By Ronron
August 10, 2007
The three-day fighting in the southern island province of Sulu has already killed more than 50 people, including government soldiers, Moslem rebels, and a young boy, and wounded over 40 others, a military spokesman said Friday.
Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, the Public Information Officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), told a news conference at Camp Aguinaldo that the series of encounters began last Tuesday and the last one was late Thursday afternoon. A total of four incidents were recorded within the three-day period.
Bacarro said the highest number of casualties was during Thursday’s incident – an ambush in the morning at Indanan town, and a clash in the afternoon until the evening in Maimbung town.
He said 10 soldiers were killed and one was wounded in the ambush that was perpetrated allegedly by Abu Sayyaf bandits and renegade members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
The incident involved elements of the Philippine Army’s 33rd Infantry Battalion on administrative and logistics mission. It happened at around 7:45 am at Barangay Duyuan in Indanan town.
The Army troopers lost nine M16 rifles in said encounter.
Bacarro said caught in the crossfire was a nine-year-old boy, who died due to gunshot wounds.
Bacarro said that pursuit operations against the perpetrators later resulted in an encounter at 3:20 pm in Barangay Tambaking in Maimbung when members of the same battalion caught up with some 120 members of the ASG and the MNLF-Misuari Breakaway Group (MBG).
The firefight lasted until past 7pm, said Bacarro.
The clash left 15 soldiers killed and nine wounded, while the rebel group reportedly suffered 27 fatalities and 25 wounded members, based on intelligence information, said Bacarro. However, only one killed rebel, identified as Salip Edimar, was recovered.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Jr. said Edimar is a close-in security of ASG leader Radullan Sahiron.
The military is verifying intelligence reports that a son of ASG leader Dr. Abu was among the slain rebels.
Bacarro and Torres said the ASG rebels who were involved in Thursday’s incidents were led by the ASG top leaders – Sahiron, Dr. Abu and Albader Parad.
Bacarro said the first encounter happened Tuesday at around 4:25pm also in Indanan, involving the Special Operations Platoon 5 and 11 of the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC), and more or less 50 ASG rebels.
Two Marines soldiers were wounded in said incident.
The second clash happened Wednesday at around 6:30 in the morning, involving the Alpha Company of the 33rd IB and some 40 to 50 ASG rebels.
The 30-minute firefight took place at Barangay Lanao Dakula in Parang town, killing one soldier and four rebels, and wounding five soldiers.
“We are now verifying reports that out of the four ASG members that were killed during the said encounter, two are considered to be high-value targets. They are sub-commanders of the Abu Sayyaf Group,” said Bacarro.
Bacarro said out of the four operations, three were initiated by the government forces who are part of the military’s Task Force Comet.
He said this has nothing to do with the operations in Basilan against those who are believed responsible for the death of 14 soldiers during the July 10 clash in Al-Barka.
“Our effort against the Abu Sayyaf has been all out always because they are terrorists,” Bacarro said. “At this point, we don’t want to relate what happened to Basilan with what happened in Sulu because we are definite that those we encountered in Sulu are ASG members.”
He said the operations are part of the military’s Operation Plan (Oplan) Ultimatum II, launched last August 2. It can be recalled that the AFP’s Oplan Ultimatum I, launched in August last year, was credited for the neutralization of ASG top leaders Khadaffy Janjalani and Jainal Antel Sali, alias Abu Solaiman.
In a phone interview later in the day, AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. said he is saddened by the heavy casualties but this would not dishearten him.
“I’m very sad about it. It brings me memories of one of the encounters I had when I was a lieutenant when we had similar number of casualties but I’m not disheartened. I’m even proud of the soldiers because they are on the offensive, despite of the hardships,” Esperon said.
He said he thinks this is the biggest single casualty in the day in recent years, the President has even expressed concern about it and it prompted him to visit the troops there and in Sulu this Monday.
“We will not stop here. We will go after them… We will not give up,” Esperon said.
He said having heavy casualties is part of war, and losing soldiers’ lives is part of his job.
“We want to go after them even at the expense of the lives of our soldiers because that is our duty,” the military chief said.
Expecting of an impending fierce fighting in Sulu following the last fightings, Esperon said more troops will be poured in the province in the coming days.
Bacarro said two additional Army battalions will be sent to Sulu, bringing to eight battalions in all the forces there – four from the Marines and four from the Army.
According to the Social Welfare office in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), more than 4,000 people were already displaced from the two towns in Sulu – Indanan and Parang.
The evacuees comprise of 775 families or 4,282 persons from one barangay in Indanan and four barangays in Parang.
Some of them are staying at the Palan Elementary School in Indanan, which was converted into an evacuation center, while the rest are staying at their relatives.
Office of Civil Defense Regional Director for ARMM Atelano Adi said 5,000 sacks of rice are ready for distribution to Sulu for the evacuees.
Bacarro said the operations is expected to go full swing in Sulu now that the military already knows the location of the rebels./DMS
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Friday, August 10, 2007
Alleged Abu Sayyaf member suspected of beheading Marines gives up to authorities
By Ronron
August 9, 2007
An alleged member of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) who is among the four identified suspected beheaders of Marine soldiers last July 10 in Basilan gave up on Thursday morning to authorities, a police official said.
Autonomous Region in Moslem Mindanao (ARMM) Police Director Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao said Buhari Jamiri turned himself in to a GMA 7 News team, accompanied by members of the Department of Justice (DOJ), at around 6:30 am yesterday in Barangay Limbu Upas in Tipo-tipo town.
Jamiri was one of the four ASG members identified by two witnesses as among those who actually beheaded four of the 14 killed Marine soldiers during the July 10 firefight in Al-Barka town, said the investigation report of the Joint Fact-Finding Mission of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
He and two others, however, were not included in the 127 identified suspects listed in the arrest warrant issued by a Basilan court last July 26. Among the four, only Nurhassan Jamiri was listed.
Jamiri would be the first of those being hunted by authorities to fall.
In GMA 7’s interview with him, he said he surrendered because he feared for his life and for the sake of his family, especially his children.
“I cannot do anything if I go in hiding for the rest of my life… I am coming out now and expressing willingness to help the government because I am thinking of the welfare of my children,” Jamiri said in Filipino.
But he denied the allegation that he is an ASG member, more so that he beheaded a soldier, even as he admitted that he was part of those that fought against the Marine soldiers.
“My children are asking if I really cut off heads. But I did not do that,” Jamiri said.
“I was just in that group because it would be a shame if I back out. I have no choice but to open fire also,” he added.
According to him, he was just sitting in with the MILF group when he heard the commander gave an order to the members that if the government troops enter their territory, they will open fire because no coordination was made.
Jamiri said only two persons actually just committed the mutilation of the soldiers. He did not say if they were Abu Sayyaf members or MILF fighters.
Authorities have said they were working already for the inclusion of Buhari Jamiri in the arrest warrant’s coverage.
“He (Buhari Jamiri) was immediately brought to Zamboanga City,” Goltiao said over the phone, hinting of annoyance over the bypass made on Basilan Provincial Police Director Sr. Supt. Salik Macapantar.
“The right thing to do was to turn him over to the provincial police commander or to the judge,” said Goltiao.
“I would say that they are delaying things,” the police official said of the news team.
Goltiao said he was not immediately aware where Jamiri will be brought in Zamboanga City but the GMA News report said the suspect will be interrogated by the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) unit there.
Sought for confirmation, Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command spokesman Maj. Eugene Batara said in a phone interview that he has no immediate information about it.
“Although, usually, when it comes to terrorists, it’s really the ISAFP that interrogates them,” Batara said./DMS
August 9, 2007
An alleged member of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) who is among the four identified suspected beheaders of Marine soldiers last July 10 in Basilan gave up on Thursday morning to authorities, a police official said.
Autonomous Region in Moslem Mindanao (ARMM) Police Director Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao said Buhari Jamiri turned himself in to a GMA 7 News team, accompanied by members of the Department of Justice (DOJ), at around 6:30 am yesterday in Barangay Limbu Upas in Tipo-tipo town.
Jamiri was one of the four ASG members identified by two witnesses as among those who actually beheaded four of the 14 killed Marine soldiers during the July 10 firefight in Al-Barka town, said the investigation report of the Joint Fact-Finding Mission of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
He and two others, however, were not included in the 127 identified suspects listed in the arrest warrant issued by a Basilan court last July 26. Among the four, only Nurhassan Jamiri was listed.
Jamiri would be the first of those being hunted by authorities to fall.
In GMA 7’s interview with him, he said he surrendered because he feared for his life and for the sake of his family, especially his children.
“I cannot do anything if I go in hiding for the rest of my life… I am coming out now and expressing willingness to help the government because I am thinking of the welfare of my children,” Jamiri said in Filipino.
But he denied the allegation that he is an ASG member, more so that he beheaded a soldier, even as he admitted that he was part of those that fought against the Marine soldiers.
“My children are asking if I really cut off heads. But I did not do that,” Jamiri said.
“I was just in that group because it would be a shame if I back out. I have no choice but to open fire also,” he added.
According to him, he was just sitting in with the MILF group when he heard the commander gave an order to the members that if the government troops enter their territory, they will open fire because no coordination was made.
Jamiri said only two persons actually just committed the mutilation of the soldiers. He did not say if they were Abu Sayyaf members or MILF fighters.
