagayan tomorrow “to confer with authorities of the Police Regional Office II under Chief Supt. Ameto Tolentino.”
“I will also take the opportunity to talk to the victims’ colleagues form the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas to possibly get more leads and information that will help us inn the investigation,” Barias said.
Barias surmised that is possible Orpilla and Battag were killed somewhere else, but their bodies were abandoned at the site were they were found yesterday.
“The PNP Task Force USIG condemns in the strongest terms the slaying of Arthur Orpilla and Dionisio Battad,” Barias said.
“Let me assure the victims’ families and their colleagues of swift police action to identify and prosecute those behind this dastardly murder,” he added.
Ala was quick to blame the killing to the military, he even identified the Philippine Army’s 17th Infantry Battalion headed by a certain 2Lt. Johnny Calob as the culprit behind the shooting to death of Battad.
“The AFP cannot really stop attacking our ranks, even at this time of the Lenten season. They don’t care even a bit. This looks like the birthday gift of the death squad to Gloria,” Ala said, referring to the President.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who will celebrate her 60th birthday today (Thursday), has been accused by militant groups to have sanctioned the spate of killings of militants and journalists in the country so she could hold on to power.
She has denied the allegation. In May last year, she created the TF USIG to investigate said killings./DMS
Thursday, April 5, 2007
Comelec officer in Palawan killed; Another election officer in Marawi City threatened
By Ronron
April 4, 2007
A Commission on Elections (Comelec) officer in Palawan province was killed on Tuesday night in Puerto Princesa City by unidentified suspects, police said.
Reports reaching Camp Crame identified the victim as Petronilo Amorin, Jr., 40, resident of Narra town, same province, an assistant city election officer of Puerto Princesa City.
Amorin was shot dead along the national highway in front of the Puerto Princesa City Coliseum in Barangay San Pedro at around 7:15 pm by two male suspects.
The gunman allegedly approached him first before opening fire at close range. Amorin at that time had just taken dinner after finishing his work at the Comelec office which is located only a few meters away.
Amorin sustained four gunshot wounds – two in the head, one in the stomach, and one on the leg, caused by a caliber 45 pistol.
The gunman immediately escaped together with his accomplice who was waiting aboard a yellow Honda motorcycle.
A witness to the crime described the suspected gunman to be at least 40 years old, 5’4” to 5’6” tall, slim built, with curly hair, wearing maong pants and light blue t-shirt with collar.
Police is still investigating the motive of the incident, which could be work-related or personal in nature.
“Right now, we have formed a special investigating task group comprised by different agencies to speed up the resolution of the case… We are pursuing two leads, which are, maybe political or personal,” Palawan Police Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Dennis Peña said in a phone interview.
He said a witness has given a statement that indeed, there was a threat against Amorin prior to the incident, which is personal in nature.
The possible political motive, said Peña, stemmed from the fact that he works for the Comelec.
Peña said he heads the task group, which has representatives from the National Bureau of Investigation, the City Prosecutor’s Office, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the Crime Laboratory, and the Traffic Management Group.
“This is an isolated case, not enough to declare the city as an area of immediate concern this coming elections. And there is no historical basis for that. We don’t even know yet if this is election-related,” Peña said.
In Marawi City, Lanao del Sur province, an election officer was threatened by an unknown suspect by bombing her residence before dawn of Tuesday.
According to a police report, a hand grenade was lobbed outside the compound of election officer Diana Titiban, 52, at around 12:25 am the other day (Tuesday) at Barangay Panggao, Saduc District, Marawi City.
No one was hurt in the incident.
“Initial investigation disclosed that the election officer was busy preparing the election data at her room when she heard the explosion,” the police report said.
Responding policemen found later at the site another hand grenade that did not explode. It was safely detonated.
Police security was immediately provided to Titiban.
The motive for the blast is also still being investigated./DMS
April 4, 2007
A Commission on Elections (Comelec) officer in Palawan province was killed on Tuesday night in Puerto Princesa City by unidentified suspects, police said.
Reports reaching Camp Crame identified the victim as Petronilo Amorin, Jr., 40, resident of Narra town, same province, an assistant city election officer of Puerto Princesa City.
Amorin was shot dead along the national highway in front of the Puerto Princesa City Coliseum in Barangay San Pedro at around 7:15 pm by two male suspects.
The gunman allegedly approached him first before opening fire at close range. Amorin at that time had just taken dinner after finishing his work at the Comelec office which is located only a few meters away.
Amorin sustained four gunshot wounds – two in the head, one in the stomach, and one on the leg, caused by a caliber 45 pistol.
The gunman immediately escaped together with his accomplice who was waiting aboard a yellow Honda motorcycle.
A witness to the crime described the suspected gunman to be at least 40 years old, 5’4” to 5’6” tall, slim built, with curly hair, wearing maong pants and light blue t-shirt with collar.
Police is still investigating the motive of the incident, which could be work-related or personal in nature.
“Right now, we have formed a special investigating task group comprised by different agencies to speed up the resolution of the case… We are pursuing two leads, which are, maybe political or personal,” Palawan Police Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Dennis Peña said in a phone interview.
He said a witness has given a statement that indeed, there was a threat against Amorin prior to the incident, which is personal in nature.
The possible political motive, said Peña, stemmed from the fact that he works for the Comelec.
Peña said he heads the task group, which has representatives from the National Bureau of Investigation, the City Prosecutor’s Office, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the Crime Laboratory, and the Traffic Management Group.
“This is an isolated case, not enough to declare the city as an area of immediate concern this coming elections. And there is no historical basis for that. We don’t even know yet if this is election-related,” Peña said.
In Marawi City, Lanao del Sur province, an election officer was threatened by an unknown suspect by bombing her residence before dawn of Tuesday.
According to a police report, a hand grenade was lobbed outside the compound of election officer Diana Titiban, 52, at around 12:25 am the other day (Tuesday) at Barangay Panggao, Saduc District, Marawi City.
No one was hurt in the incident.
“Initial investigation disclosed that the election officer was busy preparing the election data at her room when she heard the explosion,” the police report said.
Responding policemen found later at the site another hand grenade that did not explode. It was safely detonated.
Police security was immediately provided to Titiban.
The motive for the blast is also still being investigated./DMS
One killed, 14 injured after bus falls in Quezon province
By Ronron
April 4, 2007
A woman died and 14 other persons were injured after the bus they were riding fell onto a ravine in Quezon province dawn of Wednesday.
The Executive Carrier bus (Body Number 8098, Plate Number PPT-204) was heading for Manila from Daraga, Albay when it allegedly lost brakes at the New Diversion Road in Sitio Amaw, Barangay Silangang Malikbuy, Pagbilao town at around 3am yesterday (Wednesday), causing it to plunge into a 20-meter deep ravine at the side of the road.
SPO4 Eladio Merle of the Pagbilao Municipal Police Station said the bus was descending when the mechanical failure occurred, causing it to turn-turtle, hitting trees along the way and finally landing in upside down position.
Passenger Aileen Siba, 23, of Iriga City, died on the spot.
Fourteen others, including five minors, were injured and are now being treated at the Jane County Hospital in the same town. All sustained minor injuries only, said Merle.
The bus driver, Francisco Jaques, of Project 8, Quezon City, escaped after the accident, but his companion, Roderick Juan, 36, remained to attend to the wounded passengers.
Merle said charges of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide and multiple physical injuries are being prepared against Jaques.
Merle admitted the site is really an accident-prone area because of the road’s slope and zigzag route./DMS
April 4, 2007
A woman died and 14 other persons were injured after the bus they were riding fell onto a ravine in Quezon province dawn of Wednesday.
The Executive Carrier bus (Body Number 8098, Plate Number PPT-204) was heading for Manila from Daraga, Albay when it allegedly lost brakes at the New Diversion Road in Sitio Amaw, Barangay Silangang Malikbuy, Pagbilao town at around 3am yesterday (Wednesday), causing it to plunge into a 20-meter deep ravine at the side of the road.
SPO4 Eladio Merle of the Pagbilao Municipal Police Station said the bus was descending when the mechanical failure occurred, causing it to turn-turtle, hitting trees along the way and finally landing in upside down position.
Passenger Aileen Siba, 23, of Iriga City, died on the spot.
Fourteen others, including five minors, were injured and are now being treated at the Jane County Hospital in the same town. All sustained minor injuries only, said Merle.
The bus driver, Francisco Jaques, of Project 8, Quezon City, escaped after the accident, but his companion, Roderick Juan, 36, remained to attend to the wounded passengers.
Merle said charges of reckless imprudence resulting to homicide and multiple physical injuries are being prepared against Jaques.
Merle admitted the site is really an accident-prone area because of the road’s slope and zigzag route./DMS
Police lacks evidence against Ducat, Carbonell
By Ronron
April 4, 2007
The Manila Police District (MPD) failed to present necessary pieces of evidence against accused hostage takers Armando Ducat, Jr. and Caezar Augusto Carbonell during Wednesday’s preliminary investigation at the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office.