Authorities have said they were working already for the inclusion of Buhari Jamiri in the arrest warrant’s coverage.
“He (Buhari Jamiri) was immediately brought to Zamboanga City,” Goltiao said over the phone, hinting of annoyance over the bypass made on Basilan Provincial Police Director Sr. Supt. Salik Macapantar.
“The right thing to do was to turn him over to the provincial police commander or to the judge,” said Goltiao.
“I would say that they are delaying things,” the police official said of the news team.
Goltiao said he was not immediately aware where Jamiri will be brought in Zamboanga City but the GMA News report said the suspect will be interrogated by the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) unit there.
Sought for confirmation, Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command spokesman Maj. Eugene Batara said in a phone interview that he has no immediate information about it.
“Although, usually, when it comes to terrorists, it’s really the ISAFP that interrogates them,” Batara said./DMS
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Some July 10 incident suspects left Basilan already – Calderon
By Ronron
August 7, 2007
The Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership said Tuesday that some of the suspects behind the July 10 incident in Basilan have already left the island province amid the police and military’s massive presence there.
PNP chief Gen. Oscar Calderon made the admission in a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo following a joint command conference of the military and the police.
“We believe some have fled outside Basilan, So those we can can find in Zamboanga and in nearby provinces, anybody could make the arrest, the local government officials,” Calderon said.
Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. supported Calderon’s statement by saying: “That’s very probable but we’d like to think that most of them are still in the area.”
Esperon revealed that the authorities have “determined some targets, specifically those areas that are suspected to be harboring elements of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).”
Asked how many forces are there, he said: “We have a low of 20 Abu Sayyaf members which could increase with the number of lawless elements that could probably be in the area.”
He refused to answer, however, if these areas are close to known Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) communities, saying it would be going through some operational details that he does not wish to telegraph.
The MILF has owned up the clash against government troops last July 10, saying the Marines encroached their territory without prior coordination as required by the ceasefire agreement of the government and the MILF.
But it belied being joined by ASG rebels especially when the latter were found to be responsible for the mutilation of 10 of the 14 killed soldiers.
The hunt for the 127 suspects by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Basilan Judge Leo Jay Principe began last August 2, but has yet to produce positive results.
The Marine soldiers at that time have just finished checking the whereabouts of abducted Italian priest Fr. Gian Carlo Bossi when they were fired upon by MILF rebels while in the area of Al-Barka town./DMS
August 7, 2007
The Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership said Tuesday that some of the suspects behind the July 10 incident in Basilan have already left the island province amid the police and military’s massive presence there.
PNP chief Gen. Oscar Calderon made the admission in a press conference at Camp Aguinaldo following a joint command conference of the military and the police.
“We believe some have fled outside Basilan, So those we can can find in Zamboanga and in nearby provinces, anybody could make the arrest, the local government officials,” Calderon said.
Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. supported Calderon’s statement by saying: “That’s very probable but we’d like to think that most of them are still in the area.”
Esperon revealed that the authorities have “determined some targets, specifically those areas that are suspected to be harboring elements of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).”
Asked how many forces are there, he said: “We have a low of 20 Abu Sayyaf members which could increase with the number of lawless elements that could probably be in the area.”
He refused to answer, however, if these areas are close to known Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) communities, saying it would be going through some operational details that he does not wish to telegraph.
The MILF has owned up the clash against government troops last July 10, saying the Marines encroached their territory without prior coordination as required by the ceasefire agreement of the government and the MILF.
But it belied being joined by ASG rebels especially when the latter were found to be responsible for the mutilation of 10 of the 14 killed soldiers.
The hunt for the 127 suspects by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Basilan Judge Leo Jay Principe began last August 2, but has yet to produce positive results.
The Marine soldiers at that time have just finished checking the whereabouts of abducted Italian priest Fr. Gian Carlo Bossi when they were fired upon by MILF rebels while in the area of Al-Barka town./DMS
Military creates five courts martial to try rights abuses of soldiers
By Ronron
August 7, 2007
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has created five General Courts Martial to try cases of human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the government soldiers.
AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. told a news conference Tuesday at Camp Aguinaldo after a joint command conference with the national police that the five courts will start working Wednesday.
The military leadership has earlier admitted in January of this year that at least six cases of alleged human rights violation cases being investigated by the Philippine National Police’s Task Force USIG involve soldiers as suspects.
“On the observance of human rights, our military justice system and we have created five General Court Martials that will take care of any possible violation of human rights,” Esperon said yesterday.
“We will start work tomorrow (Wednesday), starting with those who have been charged in courts of human rights violations,” he added.
The AFP has come under fire after cause-oriented groups brand them as usual suspects in killings and abductions of militants and other personalities perceived to be critical against the government.
But it has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying that it is not a policy of the government and the military to engage in extrajudicial killings.
To prove its sincerity in addressing the human rights issue, the military organization created a Human Rights Office early this year, and consistently bragged about the inclusion of human rights subjects in military curriculum and training./DMS
August 7, 2007
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has created five General Courts Martial to try cases of human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the government soldiers.
AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. told a news conference Tuesday at Camp Aguinaldo after a joint command conference with the national police that the five courts will start working Wednesday.
The military leadership has earlier admitted in January of this year that at least six cases of alleged human rights violation cases being investigated by the Philippine National Police’s Task Force USIG involve soldiers as suspects.
“On the observance of human rights, our military justice system and we have created five General Court Martials that will take care of any possible violation of human rights,” Esperon said yesterday.
“We will start work tomorrow (Wednesday), starting with those who have been charged in courts of human rights violations,” he added.
The AFP has come under fire after cause-oriented groups brand them as usual suspects in killings and abductions of militants and other personalities perceived to be critical against the government.
But it has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying that it is not a policy of the government and the military to engage in extrajudicial killings.
To prove its sincerity in addressing the human rights issue, the military organization created a Human Rights Office early this year, and consistently bragged about the inclusion of human rights subjects in military curriculum and training./DMS
Wesmincom official denies ordering recall of aircrafts during July 10 clash
By Ronron
August 7, 2007
An official of the Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) denied on Tuesday giving an order to recall the aircrafts dispatched to provide air support to the engaged Marine troopers in Basilan last July 10.
Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban, the Wesmincom Deputy Commander who was alluded to by a military source last Monday as the most possible source of the recall order, said in a phone interview that the internal probe of the military clearly stated that the air assets left the encounter site because of failure to communicate with the troops on the ground.
“It (claim of the military source about the recall order) is not true. There was no recall. Those are rumors that we don’t know who are circulating,” Sabban told Manila Shimbun in a phone interview last night.
“We have the findings of the military investigation and it did not say that the planes were recalled… Let us stick to the official findings,” he added.
According to the military source who was privy to the July 10 incident where 14 Marine soldiers were killed, 10 of them mutilated, there were two sets of air support provided to the engage troops that fateful day, but all left without even firing a single shot.
The source said the first dispatch was a Huey and two MG520 choppers that came from the Wesmincom base in Zamboanga City. Although it arrived at the clash site, it immediately left after a gunner aboard the Huey was hit from the enemy fire.
A second dispatch, composed of an OV10 bomber plane and an MG520 chopper coming from Sulu, arrived more than an hour later but also left immediately without firing allegedly because of an unexplained recall order.
The source said only the area commander can order the dispatch and recall of air assets during military operations. But the source said that at that time, Wesmincom chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo was attending the Mindanao Peace and Security Summit in Cagayan de Oro City.
Sabban admitted yesterday he was indeed calling the shots in that encounter, being the next commander in line.
But he said he did not order the recall, saying that when aircrafts are sent to operation sites, the ground commander takes control of them.
“Based on our command norms, when we order the pilots to go on mission, they are already beyond our control. And it has never happened that in a mission, there is a recall order,” Sabban stressed.
“Our Marines are getting killed already so why would we recall the planes?” he continued.
Sabban said the operational issues in the July 10 incident should just be put to a close now that the military investigation has long wrapped up already.
“Let us end this episode because our mission on the field is being affected already,” he said.
The slain Marines were among the government troops that verified reports about the sighting of abducted Italian priest Fr. Giancarlo Bossi in Basilan. Bossi, who was snatched on June 10 in Zamboanga Sibugay, was released on July 19 in Lanao del Norte./DMS
August 7, 2007
An official of the Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) denied on Tuesday giving an order to recall the aircrafts dispatched to provide air support to the engaged Marine troopers in Basilan last July 10.
Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban, the Wesmincom Deputy Commander who was alluded to by a military source last Monday as the most possible source of the recall order, said in a phone interview that the internal probe of the military clearly stated that the air assets left the encounter site because of failure to communicate with the troops on the ground.
“It (claim of the military source about the recall order) is not true. There was no recall. Those are rumors that we don’t know who are circulating,” Sabban told Manila Shimbun in a phone interview last night.
“We have the findings of the military investigation and it did not say that the planes were recalled… Let us stick to the official findings,” he added.
According to the military source who was privy to the July 10 incident where 14 Marine soldiers were killed, 10 of them mutilated, there were two sets of air support provided to the engage troops that fateful day, but all left without even firing a single shot.
The source said the first dispatch was a Huey and two MG520 choppers that came from the Wesmincom base in Zamboanga City. Although it arrived at the clash site, it immediately left after a gunner aboard the Huey was hit from the enemy fire.
A second dispatch, composed of an OV10 bomber plane and an MG520 chopper coming from Sulu, arrived more than an hour later but also left immediately without firing allegedly because of an unexplained recall order.
The source said only the area commander can order the dispatch and recall of air assets during military operations. But the source said that at that time, Wesmincom chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo was attending the Mindanao Peace and Security Summit in Cagayan de Oro City.
Sabban admitted yesterday he was indeed calling the shots in that encounter, being the next commander in line.
But he said he did not order the recall, saying that when aircrafts are sent to operation sites, the ground commander takes control of them.
“Based on our command norms, when we order the pilots to go on mission, they are already beyond our control. And it has never happened that in a mission, there is a recall order,” Sabban stressed.
“Our Marines are getting killed already so why would we recall the planes?” he continued.
Sabban said the operational issues in the July 10 incident should just be put to a close now that the military investigation has long wrapped up already.
“Let us end this episode because our mission on the field is being affected already,” he said.
The slain Marines were among the government troops that verified reports about the sighting of abducted Italian priest Fr. Giancarlo Bossi in Basilan. Bossi, who was snatched on June 10 in Zamboanga Sibugay, was released on July 19 in Lanao del Norte./DMS
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Military creates five courts martial to try rights abuses of soldiers
By Ronron
August 7, 2007
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has created five General Courts Martial to try cases of human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the government soldiers.
AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. told a news conference Tuesday at Camp Aguinaldo after a joint command conference with the national police that the five courts will start working Wednesday.
The military leadership has earlier admitted in January of this year that at least six cases of alleged human rights violation cases being investigated by the Philippine National Police’s Task Force USIG involve soldiers as suspects.
“On the observance of human rights, our military justice system and we have created five General Court Martials that will take care of any possible violation of human rights,” Esperon said yesterday.
“We will start work tomorrow (Wednesday), starting with those who have been charged in courts of human rights violations,” he added.
The AFP has come under fire after cause-oriented groups brand them as usual suspects in killings and abductions of militants and other personalities perceived to be critical against the government.
But it has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying that it is not a policy of the government and the military to engage in extrajudicial killings.
To prove its sincerity in addressing the human rights issue, the military organization created a Human Rights Office early this year, and consistently bragged about the inclusion of human rights subjects in military curriculum and training./DMS
August 7, 2007
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has created five General Courts Martial to try cases of human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by the government soldiers.
AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. told a news conference Tuesday at Camp Aguinaldo after a joint command conference with the national police that the five courts will start working Wednesday.
The military leadership has earlier admitted in January of this year that at least six cases of alleged human rights violation cases being investigated by the Philippine National Police’s Task Force USIG involve soldiers as suspects.
“On the observance of human rights, our military justice system and we have created five General Court Martials that will take care of any possible violation of human rights,” Esperon said yesterday.
“We will start work tomorrow (Wednesday), starting with those who have been charged in courts of human rights violations,” he added.
The AFP has come under fire after cause-oriented groups brand them as usual suspects in killings and abductions of militants and other personalities perceived to be critical against the government.
But it has repeatedly denied the allegations, saying that it is not a policy of the government and the military to engage in extrajudicial killings.
To prove its sincerity in addressing the human rights issue, the military organization created a Human Rights Office early this year, and consistently bragged about the inclusion of human rights subjects in military curriculum and training./DMS
Suspected JI bomber nabbed in Taguig City
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Air and ground troops communicated during July 10 incident, says military source privy to operations
By Ronron
August 6, 2007
The findings of an internal military probe that there was no radio communication between air and ground troops during the July 10 incident in Basilan is not true.
This was the assertion on Monday of a military source privy to the operations, saying that providing the wrong radio frequency to the operators of the choppers and planes that flew to the encounter site in Al-Barka town “is impossible.”
According to the source, who requested anonymity due to the gag order on military officials with regard to the July 10 incident is concerned, the military air assets actually established contacts with the engaged Marine troopers that fateful day, saying he is definitely aware that the right radio frequency was relayed to the pilots of the responding OV10 bomber plane.
“As far as I’m concerned, in this dispatch (of air support), the two (air and ground troops) communicated… In fact, I was the one who relayed that information (location of enemy) to them (pilots)… We gave the grid coordinates, the location of the enemy, and that of the troops,” the source said in Filipino in a phone interview with Defense reporters at Camp Aguinaldo.
But while he affirmed the military’s internal report that no fire was shot by the air assets, the source gave a different reason for that. He said there the first batch of air assets had to quickly return because one of its men was hit, while the second batch was ordered to recall for reasons still unknown to this day.
Having said this, the source, who is an official based in Mindanao, belied the military investigation’s finding that only three air assets arrived at the encounter site.
He said there were two dispatches of air support that time. The first came from the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) in Zamboanga City, involving a Huey chopper and an MG520 attack helicopter.
The two choppers arrived at around 11:30 am but they did not stay long because the gunner of the Huey was allegedly hit by fires coming from the enemy on the ground.
“They have not even started attempting to communicate with the troops on the ground when they left because one of them was already hit,” the source said in Filipino.
He said the MG520 also had to disengage even if only the Huey was hit because the two choppers work as buddies.
More than an hour later, the source said the engaged Marine troopers sought for close air support from the air assets based in Sulu. He said an OV10 bomber plane and two MG520’s arrived at around 1:20 pm.
But, like in the first dispatch, the second set of air assets also hovered only very briefly and even left without firing a single shot.
The source said the initial information was that the aircrafts need to refuel, but he found out later that they withdrew in compliance with a recall order. He said it was during this second dispatch that the air assets communicated with those on the ground fighting out with the armed rebels.
“Even the pilot admits that he was talking to the troops on the ground,” the source said.
Asked for the reason of the recall, the source said: “That we don’t know. It (OV10) was already there, armed with bomb.”
Pressed if it has something to do with calls for ceasefire that time, he said: “I really don’t know.”
The source said he was not aware who ordered the recall but hinted it could be Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban, the deputy commander of the Wesmincom.
The source said it is the area commander who orders the dispatch and recall of air support, but at that time, Wesmincom chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo was attending the Mindanao Peace and Security Summit in Cagayan de Oro City.
Besides, Cedo later denied ordering the recall of the air support, and maintained that in fact, he ordered for the air strike, said the source.
The source said it was a waste that the OV10 just dropped its bombs in the sea while they were flying away from Basilan. This is because the plane cannot land unless it has disposed of its bombs.
“It’s a wasted ordnance. Those should have been used against the enemy,” said the source.
“It (recall) is highly unnatural because they took off with the intention to have everything, and then they were recalled? It’s like, you were told to abandon those you were supposed to help,” he added.
The source admitted that had the air assets performed their purpose, their enemy would have been prevented from reinforcing and there would have been fewer military casualties.
He said he does not know how the military investigation report, as relayed to the media by Armed Forces Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, came up with its findings as he maintained that the after-battle report did not mention about the conveyance of a wrong radio frequency and the failure to communicate between the ground and air assets.
“I don’t know how made that statement… Probably he is not aware of what transpired… The reason they cited is very flimsy,” the source said.
Bacarro was not immediately available for comment, as well as Sabban.
The July 10 exchange of fire lasted for about nine hours, leaving 14 Marines soldiers and four MILF fighters killed, and nine soldiers and seven MILF rebels wounded.
The MILF said they opened fire at the Marine troopers because they encroached in their territory without prior coordination./DMS
August 6, 2007
The findings of an internal military probe that there was no radio communication between air and ground troops during the July 10 incident in Basilan is not true.
This was the assertion on Monday of a military source privy to the operations, saying that providing the wrong radio frequency to the operators of the choppers and planes that flew to the encounter site in Al-Barka town “is impossible.”
According to the source, who requested anonymity due to the gag order on military officials with regard to the July 10 incident is concerned, the military air assets actually established contacts with the engaged Marine troopers that fateful day, saying he is definitely aware that the right radio frequency was relayed to the pilots of the responding OV10 bomber plane.
“As far as I’m concerned, in this dispatch (of air support), the two (air and ground troops) communicated… In fact, I was the one who relayed that information (location of enemy) to them (pilots)… We gave the grid coordinates, the location of the enemy, and that of the troops,” the source said in Filipino in a phone interview with Defense reporters at Camp Aguinaldo.
But while he affirmed the military’s internal report that no fire was shot by the air assets, the source gave a different reason for that. He said there the first batch of air assets had to quickly return because one of its men was hit, while the second batch was ordered to recall for reasons still unknown to this day.
Having said this, the source, who is an official based in Mindanao, belied the military investigation’s finding that only three air assets arrived at the encounter site.
He said there were two dispatches of air support that time. The first came from the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) in Zamboanga City, involving a Huey chopper and an MG520 attack helicopter.
The two choppers arrived at around 11:30 am but they did not stay long because the gunner of the Huey was allegedly hit by fires coming from the enemy on the ground.
“They have not even started attempting to communicate with the troops on the ground when they left because one of them was already hit,” the source said in Filipino.
He said the MG520 also had to disengage even if only the Huey was hit because the two choppers work as buddies.
More than an hour later, the source said the engaged Marine troopers sought for close air support from the air assets based in Sulu. He said an OV10 bomber plane and two MG520’s arrived at around 1:20 pm.
But, like in the first dispatch, the second set of air assets also hovered only very briefly and even left without firing a single shot.
The source said the initial information was that the aircrafts need to refuel, but he found out later that they withdrew in compliance with a recall order. He said it was during this second dispatch that the air assets communicated with those on the ground fighting out with the armed rebels.