During the proceedings that was presided over by Assistant City Prosecutor Danilo Suarez, the MPD personnel failed to furnish the panel of prosecutors copies of the Certification from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on whether or not Ducat and Carbonell are exempted from the Comelec gunban, and Certification on whether or not the recovered grenades were capable of exploding.
Ducat and Carbonell’s lawyers insisted that the MPD should submit those documents since their client will base their counter-affidavits on the available evidence brought before them.
Ducat and Carbonell are facing charges of serious illegal detention and illegal possession of firearms and explosives, in relation to the Comelec-imposed gunban.
A separate charge for violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law was filed against them last Monday by the social welfare office, but the lawyers of the two opposed its consolidation to the two original charges, saying it will further delay the resolution of the first two cases, thereby prolonging the detention of the accused.
Suarez then ordered the MPD to submit the required documents before 5pm yesterday (Wednesday), otherwise, they will no longer have any other chance to do it. Carbonell's lawyer, William delos Santos, confirmed to Manila Shimbun later in the evening that the MPD complied with Suarez' directive.
Suarez set the next hearing on April 10 at 10am, during which Ducat and Carbonell will have to submit their counter-affidavits.
After that, the panel of prosecutors is expected to come out with a resolution whether to file the cases in court or dismiss them by April 13 at the earliest.
Ducat and Carbonell arrived at the Prosecutor’s Office located at the third level of the Manila City Hall at around 10 am, handcuffed to each other’s right hands.
They wore white shirts, bearing the prints “STOP CORRUPTION, FREE EDUCATION.”
Their families and supporters were around during the one-and-a-half hours proceedings to provide moral support.
In an interview after the hearing, Ducat told Manila Shimbun that he is fine even if he just underwent angioplasty about two weeks before he and Carbonell held hostage last March 28 the 26 pupils and three teachers from the Musmos Day Care Center that he built in Parola Compound in Manila City.
“I’m just wondering why (Manila City) Mayor (Lito) Atienza is very mad at me that he wanted me in jail. Why can’t he put behind bars his son-in-law (Miles Roces) who failed to accomplish anything within three years?” Ducat said in Filipino.
Roces is the incumbent Representative of the 3rd District of Manila City at the House of Representatives. He is married to Atienza’s daughter, Arlene Maile.
When Ducat and Carbonell held hostage his victims inside a tourist bus right in front of the Manila City Hall, he had aired his grievance against corruption in government and demanded the government’s assurance that the graduates of his pre-school will make it through college.
He also demanded that the families of his students get free housing from the government.
After speaking to the public, Ducat and Carbonell eventually released their victims and surrendered to the police.
The two are now detained at the MPD headquarters./DMS
April 4, 2007
The Manila Police District (MPD) failed to present necessary pieces of evidence against accused hostage takers Armando Ducat, Jr. and Caezar Augusto Carbonell during Wednesday’s preliminary investigation at the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office.
During the proceedings that was presided over by Assistant City Prosecutor Danilo Suarez, the MPD personnel failed to furnish the panel of prosecutors copies of the Certification from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on whether or not Ducat and Carbonell are exempted from the Comelec gunban, and Certification on whether or not the recovered grenades were capable of exploding.
Ducat and Carbonell’s lawyers insisted that the MPD should submit those documents since their client will base their counter-affidavits on the available evidence brought before them.
Ducat and Carbonell are facing charges of serious illegal detention and illegal possession of firearms and explosives, in relation to the Comelec-imposed gunban.
A separate charge for violation of the Anti-Child Abuse Law was filed against them last Monday by the social welfare office, but the lawyers of the two opposed its consolidation to the two original charges, saying it will further delay the resolution of the first two cases, thereby prolonging the detention of the accused.
Suarez then ordered the MPD to submit the required documents before 5pm yesterday (Wednesday), otherwise, they will no longer have any other chance to do it. Carbonell's lawyer, William delos Santos, confirmed to Manila Shimbun later in the evening that the MPD complied with Suarez' directive.
Suarez set the next hearing on April 10 at 10am, during which Ducat and Carbonell will have to submit their counter-affidavits.
After that, the panel of prosecutors is expected to come out with a resolution whether to file the cases in court or dismiss them by April 13 at the earliest.
Ducat and Carbonell arrived at the Prosecutor’s Office located at the third level of the Manila City Hall at around 10 am, handcuffed to each other’s right hands.
They wore white shirts, bearing the prints “STOP CORRUPTION, FREE EDUCATION.”
Their families and supporters were around during the one-and-a-half hours proceedings to provide moral support.
In an interview after the hearing, Ducat told Manila Shimbun that he is fine even if he just underwent angioplasty about two weeks before he and Carbonell held hostage last March 28 the 26 pupils and three teachers from the Musmos Day Care Center that he built in Parola Compound in Manila City.
“I’m just wondering why (Manila City) Mayor (Lito) Atienza is very mad at me that he wanted me in jail. Why can’t he put behind bars his son-in-law (Miles Roces) who failed to accomplish anything within three years?” Ducat said in Filipino.
Roces is the incumbent Representative of the 3rd District of Manila City at the House of Representatives. He is married to Atienza’s daughter, Arlene Maile.
When Ducat and Carbonell held hostage his victims inside a tourist bus right in front of the Manila City Hall, he had aired his grievance against corruption in government and demanded the government’s assurance that the graduates of his pre-school will make it through college.
He also demanded that the families of his students get free housing from the government.
After speaking to the public, Ducat and Carbonell eventually released their victims and surrendered to the police.
The two are now detained at the MPD headquarters./DMS
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Defense chief “hurt” by SC ruling to grant Ocampo’s petition for bail; PNP won’t apologize to Ocampo
By Ronron
April 3, 2007
Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. admitted that he was “hurt” with the Supreme Court decision to grant the petition for bail of Bayan Muna party-list group Representative Satur Ocampo on Tuesday.
In a news conference at Camp Aguinaldo, Ebdane said he just hopes that Ocampo, who was charged of multiple murder for the death of at least 15 former communist rebels in the mid-1980’s in Leyte province, would not flee abroad.
“I hope he will stay in the country,” Ebdane said of Ocampo.
The Defense Secretary confessed that indeed there was a lapse in the procedure in the filing of case against Ocampo, which merited the SC’s decision to grant his plea for temporary liberty.
“It will be a lesson learned. We have to comply with the rules of court so this will not be repeated,” Ebdane said.
Ocampo had argued before the SC that he was denied due process when the case against him was being heard at the prosecutor’s level. Ocampo was arrested last March 16, a few days after Judge Ephrem Abando in Hilongos, Leyte issued the warrant against him.
The case against the solon stemmed from allegations he ordered the purge of NPA members in Leyte in the mid-1980’s, whose remains were discovered in August last year in Inopacan town.
Although hurting, Ebdane said they just have “to abide by the law” and “comply with the orders of the court now.”
On the part of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the organization’s spokesman, Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao, Jr., said they do not have to apologize to Ocampo for causing him so much inconvenience.
It can be recalled that the PNP hastily brought Ocampo to the airport from the Manila Police District (MPD) headquarters last March 19 so he could be flown to Leyte for presentation to Abando.
Ocampo also said yesterday that the SC decision on his petition showed a weakness on the case the PNP built against him.
“What we did was well within the judicial process and there is nothing to apologize for us sticking to what the rules of criminal procedures tell every law enforcement agent to do,” Pagdilao said.
“I don’t think the (PNP) should apologize,” he added.
Pagdilao explained that the planned and aborted transfer of Ocampo to Leyte was in accordance with the rules of court.
But he said the even if the PNP submits to the “orders of the judicial authorities,” he warned Ocampo that the case against him stands.
“It (SC ruling) doesn’t mean that the trial against Mr. Satur Ocampo will no longer proceed,” Pagdilao said./DMS
April 3, 2007
Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. admitted that he was “hurt” with the Supreme Court decision to grant the petition for bail of Bayan Muna party-list group Representative Satur Ocampo on Tuesday.
In a news conference at Camp Aguinaldo, Ebdane said he just hopes that Ocampo, who was charged of multiple murder for the death of at least 15 former communist rebels in the mid-1980’s in Leyte province, would not flee abroad.
“I hope he will stay in the country,” Ebdane said of Ocampo.
The Defense Secretary confessed that indeed there was a lapse in the procedure in the filing of case against Ocampo, which merited the SC’s decision to grant his plea for temporary liberty.
“It will be a lesson learned. We have to comply with the rules of court so this will not be repeated,” Ebdane said.
Ocampo had argued before the SC that he was denied due process when the case against him was being heard at the prosecutor’s level. Ocampo was arrested last March 16, a few days after Judge Ephrem Abando in Hilongos, Leyte issued the warrant against him.
The case against the solon stemmed from allegations he ordered the purge of NPA members in Leyte in the mid-1980’s, whose remains were discovered in August last year in Inopacan town.
Although hurting, Ebdane said they just have “to abide by the law” and “comply with the orders of the court now.”
On the part of the Philippine National Police (PNP), the organization’s spokesman, Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao, Jr., said they do not have to apologize to Ocampo for causing him so much inconvenience.
It can be recalled that the PNP hastily brought Ocampo to the airport from the Manila Police District (MPD) headquarters last March 19 so he could be flown to Leyte for presentation to Abando.
Ocampo also said yesterday that the SC decision on his petition showed a weakness on the case the PNP built against him.
“What we did was well within the judicial process and there is nothing to apologize for us sticking to what the rules of criminal procedures tell every law enforcement agent to do,” Pagdilao said.
“I don’t think the (PNP) should apologize,” he added.
Pagdilao explained that the planned and aborted transfer of Ocampo to Leyte was in accordance with the rules of court.
But he said the even if the PNP submits to the “orders of the judicial authorities,” he warned Ocampo that the case against him stands.
“It (SC ruling) doesn’t mean that the trial against Mr. Satur Ocampo will no longer proceed,” Pagdilao said./DMS
Siphoning in Guimaras ends
By Ronron
April 3, 2007
The siphoning operations in Guimaras province where an oil tanker sank in August 2006 ended over the weekend, recovering a volume of bunker fuel way below the expected.
Officials said only around 9,000 liters of bunker fuel were recovered from two of the eight compartments initially suspected to contain the remaining 1.3 to 1.6 million liters of said oil from the ill-fated M/T Solar 1.
“Twenty-one days after its arrival, the oil recovery ship Allied Shield contracted by Sonsub completed its mission to ensure that no oil was left on Solar 1… This brings the last phase of the clean-up to a close,” said a statement released by Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela.
Reached by phone, Coscolluela told Manila Shimbun that the siphoning operations formally ended last Saturday. The Allied Shield arrived in Bacolod City last March 10 from Singapore where its Italian company is based.
“We had a very successful operation since we were able to complete the oil retrieval without any problem. More importantly, we can be assured that there is no more oil left on Solar 1,” Sonsub’s Director for Special Operations Mark Phibbs said in the same statement.
Coscolluela described the entire operations as “incident-free,” with “absolutely no accident,” therefore, “no cause for anxiety” among the people of Guimaras.
Coscolluela said that the retrieval of only 9,000 liters of bunker fuel only shows that indeed, most of the oil contents spilled into the water, contrary to initial estimates that only 300,000 liters of the 2.1 million Petron product were released into the sea when M/T Solar 1 sunk on August 11, 2006.
The ill-fated ship has sank 640 meters deep some nine miles southwest of Guimaras Island after it was batted by big waves while enroute to Mindanao from Bataan.
Coscolluela said the retrieved oil has been turned over to Petron for proper disposition upon the approval of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). It is being stored at Petron’s depot in Bacolod City.
He said the total cost of the operations, as relayed by Phibbs, could not be more than $6 million. Solar 1’s insurer, Protection and Indemnity (P&I), will pay the expenses.
“By and large, it gave a sense of relief to the people of Guimaras because the threat is already gone,” Coscolluela said of the effect of the completion of the siphoning operations to the locals of the province.
He said the Allied Shield already sailed to Singapore last Sunday evening.
With the completion of the siphoning operations, National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Executive Officer retired Gen. Glenn Rabonza said the government can now “focus more on the rehabilitation efforts for Guimaras.”
“Part of the plan is a 50-million-peso science plan being organized by the Department of Science and Technology and UP (University of the Philippines) Visayas, led by Chancellor Glen Aguilar,” Rabonza said.
He disclosed that some P200 million from the P867 million supplemental budget intended for the rehabilitation of Guimaras had already been released to several agencies and the local government units.
“So, the work to rehabilitate Guimaras, particularly to the damaged environment is ongoing,” Rabonza said.
Petron Health, Safety and Environment Manager Caloy Tan also revealed that about P110 million has already been released as compensation to the affected fishermen of Guimaras.
“For the fishermen alone for the province of Guimaras, a little over 11,000 has been paid. Only 250 have yet to receive their check… For the province of Iloilo, 11,200 are due to be paid also after the Holy Week,” Tan said.
Resorts and pond owners in Guimaras and Iloilo will also be paid depending on their claims.
Tan said the payment will be sourced from the $330 million that is provided by the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund.
The oil spill in Guimaras has been regarded as the worst in Philippine history./DMS
April 3, 2007
The siphoning operations in Guimaras province where an oil tanker sank in August 2006 ended over the weekend, recovering a volume of bunker fuel way below the expected.
Officials said only around 9,000 liters of bunker fuel were recovered from two of the eight compartments initially suspected to contain the remaining 1.3 to 1.6 million liters of said oil from the ill-fated M/T Solar 1.
“Twenty-one days after its arrival, the oil recovery ship Allied Shield contracted by Sonsub completed its mission to ensure that no oil was left on Solar 1… This brings the last phase of the clean-up to a close,” said a statement released by Presidential Adviser for Western Visayas Rafael Coscolluela.
Reached by phone, Coscolluela told Manila Shimbun that the siphoning operations formally ended last Saturday. The Allied Shield arrived in Bacolod City last March 10 from Singapore where its Italian company is based.
“We had a very successful operation since we were able to complete the oil retrieval without any problem. More importantly, we can be assured that there is no more oil left on Solar 1,” Sonsub’s Director for Special Operations Mark Phibbs said in the same statement.
Coscolluela described the entire operations as “incident-free,” with “absolutely no accident,” therefore, “no cause for anxiety” among the people of Guimaras.
Coscolluela said that the retrieval of only 9,000 liters of bunker fuel only shows that indeed, most of the oil contents spilled into the water, contrary to initial estimates that only 300,000 liters of the 2.1 million Petron product were released into the sea when M/T Solar 1 sunk on August 11, 2006.
The ill-fated ship has sank 640 meters deep some nine miles southwest of Guimaras Island after it was batted by big waves while enroute to Mindanao from Bataan.
Coscolluela said the retrieved oil has been turned over to Petron for proper disposition upon the approval of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). It is being stored at Petron’s depot in Bacolod City.
He said the total cost of the operations, as relayed by Phibbs, could not be more than $6 million. Solar 1’s insurer, Protection and Indemnity (P&I), will pay the expenses.
“By and large, it gave a sense of relief to the people of Guimaras because the threat is already gone,” Coscolluela said of the effect of the completion of the siphoning operations to the locals of the province.
He said the Allied Shield already sailed to Singapore last Sunday evening.
With the completion of the siphoning operations, National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Executive Officer retired Gen. Glenn Rabonza said the government can now “focus more on the rehabilitation efforts for Guimaras.”
“Part of the plan is a 50-million-peso science plan being organized by the Department of Science and Technology and UP (University of the Philippines) Visayas, led by Chancellor Glen Aguilar,” Rabonza said.
He disclosed that some P200 million from the P867 million supplemental budget intended for the rehabilitation of Guimaras had already been released to several agencies and the local government units.
“So, the work to rehabilitate Guimaras, particularly to the damaged environment is ongoing,” Rabonza said.
Petron Health, Safety and Environment Manager Caloy Tan also revealed that about P110 million has already been released as compensation to the affected fishermen of Guimaras.
“For the fishermen alone for the province of Guimaras, a little over 11,000 has been paid. Only 250 have yet to receive their check… For the province of Iloilo, 11,200 are due to be paid also after the Holy Week,” Tan said.
Resorts and pond owners in Guimaras and Iloilo will also be paid depending on their claims.
Tan said the payment will be sourced from the $330 million that is provided by the International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund.
The oil spill in Guimaras has been regarded as the worst in Philippine history./DMS
Masbate police commander asked to be relieved due to series of violence in the province
By Ronron
April 3, 2007
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Oscar Calderon has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to relieve Supt. Teodoro Caparroso as commander of the Masbate Police Provincial Office due to a series of violent incidents in the province.
In a statement, Calderon said he has recommended that Sr. Supt. Edgar Layon take over the position of Caparroso.
“I have already warned my commanders in Police Regional Office 5 that I will hold them responsible should violent incidents continue in their respective area of responsibility. I have directed them to establish effective counter measures to put an end to this escalating violence or face administrative sanctions or relief,” Calderon said.
PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao, Jr. said what sparked the relief of Caparroso is the ambush last Sunday of two supporters of a mayoralty candidate in the province. The victims, who were shot in Placer town, died in the incident.
Prior to that, Pagdilao said there was also an ambush incident against two supporters of San Jacinto town Mayor Leny Arcenas. The two victims also died.
“Despite the warning, violence continued in Masbate, thus leaving (me) no other recourse but to recommend the replacement of the provincial director with a more experienced and competent commander,” Calderon said.
Pagdilao said a company-size troops of the police Special Action Force (SAF) was already deployed in the province “to carry out aggressive action to crack down partisan armed groups (PAGS) suspected to be responsible for the election related violence.”
“The SAF company was given order to immediately fan out to the 21 towns of Masbate to hunt down PAGS and to ensure that the presence of the PNP will be felt seriously,” Pagdilao said.
Yesterday morning, elements of the SAF encountered suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members at 6am in Barangay Lahong, Baleno town, the Philippine Army reported.