“Even the pilot admits that he was talking to the troops on the ground,” the source said.
Asked for the reason of the recall, the source said: “That we don’t know. It (OV10) was already there, armed with bomb.”
Pressed if it has something to do with calls for ceasefire that time, he said: “I really don’t know.”
The source said he was not aware who ordered the recall but hinted it could be Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban, the deputy commander of the Wesmincom.
The source said it is the area commander who orders the dispatch and recall of air support, but at that time, Wesmincom chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo was attending the Mindanao Peace and Security Summit in Cagayan de Oro City.
Besides, Cedo later denied ordering the recall of the air support, and maintained that in fact, he ordered for the air strike, said the source.
The source said it was a waste that the OV10 just dropped its bombs in the sea while they were flying away from Basilan. This is because the plane cannot land unless it has disposed of its bombs.
“It’s a wasted ordnance. Those should have been used against the enemy,” said the source.
“It (recall) is highly unnatural because they took off with the intention to have everything, and then they were recalled? It’s like, you were told to abandon those you were supposed to help,” he added.
The source admitted that had the air assets performed their purpose, their enemy would have been prevented from reinforcing and there would have been fewer military casualties.
He said he does not know how the military investigation report, as relayed to the media by Armed Forces Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, came up with its findings as he maintained that the after-battle report did not mention about the conveyance of a wrong radio frequency and the failure to communicate between the ground and air assets.
“I don’t know how made that statement… Probably he is not aware of what transpired… The reason they cited is very flimsy,” the source said.
Bacarro was not immediately available for comment, as well as Sabban.
The July 10 exchange of fire lasted for about nine hours, leaving 14 Marines soldiers and four MILF fighters killed, and nine soldiers and seven MILF rebels wounded.
The MILF said they opened fire at the Marine troopers because they encroached in their territory without prior coordination./DMS
Ex-Congressman Teodoro to assume top Defense post Wednesday
By Ronron
August 6, 2007
Former Tarlac Congressman Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. will take over the Defense portfolio Wednesday from National Security Adviser (NSA) Norberto Gonzales, the Department of National Defense (DND) said Monday).
Teodoro, who came from a vacation in the United States following his stint at the Lower House of Representatives, will formally assume the top Defense post in simple ceremonies at Camp Aguinaldo at 11am.
Teodoro was named by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo over a month ago as the next Defense Secretary following the re-assignment of Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. to the Department of Public Works and Highways.
A lawyer by profession, Teodoro served the 1st District of Tarlac for three terms from 1998 to 2007. He is a Colonel reservist of the Philippine Air Force.
Teodoro arrived in the country last Saturday.
With his arrival, Gonzales will concentrate again on his main job as NSA./DMS
August 6, 2007
Former Tarlac Congressman Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. will take over the Defense portfolio Wednesday from National Security Adviser (NSA) Norberto Gonzales, the Department of National Defense (DND) said Monday).
Teodoro, who came from a vacation in the United States following his stint at the Lower House of Representatives, will formally assume the top Defense post in simple ceremonies at Camp Aguinaldo at 11am.
Teodoro was named by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo over a month ago as the next Defense Secretary following the re-assignment of Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. to the Department of Public Works and Highways.
A lawyer by profession, Teodoro served the 1st District of Tarlac for three terms from 1998 to 2007. He is a Colonel reservist of the Philippine Air Force.
Teodoro arrived in the country last Saturday.
With his arrival, Gonzales will concentrate again on his main job as NSA./DMS
Monday, August 6, 2007
Displaced residents of Basilan balloon to 12,000 – NDCC
By Ronron
August 5, 2007
The number of internally displaced residents in Basilan have ballooned to about 12,000 as armed confrontation looms in the southern Philippine province with the ongoing hunt for Moslem rebels believed responsible for the death of 14 Marine soldiers last July 10.
According to National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Executive Officer Glen Rabonza, the evacuees have sought temporary shelters with their relatives elsewhere in the province or at the municipal hall.
He was not immediately aware, however, if the figure represents Al-Barka town alone or if it includes other nearby towns and cities in the province.
“I will still have to look at it when we meet (Monday) here in Zamboanga City… But these are the people who leave their homes, go to their municipal hall, and then return home later in the day or the following morning, or go their relatives’ houses,” Rabonza said.
“As of now, there is still no established evacuation centers,” he said.
Rabonza said that as directed by National Security Adviser and acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, the NDCC will meet today (Monday) in Zamboanga City with other disaster officials in the region to thresh out humanitarian plans in case the police action in Basilan escalates to something violent.
“This is a coordination meeting in preparation for the humanitarian intervention that the government will do for the evacuees or the possible influx of evacuees,” he said.
The meeting will be attended by provincial disaster officials from Basilan, Sulu and Zamboanga provinces headed by the respective governors, as well as officials from the Departments of Social Welfare and Development, Local and Interior Government, Health, and the Philippine National Red Cross.
“The objective of the coordination meeting is to look at the preparations being made, identify the resources available, identify what else needs to be prepared, especially relief goods that will be used in the evacuation centers, what we call as WASH or Water Sanitation Hygiene, and medicines,” Rabonza said.
He assured that should there be a depletion of resources or funds at the provincial, regional or departmental level, the calamity fund from the national budget can always be tapped. There is also the international community where the government can run to if necessary, he said.
The residents of Basilan, especially in Al-Barka, have begun fleeing their homes last July 22 after hearing the government warn of the punitive police action against members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) suspected involved in the killing of the 14 soldiers.
Officials said that while there is no advisory for the people to vacate their houses, the residents themselves leave on their own out of fear that they will be caught in possible crossfire./DMS
August 5, 2007
The number of internally displaced residents in Basilan have ballooned to about 12,000 as armed confrontation looms in the southern Philippine province with the ongoing hunt for Moslem rebels believed responsible for the death of 14 Marine soldiers last July 10.
According to National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) Executive Officer Glen Rabonza, the evacuees have sought temporary shelters with their relatives elsewhere in the province or at the municipal hall.
He was not immediately aware, however, if the figure represents Al-Barka town alone or if it includes other nearby towns and cities in the province.
“I will still have to look at it when we meet (Monday) here in Zamboanga City… But these are the people who leave their homes, go to their municipal hall, and then return home later in the day or the following morning, or go their relatives’ houses,” Rabonza said.
“As of now, there is still no established evacuation centers,” he said.
Rabonza said that as directed by National Security Adviser and acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, the NDCC will meet today (Monday) in Zamboanga City with other disaster officials in the region to thresh out humanitarian plans in case the police action in Basilan escalates to something violent.
“This is a coordination meeting in preparation for the humanitarian intervention that the government will do for the evacuees or the possible influx of evacuees,” he said.
The meeting will be attended by provincial disaster officials from Basilan, Sulu and Zamboanga provinces headed by the respective governors, as well as officials from the Departments of Social Welfare and Development, Local and Interior Government, Health, and the Philippine National Red Cross.
“The objective of the coordination meeting is to look at the preparations being made, identify the resources available, identify what else needs to be prepared, especially relief goods that will be used in the evacuation centers, what we call as WASH or Water Sanitation Hygiene, and medicines,” Rabonza said.
He assured that should there be a depletion of resources or funds at the provincial, regional or departmental level, the calamity fund from the national budget can always be tapped. There is also the international community where the government can run to if necessary, he said.
The residents of Basilan, especially in Al-Barka, have begun fleeing their homes last July 22 after hearing the government warn of the punitive police action against members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) suspected involved in the killing of the 14 soldiers.
Officials said that while there is no advisory for the people to vacate their houses, the residents themselves leave on their own out of fear that they will be caught in possible crossfire./DMS
Marines failed to coordinate with MILF, but MILF should not have opened fire, says probe on July 10 incident in Basilan
By Ronron
August 5, 2007
Joint investigators from the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) found a lapse on the part of the Philippine Marine troopers when they passed by an MILF community in Basilan last July 10 that later led into a deadly encounter.
According to the report of the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of the government and the MILF, the government forces should have coordinated their movements in the area in search for abducted Italian Catholic priest Fr. Gian Carlo Bossi with the CCCH that time.
Government CCCH chair Brig. Gen. Edgardo Gurrea said this is in compliance with the existing ceasefire agreement between the government and the CCCH, which came into force in 1997, purposely to avoid mis-encounters.
The July 10 incident, which happened for almost nine hours at Barangay Guinanta in Al-Barka town, claimed 14 lives of Marines soldiers, 10 of whom were mutilated. The MILF said they also lost four fighters, while seven others were wounded.
“There’s a need for them (Marine troopers) to coordinate may be not directly to the MILF CCCH but to the government CCCH, through the local monitoring team of Basilan,” Gurrea said in a phone interview yesterday with Manila Shimbun.
According to MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, a portion of the joint CCCH fact-finding mission report reads: “From the foregoing facts and circumstances gathered, it appears that there are lapses in coordination when the Marines conducted operations in (Barangay) Guinanta (in Al-Barka, Basilan) and other neighboring barangays in search for Fr. Bossi pursuant to the established mechanisms with the general ceasefire agreement entered into by the GRP and the MILF.”
The Marine commander in Basilan, Col. Ramiro Alivio, had earlier said it purposely did not coordinate with the MILF when they launched the July 10 search operations for Fr. Bossi because of suspicions that members of the secessionist group were actually holding the missionary who was abducted last June 10 in Zamboanga Sibugay.