A platoon of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Battalion (IB) reinforced the SAF team and found two wounded SAF members and another one killed, said Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Southern Luzon Command spokesman Lt. Col. Rhoderick Parayno.
But police recovered three M16 rifles, an M79 grenade launcher, several ammunition and subversive document abandoned by the suspected rebels.
The NPA also attacked the Filmenera Company, a construction firm, in Barangay Puro, Aroroy town at around 7:10 am yesterday.
Philippine Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Jr. said around 60 suspected communist guerillas burned five buildings and two heavy equipments (a backhoe and a grader) of the private firm.
Members of the 2nd IB who also responded to the site found improvised landmines, grenades without pins, and 12 molotov bombs on the way to the company.
Parayno said that while one of the grenade was being disposed of, it exploded, slightly grazing the neck of one soldier.
At Camp Crame, PNP Deputy chief for Administration Dep. Dir. Gen. Avelino Razon, Jr. called the NPA as the biggest partisan armed group for its extortion activities like permit-to-campaign, and permit-to-win fees.
“Gen. Calderon directed Deputy Director General Antonio Billones (National Task Force HOPE Commander) to initiate and supervise several dialogues between and among political rivals for the purpose of forging peace covenants in coordination with the church and the Commission on Elections and to adopt effective measures to ensure that rival politicians will honor the peace accord,” Pagdilao said.
The PNP is under the Comelec control for the entire election period from January 14 until June 13, 2007./DMS
April 3, 2007
Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Oscar Calderon has asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to relieve Supt. Teodoro Caparroso as commander of the Masbate Police Provincial Office due to a series of violent incidents in the province.
In a statement, Calderon said he has recommended that Sr. Supt. Edgar Layon take over the position of Caparroso.
“I have already warned my commanders in Police Regional Office 5 that I will hold them responsible should violent incidents continue in their respective area of responsibility. I have directed them to establish effective counter measures to put an end to this escalating violence or face administrative sanctions or relief,” Calderon said.
PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao, Jr. said what sparked the relief of Caparroso is the ambush last Sunday of two supporters of a mayoralty candidate in the province. The victims, who were shot in Placer town, died in the incident.
Prior to that, Pagdilao said there was also an ambush incident against two supporters of San Jacinto town Mayor Leny Arcenas. The two victims also died.
“Despite the warning, violence continued in Masbate, thus leaving (me) no other recourse but to recommend the replacement of the provincial director with a more experienced and competent commander,” Calderon said.
Pagdilao said a company-size troops of the police Special Action Force (SAF) was already deployed in the province “to carry out aggressive action to crack down partisan armed groups (PAGS) suspected to be responsible for the election related violence.”
“The SAF company was given order to immediately fan out to the 21 towns of Masbate to hunt down PAGS and to ensure that the presence of the PNP will be felt seriously,” Pagdilao said.
Yesterday morning, elements of the SAF encountered suspected New People’s Army (NPA) members at 6am in Barangay Lahong, Baleno town, the Philippine Army reported.
A platoon of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Battalion (IB) reinforced the SAF team and found two wounded SAF members and another one killed, said Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Southern Luzon Command spokesman Lt. Col. Rhoderick Parayno.
But police recovered three M16 rifles, an M79 grenade launcher, several ammunition and subversive document abandoned by the suspected rebels.
The NPA also attacked the Filmenera Company, a construction firm, in Barangay Puro, Aroroy town at around 7:10 am yesterday.
Philippine Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Jr. said around 60 suspected communist guerillas burned five buildings and two heavy equipments (a backhoe and a grader) of the private firm.
Members of the 2nd IB who also responded to the site found improvised landmines, grenades without pins, and 12 molotov bombs on the way to the company.
Parayno said that while one of the grenade was being disposed of, it exploded, slightly grazing the neck of one soldier.
At Camp Crame, PNP Deputy chief for Administration Dep. Dir. Gen. Avelino Razon, Jr. called the NPA as the biggest partisan armed group for its extortion activities like permit-to-campaign, and permit-to-win fees.
“Gen. Calderon directed Deputy Director General Antonio Billones (National Task Force HOPE Commander) to initiate and supervise several dialogues between and among political rivals for the purpose of forging peace covenants in coordination with the church and the Commission on Elections and to adopt effective measures to ensure that rival politicians will honor the peace accord,” Pagdilao said.
The PNP is under the Comelec control for the entire election period from January 14 until June 13, 2007./DMS
Police finds three lapses in MPD response to March 28 hostage drama
By Ronron
April 3, 2007
An internal investigation by the Philippine National Police (PNP) has initially found three lapses in the handling by the Manila Police District (MPD) of the March 28 hostage-taking incident in Manila City.
In the weekly press briefing at Camp Crame, PNP Deputy Chief for Administration Deputy Director General Avelino Razon, Jr. said the National Capital Region – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (NCR-CIDG) initially found the following lapses: 1) Failure to control the crowd; 2) Improper Media Handling; and, 3) Breakdown of Communication among members of the Crisis Management Committee.
Razon said the investigation, which is still ongoing, is spearheaded by NCR-CIDG Director Supt. Joel Napoleon Coronel, and conducted jointly by the Directorate for Investigative and Detective Management (DIDM).
“The investigation is not yet finished. But the initial findings of the investigator… is that indeed, there were lapses,” Razon said.
He said the failure of the police officers at the hostage site to control the movement of the public and the media covering the event was vividly captured in the media.
As to the communication breakdown, wherein the orders of the crisis management committee down to the ground commander and subordinate units were not properly relayed, Razon said it will be elaborated to the media when the investigation wraps up.
A day after the 10-hour long incident, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno recommended the administrative relief of MPD acting Director Sr. Supt. Danilo Abarsoza and his subordinates for allegedly not following the orders of Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza, the crisis manager.
But PNP chief Director General Oscar Calderon withheld the relief until the internal probe is completed.
A separate interview with the chief negotiator of the incident, Supt. Orlando Yebra, revealed that they were all actually taking orders from Atienza. Yebra said Puno must have not been briefed well about what really happened.
Asked if the investigation body was already enlightened on whether or not Atienza acted as crisis manager, Razon said: “Well, the investigation of the PNP is limited to the police operational procedures. So the implementation of that by the police is the main point of this probe, and not the entire Crisis Management Committee.”
Razon said they expect to finish the investigation before Good Friday.
“We are looking closely at what really happened, what were the participation of these officers, their decisions, and the actions of the key players… And from there, we will find out what actions to be taken against these personnel,” Razon said.
Initially, the investigators came up with three recommendations: 1) filing of administrative charges against police officers who violated the Police Operational Procedures for Hostage Negotiations; 2) submission of the entire National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), starting with the MPD, to a Hostage-Taking Crisis Management Seminar; and, 3) a review by the Directorate for Operations of the current Police Operational Procedures on Hostage Negotiations for further improvement.
But even without these recommendations, Razon said Calderon already ordered all regional offices, especially city police offices, to conduct Hostage Negotiation Seminars or Trainings to avoid the above-mentioned lapses should a situation happen there.
“Even with the media, the chief PNP said that if possible, we could sit down with our media friends and discuss with them how could they best help in situations like that,” Razon said.
Armando Ducat, Jr., together with his associate, Cezar Carbonell, held hostage 26 pupils and three teachers inside a bus last March 28 from 9am to 7pm as he complained against corruption in the government.
Parking the bus near the Manila City Hall, Ducat asked the government to assure that the graduates of the Musmos Day Care Center in Parola Compound, Binondo, Manila City go through college and their families get housing units.
Ducat and Carbonell were armed at that time with a sub-machine gun, a caliber 45 pistol, and two hand grenades.
The incident ended peacefully after the two suspects released their victims, and then voluntarily surrendered./DMS
April 3, 2007
An internal investigation by the Philippine National Police (PNP) has initially found three lapses in the handling by the Manila Police District (MPD) of the March 28 hostage-taking incident in Manila City.
In the weekly press briefing at Camp Crame, PNP Deputy Chief for Administration Deputy Director General Avelino Razon, Jr. said the National Capital Region – Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (NCR-CIDG) initially found the following lapses: 1) Failure to control the crowd; 2) Improper Media Handling; and, 3) Breakdown of Communication among members of the Crisis Management Committee.
Razon said the investigation, which is still ongoing, is spearheaded by NCR-CIDG Director Supt. Joel Napoleon Coronel, and conducted jointly by the Directorate for Investigative and Detective Management (DIDM).
“The investigation is not yet finished. But the initial findings of the investigator… is that indeed, there were lapses,” Razon said.
He said the failure of the police officers at the hostage site to control the movement of the public and the media covering the event was vividly captured in the media.
As to the communication breakdown, wherein the orders of the crisis management committee down to the ground commander and subordinate units were not properly relayed, Razon said it will be elaborated to the media when the investigation wraps up.
A day after the 10-hour long incident, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno recommended the administrative relief of MPD acting Director Sr. Supt. Danilo Abarsoza and his subordinates for allegedly not following the orders of Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza, the crisis manager.
But PNP chief Director General Oscar Calderon withheld the relief until the internal probe is completed.
A separate interview with the chief negotiator of the incident, Supt. Orlando Yebra, revealed that they were all actually taking orders from Atienza. Yebra said Puno must have not been briefed well about what really happened.
Asked if the investigation body was already enlightened on whether or not Atienza acted as crisis manager, Razon said: “Well, the investigation of the PNP is limited to the police operational procedures. So the implementation of that by the police is the main point of this probe, and not the entire Crisis Management Committee.”
Razon said they expect to finish the investigation before Good Friday.
“We are looking closely at what really happened, what were the participation of these officers, their decisions, and the actions of the key players… And from there, we will find out what actions to be taken against these personnel,” Razon said.
Initially, the investigators came up with three recommendations: 1) filing of administrative charges against police officers who violated the Police Operational Procedures for Hostage Negotiations; 2) submission of the entire National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), starting with the MPD, to a Hostage-Taking Crisis Management Seminar; and, 3) a review by the Directorate for Operations of the current Police Operational Procedures on Hostage Negotiations for further improvement.
But even without these recommendations, Razon said Calderon already ordered all regional offices, especially city police offices, to conduct Hostage Negotiation Seminars or Trainings to avoid the above-mentioned lapses should a situation happen there.
“Even with the media, the chief PNP said that if possible, we could sit down with our media friends and discuss with them how could they best help in situations like that,” Razon said.
Armando Ducat, Jr., together with his associate, Cezar Carbonell, held hostage 26 pupils and three teachers inside a bus last March 28 from 9am to 7pm as he complained against corruption in the government.
Parking the bus near the Manila City Hall, Ducat asked the government to assure that the graduates of the Musmos Day Care Center in Parola Compound, Binondo, Manila City go through college and their families get housing units.
Ducat and Carbonell were armed at that time with a sub-machine gun, a caliber 45 pistol, and two hand grenades.
The incident ended peacefully after the two suspects released their victims, and then voluntarily surrendered./DMS
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
No pull out, no addition, just improved security measures for troops deployed in MM following death of soldier last Saturday
By Ronron
April 2, 2007
There will no pull out of troops, or addition of the same to those deployed in slum areas in Metro Manila following the killing last Saturday of a soldier in Tondo District, Manila City.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) National Capital Region Command (NCRCom) chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino said Monday the security measures for the 26 teams of nine to 10 soldiers each deployed in 19 barangays all over the capital will just be enhanced in response to the incident.
“On our part, we issued additional security guidelines. They don’t necessarily have to bring long firearms. But, in terms of being security conscious, (just) for them to be with somebody else if they go to a delicate place,” Dolorfino said.
“Then, also (for them) to be vigilant always because of the intelligence report that the New People’s Army is planning to reactivate their sparrow units,” he added.
Staff Sergeant Rowell Papa-an was shot dead by suspected criminals last Saturday afternoon after responding to a reported hold-up incident in Parola Compound in Tondo.
The suspects managed to escape after the incident.
Dolorfino said Papa-an at that time was not armed because he was carrying some materials to his jeep. He said the soldier was also confident he could physically subdue any criminal since he is a martial arts expert.
He hailed Papa-an’s courageous act as that of a hero since it showed the AFP’s “sincere commitment to serve and protect our countrymen in the depressed communities.”
“He did not act only as a soldier but more than that. As a responsible citizen of this country, he effected what is called Citizen’s Arrest. That is the heroism he showed the entire nation,” Dolorfino said of Papa-an.
Dolorfino said the killing of Papa-an in fact boosted the morale of other soldiers.
Asked if the incident should be cause for the pull-out of the troops or their augmentation, Dolorfino said: “I don’t think so. We will continue on having the same number of personnel in these areas.”
But he said come election day on May 14, the AFP leadership might consider recalling the soldiers temporarily.
“Our plan is if we will pull them out, we will conduct refresher training. We will have a critique of what they have been doing so we can further improve our operations,” said Dolorfino.
The government soldiers, who are under the Philippine Army’s Civil Military Operations (CMO) battalion, have been deployed in 19 slum areas in Caloocan, Taguig, Quezon and Manila cities since November of last year.
Their deployment was criticized by some sectors as it allegedly violates civil liberties of the people.
But barangay chairmen in the areas were the soldiers are deployed, as well as some residents, have sought for their continued stay, saying it is doing good for the communities./DMS
April 2, 2007
There will no pull out of troops, or addition of the same to those deployed in slum areas in Metro Manila following the killing last Saturday of a soldier in Tondo District, Manila City.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) National Capital Region Command (NCRCom) chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino said Monday the security measures for the 26 teams of nine to 10 soldiers each deployed in 19 barangays all over the capital will just be enhanced in response to the incident.
“On our part, we issued additional security guidelines. They don’t necessarily have to bring long firearms. But, in terms of being security conscious, (just) for them to be with somebody else if they go to a delicate place,” Dolorfino said.
“Then, also (for them) to be vigilant always because of the intelligence report that the New People’s Army is planning to reactivate their sparrow units,” he added.
Staff Sergeant Rowell Papa-an was shot dead by suspected criminals last Saturday afternoon after responding to a reported hold-up incident in Parola Compound in Tondo.
The suspects managed to escape after the incident.
Dolorfino said Papa-an at that time was not armed because he was carrying some materials to his jeep. He said the soldier was also confident he could physically subdue any criminal since he is a martial arts expert.
He hailed Papa-an’s courageous act as that of a hero since it showed the AFP’s “sincere commitment to serve and protect our countrymen in the depressed communities.”
“He did not act only as a soldier but more than that. As a responsible citizen of this country, he effected what is called Citizen’s Arrest. That is the heroism he showed the entire nation,” Dolorfino said of Papa-an.
Dolorfino said the killing of Papa-an in fact boosted the morale of other soldiers.
Asked if the incident should be cause for the pull-out of the troops or their augmentation, Dolorfino said: “I don’t think so. We will continue on having the same number of personnel in these areas.”
But he said come election day on May 14, the AFP leadership might consider recalling the soldiers temporarily.
“Our plan is if we will pull them out, we will conduct refresher training. We will have a critique of what they have been doing so we can further improve our operations,” said Dolorfino.
The government soldiers, who are under the Philippine Army’s Civil Military Operations (CMO) battalion, have been deployed in 19 slum areas in Caloocan, Taguig, Quezon and Manila cities since November of last year.
Their deployment was criticized by some sectors as it allegedly violates civil liberties of the people.
But barangay chairmen in the areas were the soldiers are deployed, as well as some residents, have sought for their continued stay, saying it is doing good for the communities./DMS
PNP goes on heightened alert for Holy Week celebration
By Ronron
April 2, 2007
The Philippine National Police (PNP) went on heightened alert on Monday noon for the Holy Week celebration.
PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao, Jr. said PNP chief Dir. Gen. Oscar Calderon said the second of three alert levels took effect at 12 noon “to ensure the availability of personnel and resources for police security and public safety operations during the traditional observance of the Holy Week.”
“Our job is to make sure that the people will be safe and secure while enjoying the Lenten holiday,” Calderon said in a statement.
“The upgrading of the alert level is aimed at maximizing effectiveness of security measures in airports, seaports, land transport terminals, major thoroughfares, and traditional retreat destinations and resort zones,” he added.
If necessary, Calderon said the different regional directors can further upgrade the alert status in their areas of responsibility to the highest level.
The PNP has launched Operation Plan (OPLAN) Lakbay Tulong “to ensure a safe and uneventful observance of the Holy Week when most people go home to the provinces or vacation destinations for the long holidays.”
In a separate news conference at Camp Crame, PNP Traffic Management Group (TMG) Director Chief Supt. Errol Pan said that the entire force under him will be on 24-hour duty nationwide starting Monday.
Pan said the more than 1,000 TMG personnel will not be allowed to go on leave from work so they could provide “traffic assistance” and perform “anti-criminality, anti-hijacking and anti-carnapping” functions to the public.
He said the TMG’s Oplan SUMVAC (Summer Vacation) takes effect Monday until Easter Sunday.
“This is in preparation for the movement of vacationers, those who will go home to the provinces or the cities, which happens yearly, in coordination with civic groups, (and) gasoline corporations that set up assistance centers along the national highways,” Pan said.
For monitoring purposes in Metro Manila, he said the TMG will use 16 motorcycles that were used by the PNP during the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit last January in Cebu, as well as their eight mobile cars.
Pan said the TMG personnel will be visible along EDSA, at the Southern Luzon Expressway, and Northern Luzon Expressway.
“We also provided additional services along the national highways. In fact, the TMG nationwide is being mobilized for this purpose, in all regions, throughout the archipelago,” he said.
This Catholic-dominated country celebrates the culmination of the Lenten Season starting Holy Wednesday until Easter Sunday, in observance of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The religious activity has been traditionally marked with long holidays. But for this year, the vacation extends until Monday next week as the country celebrates the Araw ng Kagitingan./DMS
April 2, 2007
The Philippine National Police (PNP) went on heightened alert on Monday noon for the Holy Week celebration.
PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao, Jr. said PNP chief Dir. Gen. Oscar Calderon said the second of three alert levels took effect at 12 noon “to ensure the availability of personnel and resources for police security and public safety operations during the traditional observance of the Holy Week.”
“Our job is to make sure that the people will be safe and secure while enjoying the Lenten holiday,” Calderon said in a statement.
“The upgrading of the alert level is aimed at maximizing effectiveness of security measures in airports, seaports, land transport terminals, major thoroughfares, and traditional retreat destinations and resort zones,” he added.
If necessary, Calderon said the different regional directors can further upgrade the alert status in their areas of responsibility to the highest level.
The PNP has launched Operation Plan (OPLAN) Lakbay Tulong “to ensure a safe and uneventful observance of the Holy Week when most people go home to the provinces or vacation destinations for the long holidays.”
In a separate news conference at Camp Crame, PNP Traffic Management Group (TMG) Director Chief Supt. Errol Pan said that the entire force under him will be on 24-hour duty nationwide starting Monday.
Pan said the more than 1,000 TMG personnel will not be allowed to go on leave from work so they could provide “traffic assistance” and perform “anti-criminality, anti-hijacking and anti-carnapping” functions to the public.
He said the TMG’s Oplan SUMVAC (Summer Vacation) takes effect Monday until Easter Sunday.
“This is in preparation for the movement of vacationers, those who will go home to the provinces or the cities, which happens yearly, in coordination with civic groups, (and) gasoline corporations that set up assistance centers along the national highways,” Pan said.
For monitoring purposes in Metro Manila, he said the TMG will use 16 motorcycles that were used by the PNP during the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit last January in Cebu, as well as their eight mobile cars.
Pan said the TMG personnel will be visible along EDSA, at the Southern Luzon Expressway, and Northern Luzon Expressway.
“We also provided additional services along the national highways. In fact, the TMG nationwide is being mobilized for this purpose, in all regions, throughout the archipelago,” he said.
This Catholic-dominated country celebrates the culmination of the Lenten Season starting Holy Wednesday until Easter Sunday, in observance of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The religious activity has been traditionally marked with long holidays. But for this year, the vacation extends until Monday next week as the country celebrates the Araw ng Kagitingan./DMS
Military exhumes 13 skeletal remains in Southern Leyte believed to be victims of NPA purging
By Ronron
April 2, 2007
Police and military forces unearthed over the weekend another batch of remains of suspected purging victims of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Southern Leyte province.
Lt. Col. Mario Lacurom, commander of the Philippine Army’s 43rd Infantry Battalion which is based in said province, said in a phone interview Monday that 13 skeletal remains have so far been exhumed since Friday last week from a suspected mass grave site in Sitio Mahangin, Barangay San Antonio in Hilongos town.
The search and exhumation was still going on yesterday, with the presence of Maj. Gen. Armando Cunanan, commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division; Chief Supt. Eliseo dela Paz, chief of the Region VIII Police; and Brig. Gen. Allan Ragpala, chief of the Philippine Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade.
Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) from the Region VIII police were also at the site to conduct forensic investigation.
Lacurom said they estimate a total of 26 to 28 bodies at the site as testified by former NPA members, residents in the area, and relatives of alleged purge victims.
He described the site to be as big as half the size of a basketball court.
The victims buried there were believed to be villagers of San Antonio who were abducted by communist rebels on June 12, 1985, a day before Hilongos celebrated its annual town fiesta.
“They were suspected military informants and were sentenced to death by the NPA kangaroo court,” said Lacurom.
He said the skeletal remains recovered were found with blindfolds still, while some had their skull at the feet portion. Some of them were found alone, while others were found in groups of two or three.
Asked how far is the site, Lacurom said it takes eight hours by foot to reach it from the foot of the mountain. Relative to the mass grave site in Inopacan town that was discovered last year, Lacurom said the new site can be reached by foot within one to two days.
“This means it would be impossible for the skeletons to be planted by us,” said Lacurom when told that the militant groups sympathetic to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) could accuse the military again of manufacturing evidence against former and present communist leaders and personalities, including Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo.
Ocampo is under arrest for the Inopacan grave site, called The Garden, after he was implicated by witnesses of the military and police. As a member then of the CPP’s Central Committee, Ocampo allegedly ordered the killing of NPA members suspected of spying for the government in the mid-1980’s.
Asked if the militant congressman has any hand in the new grave site, Lacurom said: “As of now, that’s speculation.”
Lacurom said the search and digging at the new grave site will continue until they are satisfied to have recovered already all the suspected purge victims buried there./DMS
April 2, 2007
Police and military forces unearthed over the weekend another batch of remains of suspected purging victims of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Southern Leyte province.
Lt. Col. Mario Lacurom, commander of the Philippine Army’s 43rd Infantry Battalion which is based in said province, said in a phone interview Monday that 13 skeletal remains have so far been exhumed since Friday last week from a suspected mass grave site in Sitio Mahangin, Barangay San Antonio in Hilongos town.
The search and exhumation was still going on yesterday, with the presence of Maj. Gen. Armando Cunanan, commander of the Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division; Chief Supt. Eliseo dela Paz, chief of the Region VIII Police; and Brig. Gen. Allan Ragpala, chief of the Philippine Army’s 802nd Infantry Brigade.
Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) from the Region VIII police were also at the site to conduct forensic investigation.
Lacurom said they estimate a total of 26 to 28 bodies at the site as testified by former NPA members, residents in the area, and relatives of alleged purge victims.
He described the site to be as big as half the size of a basketball court.
The victims buried there were believed to be villagers of San Antonio who were abducted by communist rebels on June 12, 1985, a day before Hilongos celebrated its annual town fiesta.
“They were suspected military informants and were sentenced to death by the NPA kangaroo court,” said Lacurom.
He said the skeletal remains recovered were found with blindfolds still, while some had their skull at the feet portion. Some of them were found alone, while others were found in groups of two or three.
Asked how far is the site, Lacurom said it takes eight hours by foot to reach it from the foot of the mountain. Relative to the mass grave site in Inopacan town that was discovered last year, Lacurom said the new site can be reached by foot within one to two days.
“This means it would be impossible for the skeletons to be planted by us,” said Lacurom when told that the militant groups sympathetic to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) could accuse the military again of manufacturing evidence against former and present communist leaders and personalities, including Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo.
Ocampo is under arrest for the Inopacan grave site, called The Garden, after he was implicated by witnesses of the military and police. As a member then of the CPP’s Central Committee, Ocampo allegedly ordered the killing of NPA members suspected of spying for the government in the mid-1980’s.
Asked if the militant congressman has any hand in the new grave site, Lacurom said: “As of now, that’s speculation.”
Lacurom said the search and digging at the new grave site will continue until they are satisfied to have recovered already all the suspected purge victims buried there./DMS
Indonesian Catholic priest shot dead in Kalinga province
By Ronron
April 2, 2007
An Indonesian Catholic priest was shot dead on Sunday afternoon in Kalinga province in the northern Philippines by a locale for a still unknown reason.
Police identified the victim as Fr. Franciscos Madhu, 31, native of Flores, Indonesia, and assistant parish priest of St. Paul and St. Peter Parishes in Kalinga.
According to a police report, Madhu was first seen having a heated argument with suspected gunman Nestor Wailan before he was shot at around 5:30 pm last Sunday at the Mabungtot Primary School in Lubuagan town.
Police though has yet to ascertain what the argument was all about.
Wailan, a resident of Sitio Dugnac, Barangay Antonio Canao in Lubuagan, used an M16 rifle in shooting Madhu at close range.
Madhu sustained five gunshot wounds in the stomach, causing his instantaneous death.
Wailan then escaped with three companions, two of whom were identified as Joel Awingan and Acmor Bonggawon.
“It was later learned that the suspects were under the influence of liquor,” a police report said.
Responding policemen recovered from the crime scene six empty shells of caliber 5.56.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Task Force USIG Commander Chief Supt. Geary Barias said the TF USIG in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was immediately alerted “to possibly intercept the suspects.”
“They are now the subjects of a region-wide manhunt operation being carried out by tracker teams from the regional intelligence community of Police Regional Office Cordillera,” Barias said.
“We are considering the option to widen the dragnet operations to Regions I and II to get the suspects,” he added.
Barias said the investigation on the incident is headed by the Regional TF USIG, supported by the Kalinga Police Provincial Office, the Cordillera Criminal Investigation and Detection Office, the Crime Laboratory, and the Regional Intelligence Office.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, thru the local diocese in Cordillera, as well as the Indonesian Embassy in Manila were already informed of the incident, said Barias.
“I assure both the CBCP and the Indonesia Embassy of swift police action to solve the case, arrest the perpetrators, and serve the ends of justice to the late Fr. Madhu,” said Barias, who also heads the PNP Directorate for Investigative and Detective Management.
TF USIG was created in May last year to investigate killings of activists, journalists, and government employees./DMS
April 2, 2007
An Indonesian Catholic priest was shot dead on Sunday afternoon in Kalinga province in the northern Philippines by a locale for a still unknown reason.