Besides, he said the MILF cannot claim that it was its territory because “there is no such thing as an MILF territory” as far as the government is concerned.
But even if the fact-finding mission found the Marines to have erred in not making prior coordination, Gurrea said it was also wrong on the part of the MILF fighters to open fire right away.
“There was violation not only on the government side but on the MILF side also. It doesn’t mean that they (MILF) will start shooting just because they found our forces there. They could have clarified everything by contacting their men or the local CCCH in Basilan,” Gurrea said.
Gurrea disclosed that during their probe, they found out that the MILF fighters “initiated the firing” because they were of the impression that the Marine soldiers were positioning for an offensive against them when they were offloading from a truck.
“When our soldiers were alighting from the truck that was stuck in mud, their action was misconstrued by the MILF as a plan for offensive operations,” Gurrea said.
“It was normal of course to dismount. It was not an offensive. There was purely miscommunication,” he added.
Asked if the fact-finding mission recommended sanctions for these lapses on the part of the government and the MILF forces, Gurrea said: “Based on the implementing guidelines of the ceasefire mechanism, if any members are found liable (for any mistakes), the organization can impose sanctions.”
It can be recalled that the MILF has earlier cleared its men of any liabilities as it maintained that the incident was a legitimate encounter.
Gurrea said it is because of that miscommunication between the forces involved in the July 10 incident that they, as investigating body, recommended among others for the revisit or strengthening of the ceasefire agreement that shall make the latter responsive to similar situations in the future.
“When the ceasefire agreement was signed in 1997, the situation then was different. So we have to make it attuned to the present times, like in the aspect on the role of the local monitoring teams,” he said.
Asked to elaborate, he said he would rather that the peace panels thresh this out and later come out with their final findings.
Gurrea said it is also along this line that they recommended for the immediate reactivation of the Adhoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) of the government and the MILF, whose yearly mandate expired in June.
The AHJAG is the mechanism that calls for the interdiction of lawless elements seeking refuge with the MILF.
The joint fact-finding mission started last July 27 and ended last August 1. Among its significant findings are the identification of four Abu Sayyaf rebels as those responsible for the beheading of four of the 10 mutilated soldiers./DMS
August 5, 2007
Joint investigators from the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) found a lapse on the part of the Philippine Marine troopers when they passed by an MILF community in Basilan last July 10 that later led into a deadly encounter.
According to the report of the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of the government and the MILF, the government forces should have coordinated their movements in the area in search for abducted Italian Catholic priest Fr. Gian Carlo Bossi with the CCCH that time.
Government CCCH chair Brig. Gen. Edgardo Gurrea said this is in compliance with the existing ceasefire agreement between the government and the CCCH, which came into force in 1997, purposely to avoid mis-encounters.
The July 10 incident, which happened for almost nine hours at Barangay Guinanta in Al-Barka town, claimed 14 lives of Marines soldiers, 10 of whom were mutilated. The MILF said they also lost four fighters, while seven others were wounded.
“There’s a need for them (Marine troopers) to coordinate may be not directly to the MILF CCCH but to the government CCCH, through the local monitoring team of Basilan,” Gurrea said in a phone interview yesterday with Manila Shimbun.
According to MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal, a portion of the joint CCCH fact-finding mission report reads: “From the foregoing facts and circumstances gathered, it appears that there are lapses in coordination when the Marines conducted operations in (Barangay) Guinanta (in Al-Barka, Basilan) and other neighboring barangays in search for Fr. Bossi pursuant to the established mechanisms with the general ceasefire agreement entered into by the GRP and the MILF.”
The Marine commander in Basilan, Col. Ramiro Alivio, had earlier said it purposely did not coordinate with the MILF when they launched the July 10 search operations for Fr. Bossi because of suspicions that members of the secessionist group were actually holding the missionary who was abducted last June 10 in Zamboanga Sibugay.
Besides, he said the MILF cannot claim that it was its territory because “there is no such thing as an MILF territory” as far as the government is concerned.
But even if the fact-finding mission found the Marines to have erred in not making prior coordination, Gurrea said it was also wrong on the part of the MILF fighters to open fire right away.
“There was violation not only on the government side but on the MILF side also. It doesn’t mean that they (MILF) will start shooting just because they found our forces there. They could have clarified everything by contacting their men or the local CCCH in Basilan,” Gurrea said.
Gurrea disclosed that during their probe, they found out that the MILF fighters “initiated the firing” because they were of the impression that the Marine soldiers were positioning for an offensive against them when they were offloading from a truck.
“When our soldiers were alighting from the truck that was stuck in mud, their action was misconstrued by the MILF as a plan for offensive operations,” Gurrea said.
“It was normal of course to dismount. It was not an offensive. There was purely miscommunication,” he added.
Asked if the fact-finding mission recommended sanctions for these lapses on the part of the government and the MILF forces, Gurrea said: “Based on the implementing guidelines of the ceasefire mechanism, if any members are found liable (for any mistakes), the organization can impose sanctions.”
It can be recalled that the MILF has earlier cleared its men of any liabilities as it maintained that the incident was a legitimate encounter.
Gurrea said it is because of that miscommunication between the forces involved in the July 10 incident that they, as investigating body, recommended among others for the revisit or strengthening of the ceasefire agreement that shall make the latter responsive to similar situations in the future.
“When the ceasefire agreement was signed in 1997, the situation then was different. So we have to make it attuned to the present times, like in the aspect on the role of the local monitoring teams,” he said.
Asked to elaborate, he said he would rather that the peace panels thresh this out and later come out with their final findings.
Gurrea said it is also along this line that they recommended for the immediate reactivation of the Adhoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) of the government and the MILF, whose yearly mandate expired in June.
The AHJAG is the mechanism that calls for the interdiction of lawless elements seeking refuge with the MILF.
The joint fact-finding mission started last July 27 and ended last August 1. Among its significant findings are the identification of four Abu Sayyaf rebels as those responsible for the beheading of four of the 10 mutilated soldiers./DMS
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Authorities still fail to arrest July 10 perpetrators
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One dies in another bombing in Koronadal City
By Ronron
August 3, 2007
Another explosion rocked Koronadal City in South Cotabato province on Friday afternoon, killing one person and hurting another one, the provincial police commander said.
According to Sr. Supt. Robert Kuinisala, two bombs went off at around 5:25 pm inside the terminal of the Yellow Bus Line located along the Gen. Santos Drive in Koronadal City.
Kuinisala said the first explosion was at the waiting area where many people were seated. One died and another one was hurt in the incident.
A few minutes later, another blast ripped a nearby bus unit that had just finished offloading its passengers. The bus was totally burned, said Kuinisala.
He said bomb experts are determining the type of bomb used, although it initially appeared to be improvised devices.
Kuinisala said the bombings is related to the extortion attempts of the Al-Khobar Gang, having attacked for the third time yesterday this year the Yellow Bus Line following the management’s refusal to give in to the group’s demands./DMS
August 3, 2007
Another explosion rocked Koronadal City in South Cotabato province on Friday afternoon, killing one person and hurting another one, the provincial police commander said.
According to Sr. Supt. Robert Kuinisala, two bombs went off at around 5:25 pm inside the terminal of the Yellow Bus Line located along the Gen. Santos Drive in Koronadal City.
Kuinisala said the first explosion was at the waiting area where many people were seated. One died and another one was hurt in the incident.
A few minutes later, another blast ripped a nearby bus unit that had just finished offloading its passengers. The bus was totally burned, said Kuinisala.
He said bomb experts are determining the type of bomb used, although it initially appeared to be improvised devices.
Kuinisala said the bombings is related to the extortion attempts of the Al-Khobar Gang, having attacked for the third time yesterday this year the Yellow Bus Line following the management’s refusal to give in to the group’s demands./DMS
Wrong radio frequency renders military air assets useless during July 10 clash – report
Ronron
August 3, 2007
Air fighters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were more than ready to assault the Moslem rebels who ambushed Marine troopers in Basilan last July 10 but the wrong radio frequency fed to them prevented them from doing their purpose.
AFP Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said Friday that the “miscommunication” incident is just one of the lapses discovered by an internal investigating body of the military committed during that intense battle that happened in Al-Barka town for almost nine-hours.
Fourteen Marine soldiers died in said incident, 10 of whom were mutilated.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) owned up the encounter against the government troops for allegedly intruding in their territory without prior coordination, but it denied being responsible for the beheading of the soldiers.
A joint probe by the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of the government and the MILF has identified Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members as among those who beheaded four of the 10 mutilated soldiers.
Bacarro disclosed that when the elements of the 1st Marine Brigade finished verifying reports about the sighting of Fr. Gian Carlo Bossi and his captors in said area earlier that day, they came under fire at around 10 am when one of their trucks got stuck in mud.
The surprise, heavy firing prompted authorities to request for air support from the operational base of the engaged troops, which is the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) in Zamboanga City.
Television reporter Jun Veneracion, who was with the engaged Marine soldiers, said the air support only arrived almost two hours later, or before 12 noon, and hovered the area without firing a single shot.
Bacarro said the Wesmincom sent a Huey chopper, an MG520 attack helicopter, and an OV10 bomber plane to the encounter site, but all failed to assault the perpetrators.
Veneracion said he saw the choppers and the plane leave the area between 1 and 2 pm.
“(Based) on the investigation conducted by the Inspector General (IG), there were some miscommunications, and one of those miscommunications (stemmed from) the conveyance of the (radio) frequency… the transmittal of the frequency from the Marine Brigade to Wesmincom,” Bacarro said.
The investigation was conducted for one week starting July 14.
“It was on general terms when the report said that the frequency that was sent to the Wesmincom was the alternate frequency. It was not the primary frequency (of the troops engaged on the ground),” Bacarro said.
And because those aboard the choppers and bomber plane had the alternate frequency, they could not communicate with the troops on the ground.
“They were not in the same frequency, that’s why initially there was no communication,” Bacarro said.
Thus, for fear that government troops and civilians might be hit due to miscalculation, the air assets opted not to fire, he said.
Bacarro was not aware if those on the choppers and bomber plane had the frequency of their base on the ground - either at the Marine Brigade headquarters, which is located in Tabiawan, Isabela City in Basilan, or at Wesmincom in Zamboanga City – where they could have sought for the correct frequencies.
“The Philippine Marine Inspector General would be the one to conduct more detailed investigation, including the other lapse pertaining to the ammunition (of 81 mm mortar that failed to fire),” he said.
Asked why those on the choppers and bomber plane did not try to change frequency when they noticed they could not establish communication with the troops on the ground, Bacarro explained: “You have to have to the primary frequency first so you can communicate each other… You cannot change frequency without the concurrence of the other.”
Bacarro said the IG report had already identified the personnel who gave the wrong frequency but his identity could not be released for now as he still remains under investigation.
“The Inspector General report has recommended to the Chief of Staff for the conduct of an investigation by the Philippine Marines Inspector General relative to some of the administrative liabilities that arose from the incident in Basilan,” he said.
But Bacarro expressed certainty that what happened was not a deliberate error.
He said they are not discounting also the possibility of the investigators laying out the criminal liability of those who are found responsible for the lapses.
Bacarro said he is not aware as to how many personnel are under investigation or may be held liable for the incident.
Asked if it would have made the situation much better for the government troops if contact was established between the air assets and those on the ground, Bacarro replied: “I would say that the air component is integral to the operation. But in this specific case, as to what would be the contribution of the air component, I cannot say. But doctrinally, the air component is crucial, is an important part of an operation.”/DMS
August 3, 2007
Air fighters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were more than ready to assault the Moslem rebels who ambushed Marine troopers in Basilan last July 10 but the wrong radio frequency fed to them prevented them from doing their purpose.
AFP Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said Friday that the “miscommunication” incident is just one of the lapses discovered by an internal investigating body of the military committed during that intense battle that happened in Al-Barka town for almost nine-hours.
Fourteen Marine soldiers died in said incident, 10 of whom were mutilated.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) owned up the encounter against the government troops for allegedly intruding in their territory without prior coordination, but it denied being responsible for the beheading of the soldiers.
A joint probe by the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of the government and the MILF has identified Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members as among those who beheaded four of the 10 mutilated soldiers.
Bacarro disclosed that when the elements of the 1st Marine Brigade finished verifying reports about the sighting of Fr. Gian Carlo Bossi and his captors in said area earlier that day, they came under fire at around 10 am when one of their trucks got stuck in mud.
The surprise, heavy firing prompted authorities to request for air support from the operational base of the engaged troops, which is the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) in Zamboanga City.
Television reporter Jun Veneracion, who was with the engaged Marine soldiers, said the air support only arrived almost two hours later, or before 12 noon, and hovered the area without firing a single shot.
Bacarro said the Wesmincom sent a Huey chopper, an MG520 attack helicopter, and an OV10 bomber plane to the encounter site, but all failed to assault the perpetrators.
Veneracion said he saw the choppers and the plane leave the area between 1 and 2 pm.
“(Based) on the investigation conducted by the Inspector General (IG), there were some miscommunications, and one of those miscommunications (stemmed from) the conveyance of the (radio) frequency… the transmittal of the frequency from the Marine Brigade to Wesmincom,” Bacarro said.
The investigation was conducted for one week starting July 14.
“It was on general terms when the report said that the frequency that was sent to the Wesmincom was the alternate frequency. It was not the primary frequency (of the troops engaged on the ground),” Bacarro said.
And because those aboard the choppers and bomber plane had the alternate frequency, they could not communicate with the troops on the ground.
“They were not in the same frequency, that’s why initially there was no communication,” Bacarro said.
Thus, for fear that government troops and civilians might be hit due to miscalculation, the air assets opted not to fire, he said.
Bacarro was not aware if those on the choppers and bomber plane had the frequency of their base on the ground - either at the Marine Brigade headquarters, which is located in Tabiawan, Isabela City in Basilan, or at Wesmincom in Zamboanga City – where they could have sought for the correct frequencies.
“The Philippine Marine Inspector General would be the one to conduct more detailed investigation, including the other lapse pertaining to the ammunition (of 81 mm mortar that failed to fire),” he said.
Asked why those on the choppers and bomber plane did not try to change frequency when they noticed they could not establish communication with the troops on the ground, Bacarro explained: “You have to have to the primary frequency first so you can communicate each other… You cannot change frequency without the concurrence of the other.”
Bacarro said the IG report had already identified the personnel who gave the wrong frequency but his identity could not be released for now as he still remains under investigation.
“The Inspector General report has recommended to the Chief of Staff for the conduct of an investigation by the Philippine Marines Inspector General relative to some of the administrative liabilities that arose from the incident in Basilan,” he said.
But Bacarro expressed certainty that what happened was not a deliberate error.
He said they are not discounting also the possibility of the investigators laying out the criminal liability of those who are found responsible for the lapses.
Bacarro said he is not aware as to how many personnel are under investigation or may be held liable for the incident.
Asked if it would have made the situation much better for the government troops if contact was established between the air assets and those on the ground, Bacarro replied: “I would say that the air component is integral to the operation. But in this specific case, as to what would be the contribution of the air component, I cannot say. But doctrinally, the air component is crucial, is an important part of an operation.”/DMS
Friday, August 3, 2007
Four identified Abu Sayyaf members tagged as beheaders of Marines
By Ronron
August 2, 2007
Four members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) were identified as among those who beheaded four of the 14 slain Marine soldiers during the July 10 incident in Basilan.
This was one of the findings of the investigation of the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the July 10 incident, government officials said Thursday.
National Security Adviser and acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales identified the four ASG suspects in a news conference yesterday afternoon at Camp Aguinaldo as Suwaid Kalibon, Nurhassan Jamiri, Omar Indanga, and Puhari Jamiri.
“Actually, one of the witnesses, Nassar Tao, is a member of the 3rd Brigade of the MILF and he was one of those who joined the encounter. He said in his testimony that between 5:30 and 6 pm (of July 10), when they were starting to muster their group, they found some of their members lacking, those among the casualties. And they were advised to look for these (lacking members). In that incident, when they returned, they saw the four starting the beheading (of the soldiers),” Brig. Gen. Edgardo Gurrea, the chairman of the government CCCH, said in the news briefing.
Gonzales said 10 other ASG members who are not identified were mentioned in the report as “probably standing on the sideline and watching the atrocities,” which took place just at the encounter site in Barangay Guinanta in Al-Barka town.
“So, all in all, in the report, we can say that about 14 ASG members are involved. But since we do not have witnesses yet on what happened on the six Marines, so we don’t know whether some MILF may be involved or some other forces. We don’t know that yet,” Gonzales said.
Of the four ASG rebels identified, only Jamiri is included in the current list of the arrest warrant issued by the Basilan court and now being hunted by policemen and government soldiers.
“What will happen is we will apply for arrest warrants against the three,” Gonzales said.
Gurrea said Tao claimed knowing the four by their names.
He said they are still checking if the four ASG rebels have committed previous violations of the law.
Gurrea said they have no information though about the ASG’s participation in the actual encounter that began at 10am that day.
He said that when Tao testified, he claimed the MILF forces were on their own during the firefight and had no ASG members among them.
“The MILF has denied that (alleged collusion with the ASG) but we still ask them why there were Abu Sayyaf members there during the encounter,” Gonzales said.
Quoting Tao, he said the presence of the ASG at the firefight is only because “there is a certain barangay” near Guinanta, or some seven kilometers away from the encounter site, “where the ASG normally moves around.” Gurrea said this claim of Tao though needs to be verified.
Asked if MILF members were found to have participated in the beheading, Gurrea said: “We have no proof on that. That needs further investigation.”
While there was no mention about who could have beheaded the six other soldiers, Gonzales said he is disturbed about indications that at least two of them may still be alive before their bodies were mutilated.
Another point not cleared by the investigation is whether or not it was an ambush or a legitimate encounter.
“The investigation just focused on the perpetrators of the beheading. There are other side questions that need to be discussed further. It is still being debated upon if it was an encounter or an ambush,” Gonzales said.
“But the report submitted is very good. It has lots of details. But it doesn’t mean that the investigation is complete. The report itself say so,” he added.
Gonzales said that now that the CCCH has already completed the fact-finding mission, then nothing should stop the punitive actions in Basilan.
He said the police, supported by soldiers, can proceed with the service of the arrest warrant issued by a Basilan court against the identified 127 suspects.
Gurrea clarified that their 22 witnesses are not the same witnesses that were the basis for the existing arrest warrant.
He said they also did not come up with a list of other suspects, other than the four identified ASG members.