Police identified the victim as Fr. Franciscos Madhu, 31, native of Flores, Indonesia, and assistant parish priest of St. Paul and St. Peter Parishes in Kalinga.
According to a police report, Madhu was first seen having a heated argument with suspected gunman Nestor Wailan before he was shot at around 5:30 pm last Sunday at the Mabungtot Primary School in Lubuagan town.
Police though has yet to ascertain what the argument was all about.
Wailan, a resident of Sitio Dugnac, Barangay Antonio Canao in Lubuagan, used an M16 rifle in shooting Madhu at close range.
Madhu sustained five gunshot wounds in the stomach, causing his instantaneous death.
Wailan then escaped with three companions, two of whom were identified as Joel Awingan and Acmor Bonggawon.
“It was later learned that the suspects were under the influence of liquor,” a police report said.
Responding policemen recovered from the crime scene six empty shells of caliber 5.56.
Philippine National Police (PNP) Task Force USIG Commander Chief Supt. Geary Barias said the TF USIG in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) was immediately alerted “to possibly intercept the suspects.”
“They are now the subjects of a region-wide manhunt operation being carried out by tracker teams from the regional intelligence community of Police Regional Office Cordillera,” Barias said.
“We are considering the option to widen the dragnet operations to Regions I and II to get the suspects,” he added.
Barias said the investigation on the incident is headed by the Regional TF USIG, supported by the Kalinga Police Provincial Office, the Cordillera Criminal Investigation and Detection Office, the Crime Laboratory, and the Regional Intelligence Office.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, thru the local diocese in Cordillera, as well as the Indonesian Embassy in Manila were already informed of the incident, said Barias.
“I assure both the CBCP and the Indonesia Embassy of swift police action to solve the case, arrest the perpetrators, and serve the ends of justice to the late Fr. Madhu,” said Barias, who also heads the PNP Directorate for Investigative and Detective Management.
TF USIG was created in May last year to investigate killings of activists, journalists, and government employees./DMS
4 killed, 33 injured as passenger jeepney falls from bridge in Agusan del Norte province
By Ronron
April 2, 2007
Four persons were killed, while 33 others were injured after the jeepney they were riding fell from a bridge they were passing along in Agusan del Norte province in Mindanao early Monday morning.
Police said the Cuesta Express passenger jeepney, with plate number GRF-270, was heading for Butuan City proper from Las Nieves town of the same province when it fell to the Bukla River in Purok 10, Sitio Bukla, Barangay Maguinda, Butuan City at around 5:30 am yesterday.
The jeepney, driven by a certain Mario Cuesta, was going uphill but encountered mechanical problem, causing it to roll back and go past the bridge guard, falling down to the Bukla River.
Police in Butuan City do not know yet the height of the bridge from the jeepney’s landing point.
Killed on the spot were four passengers, including a three-year-old girl, and seriously injured were eight others and Cuesta. Twenty-four other passengers sustained minor injuries.
Police said the injured victims were brought to three different hospitals in Butuan City for medical treatment.
The place of accident is estimated to be around 15 kilometers away from the Butuan City proper./DMS
April 2, 2007
Four persons were killed, while 33 others were injured after the jeepney they were riding fell from a bridge they were passing along in Agusan del Norte province in Mindanao early Monday morning.
Police said the Cuesta Express passenger jeepney, with plate number GRF-270, was heading for Butuan City proper from Las Nieves town of the same province when it fell to the Bukla River in Purok 10, Sitio Bukla, Barangay Maguinda, Butuan City at around 5:30 am yesterday.
The jeepney, driven by a certain Mario Cuesta, was going uphill but encountered mechanical problem, causing it to roll back and go past the bridge guard, falling down to the Bukla River.
Police in Butuan City do not know yet the height of the bridge from the jeepney’s landing point.
Killed on the spot were four passengers, including a three-year-old girl, and seriously injured were eight others and Cuesta. Twenty-four other passengers sustained minor injuries.
Police said the injured victims were brought to three different hospitals in Butuan City for medical treatment.
The place of accident is estimated to be around 15 kilometers away from the Butuan City proper./DMS
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Revilla, Singson did not have hostage negotiator’s permission to go up Bus 914
By Ronron
March 31, 2007
The crisis committee that handled the March 28 hostage drama in Manila City did not permit Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. and senatorial candidate Luis “Chavit” Singson to go up the bus to personally negotiate for the release of all hostage victims.
This was revealed Saturday by the chief negotiator of the incident, Supt. Orlando Yebra of the Manila Police District (MPD), in an interview on DZMM.
“I wasn’t able to stop them. That I will admit,” Yebra said in Filipino.
Yebra said that in accordance with police operating procedures in handling hostage-taking incidents, any outsider is not allowed to communicate with the suspect unless permitted by the crisis committee, which is headed by the local chief executive. In the latest case, it was Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza.
Revilla was only allowed to communicate through cellular phone with hostage taker Armando Ducat, Jr. starting in the morning because he was requested by Ducat, Yebra said.
Ducat is a godfather to one of Revilla’s children.
But he was not allowed by the crisis committee to go up the bus where Ducat held hostage the 26 pupils and three teachers of the Day Care Center he built in Parola Compound, Binondo District, Manila City.
The same is true with Singson, who arrived at the site in late afternoon without prior knowledge by the police.
“Before they boarded (the bus), I reminded them again that that was not our agreement when we were at the command post. Nobody is boarding the bus. But they really wanted to… So, we had no other choice. We just hoped for the best, that nothing bad will happen,” Yebra recalled.
Revilla boarded the bus past 11 am, while Singson did the same at around 5:30 pm. Singson only alighted at around 7pm, together with Ducat and his fellow hostage-taker, Cezar Carbonell.
All victims were first released before the surrender of the two suspect.
Yebra said Singson was insistent to board the bus when they went near supposedly only to talk to Ducat.
“From the start, he wanted to board the bus. But I did not allow him. So, when we were near the bus already, I reminded him that our agreement is he will not board it. But he said, he was going inside, that it’s ok, and that nothing bad will happen to him,” Yebra said.
In an earlier interview, Singson, who is running under the administration’s Team Unity ticket, said he went to the site after receiving information that Carbonell looked for him. Carbonell used to take Singson’s photographs when the former was still working as a member of the press, said Singson.
Upon arrival at the site, Singson said he volunteered to go up the bus, confident that he will handle the situation well being a former policeman, to help secure the release of the children.
He maintained that his intention was to help, and not to promote his self for the upcoming election. If he wanted fame and credit, Singson said he should have raised the firearms and explosives he got from Ducat for photo opportunities, and then granted media interviews after the incident. But those things he did not do.
Asked if he saw any political color in Singson’s participation, Yebra said: “I can’t answer that because I am not a politician. I don’t know how politics go about.”
Aside from the lapse in failing to stop Revilla and Singson from boarding the bus, Yebra admitted to have also failed in containing the crowd, including the media.
But he belied the allegation of Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno that they were not acting outside of the orders of Atienza.
“He (Atienza) was the one who approved all our concessions with Ducat, like food, water, as well as the people who could talk to Ducat on the phone,” Yebra said.
He surmised that Puno must not have been properly briefed about the incident, especially that Atienza was not very visible in the media coverage since the media was focused on the bus and Revilla.
Yebra said he hopes that the higher ups in the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will be enlightened about what really happened with the investigation on the incident will start this coming week.
Puno last Thursday has ordered the relief of Manila Police District (MPD) acting Director Sr. Supt. Danilo Abarsoza and two other police officers for allegedly mishandling the crisis by not taking orders from Atienza.
Abarsoza, at that time, was the ground commander.
But PNP Chief Gen. Oscar Calderon prevailed upon his request not to push thru with the administrative sanction against Abarsoza, saying they have yet to hear their explanation.
The 10-hour hostage drama ended peacefully after Ducat got his request to air to the public his grievance against corruption in the government, his demand for an assurance from the government that the graduates of his pre-school will make it through college, and for the public to light candles in front of the bus to symbolize oneness in the fight against corruption.
He and Carbonell were already charged of serious illegal detention and illegal possession of firearms before the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office./DMS
March 31, 2007
The crisis committee that handled the March 28 hostage drama in Manila City did not permit Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr. and senatorial candidate Luis “Chavit” Singson to go up the bus to personally negotiate for the release of all hostage victims.
This was revealed Saturday by the chief negotiator of the incident, Supt. Orlando Yebra of the Manila Police District (MPD), in an interview on DZMM.
“I wasn’t able to stop them. That I will admit,” Yebra said in Filipino.
Yebra said that in accordance with police operating procedures in handling hostage-taking incidents, any outsider is not allowed to communicate with the suspect unless permitted by the crisis committee, which is headed by the local chief executive. In the latest case, it was Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza.
Revilla was only allowed to communicate through cellular phone with hostage taker Armando Ducat, Jr. starting in the morning because he was requested by Ducat, Yebra said.
Ducat is a godfather to one of Revilla’s children.