Defense Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said in the same briefing that should the rest of the 127 identified suspects with arrest warrants complain and ask for a motion for reinvestigation based on the findings of the joint CCCH investigation, the government will not object to it.
“A motion for reinvestigation is a right that is given to all respondents,” he said.
Gonzales disclosed that the six recommendations of the fact-finding report are the following: 1) ASG members responsible for beheadings/mutilation should be interdicted (by the MILF), pursuant to established ceasefire mechanisms; 2) Revisit/strengthen the Ceasefire Agreement to responsive to similar situations; 3) the Adhoc Joint Action Group coordinating mechanism of the government and the MILF must be reactivated immediately; 4) Advocacy of the peace process to all sectors to ensure strict adherence to the Ceasefire Agreement; 5) Firearms and equipment taken from Marines must be returned; and, 6) Review of criminal information against (127) MILF, local politicians, and law enforcement personnel in view of the recent findings.
Gonzales said that since the operations in Basilan will go full swing already, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) will go there on Monday to make sure that civilians are not caught in possible armed confrontations if the situation escalates./DMS
August 2, 2007
Four members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) were identified as among those who beheaded four of the 14 slain Marine soldiers during the July 10 incident in Basilan.
This was one of the findings of the investigation of the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the July 10 incident, government officials said Thursday.
National Security Adviser and acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales identified the four ASG suspects in a news conference yesterday afternoon at Camp Aguinaldo as Suwaid Kalibon, Nurhassan Jamiri, Omar Indanga, and Puhari Jamiri.
“Actually, one of the witnesses, Nassar Tao, is a member of the 3rd Brigade of the MILF and he was one of those who joined the encounter. He said in his testimony that between 5:30 and 6 pm (of July 10), when they were starting to muster their group, they found some of their members lacking, those among the casualties. And they were advised to look for these (lacking members). In that incident, when they returned, they saw the four starting the beheading (of the soldiers),” Brig. Gen. Edgardo Gurrea, the chairman of the government CCCH, said in the news briefing.
Gonzales said 10 other ASG members who are not identified were mentioned in the report as “probably standing on the sideline and watching the atrocities,” which took place just at the encounter site in Barangay Guinanta in Al-Barka town.
“So, all in all, in the report, we can say that about 14 ASG members are involved. But since we do not have witnesses yet on what happened on the six Marines, so we don’t know whether some MILF may be involved or some other forces. We don’t know that yet,” Gonzales said.
Of the four ASG rebels identified, only Jamiri is included in the current list of the arrest warrant issued by the Basilan court and now being hunted by policemen and government soldiers.
“What will happen is we will apply for arrest warrants against the three,” Gonzales said.
Gurrea said Tao claimed knowing the four by their names.
He said they are still checking if the four ASG rebels have committed previous violations of the law.
Gurrea said they have no information though about the ASG’s participation in the actual encounter that began at 10am that day.
He said that when Tao testified, he claimed the MILF forces were on their own during the firefight and had no ASG members among them.
“The MILF has denied that (alleged collusion with the ASG) but we still ask them why there were Abu Sayyaf members there during the encounter,” Gonzales said.
Quoting Tao, he said the presence of the ASG at the firefight is only because “there is a certain barangay” near Guinanta, or some seven kilometers away from the encounter site, “where the ASG normally moves around.” Gurrea said this claim of Tao though needs to be verified.
Asked if MILF members were found to have participated in the beheading, Gurrea said: “We have no proof on that. That needs further investigation.”
While there was no mention about who could have beheaded the six other soldiers, Gonzales said he is disturbed about indications that at least two of them may still be alive before their bodies were mutilated.
Another point not cleared by the investigation is whether or not it was an ambush or a legitimate encounter.
“The investigation just focused on the perpetrators of the beheading. There are other side questions that need to be discussed further. It is still being debated upon if it was an encounter or an ambush,” Gonzales said.
“But the report submitted is very good. It has lots of details. But it doesn’t mean that the investigation is complete. The report itself say so,” he added.
Gonzales said that now that the CCCH has already completed the fact-finding mission, then nothing should stop the punitive actions in Basilan.
He said the police, supported by soldiers, can proceed with the service of the arrest warrant issued by a Basilan court against the identified 127 suspects.
Gurrea clarified that their 22 witnesses are not the same witnesses that were the basis for the existing arrest warrant.
He said they also did not come up with a list of other suspects, other than the four identified ASG members.
Defense Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor said in the same briefing that should the rest of the 127 identified suspects with arrest warrants complain and ask for a motion for reinvestigation based on the findings of the joint CCCH investigation, the government will not object to it.
“A motion for reinvestigation is a right that is given to all respondents,” he said.
Gonzales disclosed that the six recommendations of the fact-finding report are the following: 1) ASG members responsible for beheadings/mutilation should be interdicted (by the MILF), pursuant to established ceasefire mechanisms; 2) Revisit/strengthen the Ceasefire Agreement to responsive to similar situations; 3) the Adhoc Joint Action Group coordinating mechanism of the government and the MILF must be reactivated immediately; 4) Advocacy of the peace process to all sectors to ensure strict adherence to the Ceasefire Agreement; 5) Firearms and equipment taken from Marines must be returned; and, 6) Review of criminal information against (127) MILF, local politicians, and law enforcement personnel in view of the recent findings.
Gonzales said that since the operations in Basilan will go full swing already, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) will go there on Monday to make sure that civilians are not caught in possible armed confrontations if the situation escalates./DMS
Four Japanese doing porn film nabbed in Cebu
By Ronron
August 2, 2007
Four Japanese nationals were caught by police shooting a pornographic film last Wednesday afternoon at a remote side of an island in the central Philippines popular for its bird sanctuary.
Supt. Louie Oppus, chief of the Lapu-lapu City Police in Cebu province, said yesterday that the foreigners include a Japanese female and three Japanese men, who were immediately nabbed for alleged violation of domestic laws on morality and decency in public.
The female was identified as Miyawaki Yuki, 26, while the three men were identified as Yokomizo Masashi, 36; Takimoto Yuichiro, 40, and Izuno Hiroaki, 24. All four are natives of Tokyo, and are temporarily staying at the Midtown Hotel in nearby Cebu City.
PO2 Christian Torres, officer-on-case, said Yuki and Masashi were the ones engaged in the sexual activity, while Yuichiro and Hiroaki were doing the filming.
Torres said Olango Island Bird’s Sanctuary Park Warden members Socrates Sagarino and Ruben Taneo, both employed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region VII, found the four at around 5pm the other day (Wednesday) through a telescope.
“We immediately informed the police officers of Olango Island, Lapu-lapu City about the ongoing sexual intercourse between two Japanese nationals… Together with the police officers, we proceeded at the place and upon arrival, we … caught in the act the four Japanese nationals engaged in exhibit of indecent and immoral acts while performing sexual intercourse at the sea shore under coverage of several units of video cameras with film for preservation and for viewing in the near future, which are offensive to morals, public policy, and contrary to law,” Sagarino and Taneo said in a joint affidavit.
Recovered from the four Japanese were five video cameras, three camera lenses, two pieces of video tapes, one piece used condom, five pieces of unused condom, and five pieces of assorted battery pack.
The four were charged yesterday before the city prosecutor’s office for violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code. The case was immediately raffled to Lapu-lapu City Regional Trial Court Branch 27, which granted the bail of P24,000 for each of the accused.
“They were out on bail at 5pm, although there is an urgent motion before the sala of Judge Toribio Quiwag for the issuance of a hold departure order against the four. The hearing of said motion will be done tomorrow (Friday),” Torres said.
Torres said the four claimed to have other companions at the hotel but they cannot operate because it is already outside of their jurisdiction. He said they already informed the Cebu Provincial Police Office about it for proper action.
Masashi is said to be a comedic actor in Japan, while Yuichiro works at a photo developing shop in Tokyo.
They arrived in Cebu last July 29 and were scheduled to leave on August 8./DMS
August 2, 2007
Four Japanese nationals were caught by police shooting a pornographic film last Wednesday afternoon at a remote side of an island in the central Philippines popular for its bird sanctuary.
Supt. Louie Oppus, chief of the Lapu-lapu City Police in Cebu province, said yesterday that the foreigners include a Japanese female and three Japanese men, who were immediately nabbed for alleged violation of domestic laws on morality and decency in public.
The female was identified as Miyawaki Yuki, 26, while the three men were identified as Yokomizo Masashi, 36; Takimoto Yuichiro, 40, and Izuno Hiroaki, 24. All four are natives of Tokyo, and are temporarily staying at the Midtown Hotel in nearby Cebu City.
PO2 Christian Torres, officer-on-case, said Yuki and Masashi were the ones engaged in the sexual activity, while Yuichiro and Hiroaki were doing the filming.
Torres said Olango Island Bird’s Sanctuary Park Warden members Socrates Sagarino and Ruben Taneo, both employed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Region VII, found the four at around 5pm the other day (Wednesday) through a telescope.
“We immediately informed the police officers of Olango Island, Lapu-lapu City about the ongoing sexual intercourse between two Japanese nationals… Together with the police officers, we proceeded at the place and upon arrival, we … caught in the act the four Japanese nationals engaged in exhibit of indecent and immoral acts while performing sexual intercourse at the sea shore under coverage of several units of video cameras with film for preservation and for viewing in the near future, which are offensive to morals, public policy, and contrary to law,” Sagarino and Taneo said in a joint affidavit.