But he was not allowed by the crisis committee to go up the bus where Ducat held hostage the 26 pupils and three teachers of the Day Care Center he built in Parola Compound, Binondo District, Manila City.
The same is true with Singson, who arrived at the site in late afternoon without prior knowledge by the police.
“Before they boarded (the bus), I reminded them again that that was not our agreement when we were at the command post. Nobody is boarding the bus. But they really wanted to… So, we had no other choice. We just hoped for the best, that nothing bad will happen,” Yebra recalled.
Revilla boarded the bus past 11 am, while Singson did the same at around 5:30 pm. Singson only alighted at around 7pm, together with Ducat and his fellow hostage-taker, Cezar Carbonell.
All victims were first released before the surrender of the two suspect.
Yebra said Singson was insistent to board the bus when they went near supposedly only to talk to Ducat.
“From the start, he wanted to board the bus. But I did not allow him. So, when we were near the bus already, I reminded him that our agreement is he will not board it. But he said, he was going inside, that it’s ok, and that nothing bad will happen to him,” Yebra said.
In an earlier interview, Singson, who is running under the administration’s Team Unity ticket, said he went to the site after receiving information that Carbonell looked for him. Carbonell used to take Singson’s photographs when the former was still working as a member of the press, said Singson.
Upon arrival at the site, Singson said he volunteered to go up the bus, confident that he will handle the situation well being a former policeman, to help secure the release of the children.
He maintained that his intention was to help, and not to promote his self for the upcoming election. If he wanted fame and credit, Singson said he should have raised the firearms and explosives he got from Ducat for photo opportunities, and then granted media interviews after the incident. But those things he did not do.
Asked if he saw any political color in Singson’s participation, Yebra said: “I can’t answer that because I am not a politician. I don’t know how politics go about.”
Aside from the lapse in failing to stop Revilla and Singson from boarding the bus, Yebra admitted to have also failed in containing the crowd, including the media.
But he belied the allegation of Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno that they were not acting outside of the orders of Atienza.
“He (Atienza) was the one who approved all our concessions with Ducat, like food, water, as well as the people who could talk to Ducat on the phone,” Yebra said.
He surmised that Puno must not have been properly briefed about the incident, especially that Atienza was not very visible in the media coverage since the media was focused on the bus and Revilla.
Yebra said he hopes that the higher ups in the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will be enlightened about what really happened with the investigation on the incident will start this coming week.
Puno last Thursday has ordered the relief of Manila Police District (MPD) acting Director Sr. Supt. Danilo Abarsoza and two other police officers for allegedly mishandling the crisis by not taking orders from Atienza.
Abarsoza, at that time, was the ground commander.
But PNP Chief Gen. Oscar Calderon prevailed upon his request not to push thru with the administrative sanction against Abarsoza, saying they have yet to hear their explanation.
The 10-hour hostage drama ended peacefully after Ducat got his request to air to the public his grievance against corruption in the government, his demand for an assurance from the government that the graduates of his pre-school will make it through college, and for the public to light candles in front of the bus to symbolize oneness in the fight against corruption.
He and Carbonell were already charged of serious illegal detention and illegal possession of firearms before the Manila City Prosecutor’s Office./DMS
Arroyo hints of continued stay of military in MM
By Ronron
March 31, 2007
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo hinted on Saturday of the continued stay of military troops in Metro Manila following her visit at a slum area in Tondo District where the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was conducting civil military operations (CMO).
AFP National Capital Region Command (NCRCom) chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino said yesterday that this was the impression he got when Arroyo told him: “Congratulations, keep up the good work!”
Dolorfino, who has supervisory and operational control over the deployed troops in Metro Manila, met with Arroyo when the latter checked on the medical and dental missions of the AFP in Barangay 649, Zone 68, District 5, Barangay Bagong Lupa in Tondo yesterday morning.
Barangay 649 is among the villages in the capital where members of the Philippine Army’s CMO battalion are deployed, under the military’s Community Development Program.
The program, however, was met with a lot of criticism and opposition from various sectors, including the Commission on Human Rights, as it supposedly smacks of Martial Law.
Asked if Arroyo directed him yesterday for the pull out of the troops, Dolorfino said: “There was none.”
Just last Wednesday, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita disclosed that Malacañang ordered the AFP to prepare an exit plan for the soldiers “because it is causing disruptions.”
Dolorfino surmised that with Arroyo’s reaction yesterday, Ermita must have been misquoted about the exit plan.
“She said we were doing okay, especially that she saw for herself that we are a big help to the people,” Dolorfino said.
Aside from Barangay 649, the AFP also held medical and dental missions yesterday at the nearby Area 17 in Parola Compound, also in Tondo. They also held a dialogue (Talakayan sa Barangay) among local leaders and residents to make known their community programs.
“Your soldiers now are offering a better alternative for you… We are lighting the symbolic candle in your community… And we expect more to be lit,” Dolorfino said in the dialogue.
He said the deployment of troops is really supportive of the AFP’s Oplan Bantay Laya II (Operation Plan Freedom Watch II), which seeks to free the community from insurgents.
“The communist terrorists are capitalizing on the problems of the people – poverty, education, injustice and diseases… With this, we hope to make the CPP/NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army) irrelevant,” Dolorfino said.
Some residents pointed out, however, that there are no communist rebels in their neighborhood, contrary to what is perceived by the people.
Nevertheless, they are thankful to the presence of the military because they said it has curbed the occurrence of ordinary crimes.
“As for me, their (military) deployment is acceptable to me because they help bring order to our community. Those jobless, bystanders, and snatchers have since behaved for fear that they will be apprehended by the soldiers,” said Lydia Bulleser, 51.
“Their projects are also beneficial to us like the building of day care centers, the medical and dental missions, and the free cutting of hair of young boys in the community,” added Josie Gaspar, 42.
Both Bulleser and Gaspar are residents of Area 17 in Parola Compound.
Dolorfino disclosed that four more barangays from Paco, Manila City have made the same request as that of the 19 barangays for the presence of military troops in their communities.
The request is now under study, he said.
The military has deployed 26 teams of nine to 10 members each to the 19 barangays since November of last year./DMS
March 31, 2007
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo hinted on Saturday of the continued stay of military troops in Metro Manila following her visit at a slum area in Tondo District where the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was conducting civil military operations (CMO).
AFP National Capital Region Command (NCRCom) chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino said yesterday that this was the impression he got when Arroyo told him: “Congratulations, keep up the good work!”
Dolorfino, who has supervisory and operational control over the deployed troops in Metro Manila, met with Arroyo when the latter checked on the medical and dental missions of the AFP in Barangay 649, Zone 68, District 5, Barangay Bagong Lupa in Tondo yesterday morning.
Barangay 649 is among the villages in the capital where members of the Philippine Army’s CMO battalion are deployed, under the military’s Community Development Program.
The program, however, was met with a lot of criticism and opposition from various sectors, including the Commission on Human Rights, as it supposedly smacks of Martial Law.
Asked if Arroyo directed him yesterday for the pull out of the troops, Dolorfino said: “There was none.”
Just last Wednesday, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita disclosed that Malacañang ordered the AFP to prepare an exit plan for the soldiers “because it is causing disruptions.”
Dolorfino surmised that with Arroyo’s reaction yesterday, Ermita must have been misquoted about the exit plan.
“She said we were doing okay, especially that she saw for herself that we are a big help to the people,” Dolorfino said.
Aside from Barangay 649, the AFP also held medical and dental missions yesterday at the nearby Area 17 in Parola Compound, also in Tondo. They also held a dialogue (Talakayan sa Barangay) among local leaders and residents to make known their community programs.
“Your soldiers now are offering a better alternative for you… We are lighting the symbolic candle in your community… And we expect more to be lit,” Dolorfino said in the dialogue.
He said the deployment of troops is really supportive of the AFP’s Oplan Bantay Laya II (Operation Plan Freedom Watch II), which seeks to free the community from insurgents.
“The communist terrorists are capitalizing on the problems of the people – poverty, education, injustice and diseases… With this, we hope to make the CPP/NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines – New People’s Army) irrelevant,” Dolorfino said.
Some residents pointed out, however, that there are no communist rebels in their neighborhood, contrary to what is perceived by the people.
Nevertheless, they are thankful to the presence of the military because they said it has curbed the occurrence of ordinary crimes.
“As for me, their (military) deployment is acceptable to me because they help bring order to our community. Those jobless, bystanders, and snatchers have since behaved for fear that they will be apprehended by the soldiers,” said Lydia Bulleser, 51.
“Their projects are also beneficial to us like the building of day care centers, the medical and dental missions, and the free cutting of hair of young boys in the community,” added Josie Gaspar, 42.
Both Bulleser and Gaspar are residents of Area 17 in Parola Compound.
Dolorfino disclosed that four more barangays from Paco, Manila City have made the same request as that of the 19 barangays for the presence of military troops in their communities.
The request is now under study, he said.
The military has deployed 26 teams of nine to 10 members each to the 19 barangays since November of last year./DMS
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