Recovered from the four Japanese were five video cameras, three camera lenses, two pieces of video tapes, one piece used condom, five pieces of unused condom, and five pieces of assorted battery pack.
The four were charged yesterday before the city prosecutor’s office for violation of Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code. The case was immediately raffled to Lapu-lapu City Regional Trial Court Branch 27, which granted the bail of P24,000 for each of the accused.
“They were out on bail at 5pm, although there is an urgent motion before the sala of Judge Toribio Quiwag for the issuance of a hold departure order against the four. The hearing of said motion will be done tomorrow (Friday),” Torres said.
Torres said the four claimed to have other companions at the hotel but they cannot operate because it is already outside of their jurisdiction. He said they already informed the Cebu Provincial Police Office about it for proper action.
Masashi is said to be a comedic actor in Japan, while Yuichiro works at a photo developing shop in Tokyo.
They arrived in Cebu last July 29 and were scheduled to leave on August 8./DMS
Service of arrest warrants in Basilan resume
By Ronron
August 2, 2007
Policemen in Basilan resumed on Thursday morning serving arrest warrants against suspects behind the death of 14 Marine soldiers last July 10 in Al-Barka town following the completion of the investigation of the ceasefire committee of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last Wednesday.
Basilan Provincial Police Director Sr. Supt. Salik Macapantar said a company of policemen, numbering no more than 100, backed up by elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), started their operations at 5am.
Macapantar said the troops went to Al-Barka, Tipo-tipo and their adjacent towns to look for the 127 personalities identified in an arrest warrant issued last July 26 by Basilan Judge Leo Lay Principe.
The warrant stemmed from the multiple murder and frustrated multiple murder case filed by the military against the suspected perpetrators.
“We will now proceed (with the service of the warrants) until the 10th day lapses (on August 9,” Macapantar said in a phone interview yesterday.
As of 5pm, Macapantar said he has yet to receive a report about an arrest made or an armed confrontation between the arresting team and their subjects.
He said they are still using the list of 127 identified suspects since the findings of the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) has yet to be adopted on their operations.
“Our men are checking houses, and we are also coordinating with barangay officials and local religious leaders. As you know, Al-Barka is already like a ghost town because the residents there have already fled. That’s why we are extending to other places,” said Macapantar.
He believes though that the suspects remain within Basilan island, they have not even gone far from Al-Barka.
Should the 10-day deadline lapse without them arresting their targets, Macapantar said they will apply for an alias warrant of arrest so they could continue the hunt for the suspects./DMS
August 2, 2007
Policemen in Basilan resumed on Thursday morning serving arrest warrants against suspects behind the death of 14 Marine soldiers last July 10 in Al-Barka town following the completion of the investigation of the ceasefire committee of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last Wednesday.
Basilan Provincial Police Director Sr. Supt. Salik Macapantar said a company of policemen, numbering no more than 100, backed up by elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), started their operations at 5am.
Macapantar said the troops went to Al-Barka, Tipo-tipo and their adjacent towns to look for the 127 personalities identified in an arrest warrant issued last July 26 by Basilan Judge Leo Lay Principe.
The warrant stemmed from the multiple murder and frustrated multiple murder case filed by the military against the suspected perpetrators.
“We will now proceed (with the service of the warrants) until the 10th day lapses (on August 9,” Macapantar said in a phone interview yesterday.
As of 5pm, Macapantar said he has yet to receive a report about an arrest made or an armed confrontation between the arresting team and their subjects.
He said they are still using the list of 127 identified suspects since the findings of the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) has yet to be adopted on their operations.
“Our men are checking houses, and we are also coordinating with barangay officials and local religious leaders. As you know, Al-Barka is already like a ghost town because the residents there have already fled. That’s why we are extending to other places,” said Macapantar.
He believes though that the suspects remain within Basilan island, they have not even gone far from Al-Barka.
Should the 10-day deadline lapse without them arresting their targets, Macapantar said they will apply for an alias warrant of arrest so they could continue the hunt for the suspects./DMS
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Authorities says it will proceed now (again) in serving arrest warrants against MILF and ASG rebels following completion of CCCH probe
By Ronron
August 1, 2007
The operations in Basilan against suspected perpetrators of 14 Marine soldiers last July 10 will proceed again today (Thursday) following the completion of the investigation of the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) yesterday.
“Yeah, at our own pace, at our own time,” said Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao, commander of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Police, when asked yesterday afternoon by phone if they will proceed the serving of arrest warrants today (Thursday) in Basilan.
The police in Basilan received last July 30 the arrest warrant against 127 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) believed responsible for the July 10 incident in Barangay Guinanta in Al-Barka town.
Fourteen of the killed soldiers in that incident were later found mutilated.
The government initially gave the MILF until July 22 to turn over its members involved in the killing, otherwise, it will launch punitive police actions starting July 23. But the operations did not push through as the forces in Basilan said they are still awaiting the arrest warrants against their target.
Then, on July 27, a day after a judge in Basilan issued an arrest warrant against 127 personalities charged with multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder for the July 10 incident, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the punitive actions should be postponed until July 31 to give time for the CCCH Fact-Finding Mission to complete its probe.
But again, the government ordered a calling off of the operations four hours after it kicked off last Tuesday morning since the CCCH is still not finished. Officials said the mission asked for an extension until midnight of Wednesday.
In an earlier interview by phone yesterday, MILF CCCH chair Von Al-Haq said the have already finished their investigation and they are expecting to sign at the end of the day the report.
He said the report will then be submitted to the chairmen of both the government and MILF peace panels.
Al-Haq did not disclose the initial findings of the probe saying he has to read it but he hinted of the possibility that the 127 names in the existing arrest warrant may have to be trimmed down.
“It’s possible that the names in the warrant will be reduced,” he said in Filipino.
Reached for comment about this, Goltiao said the police has an open-mind about this, in fact, “we can await the result of the investigation.”
“That now depends on the judge (to reconcile the number of suspects),” Goltiao said of the possible need to trim down the list.
For his part, government lead negotiator with the MILF, retired Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, said it will be up to the Department of Justice “to look into the process” of “cleaning up” the list.
Garcia said if the investigation comes out with its own list different from that now in the hands of the police, it should be honored because “ours is a very detailed process in getting the information.”
“The moment the fact-finding report is out, we might need for a legal process to amend the (127) names as it could not be served anymore,” Garcia said of the existing arrest warrant.
He said the Secretary of the National Defense may be the one who will disclose the CCCH investigation findings to the media.
But Goltiao said they might not really be able to arrest any of the suspects today because they are concentrating on their intelligence gathering.
The police official has said that when some 300 policemen went to Al-Barka last Tuesday morning to start the service of the arrest warrants, the place was “almost abandoned,” with houses only being occupied by women and children.
He said they have received information that some of the suspects escaped to the next town of Tipo-tipo.
Goltiao did not say how many troops they will use for today’s operations and what time they will start “so we cannot let our targets escape.”
“We don’t want publicity anymore,” he said./DMS
August 1, 2007
The operations in Basilan against suspected perpetrators of 14 Marine soldiers last July 10 will proceed again today (Thursday) following the completion of the investigation of the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) yesterday.
“Yeah, at our own pace, at our own time,” said Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao, commander of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Police, when asked yesterday afternoon by phone if they will proceed the serving of arrest warrants today (Thursday) in Basilan.
The police in Basilan received last July 30 the arrest warrant against 127 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) believed responsible for the July 10 incident in Barangay Guinanta in Al-Barka town.
Fourteen of the killed soldiers in that incident were later found mutilated.
The government initially gave the MILF until July 22 to turn over its members involved in the killing, otherwise, it will launch punitive police actions starting July 23. But the operations did not push through as the forces in Basilan said they are still awaiting the arrest warrants against their target.
Then, on July 27, a day after a judge in Basilan issued an arrest warrant against 127 personalities charged with multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder for the July 10 incident, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the punitive actions should be postponed until July 31 to give time for the CCCH Fact-Finding Mission to complete its probe.
But again, the government ordered a calling off of the operations four hours after it kicked off last Tuesday morning since the CCCH is still not finished. Officials said the mission asked for an extension until midnight of Wednesday.
In an earlier interview by phone yesterday, MILF CCCH chair Von Al-Haq said the have already finished their investigation and they are expecting to sign at the end of the day the report.
He said the report will then be submitted to the chairmen of both the government and MILF peace panels.
Al-Haq did not disclose the initial findings of the probe saying he has to read it but he hinted of the possibility that the 127 names in the existing arrest warrant may have to be trimmed down.
“It’s possible that the names in the warrant will be reduced,” he said in Filipino.
Reached for comment about this, Goltiao said the police has an open-mind about this, in fact, “we can await the result of the investigation.”
“That now depends on the judge (to reconcile the number of suspects),” Goltiao said of the possible need to trim down the list.
For his part, government lead negotiator with the MILF, retired Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, said it will be up to the Department of Justice “to look into the process” of “cleaning up” the list.
Garcia said if the investigation comes out with its own list different from that now in the hands of the police, it should be honored because “ours is a very detailed process in getting the information.”
“The moment the fact-finding report is out, we might need for a legal process to amend the (127) names as it could not be served anymore,” Garcia said of the existing arrest warrant.
He said the Secretary of the National Defense may be the one who will disclose the CCCH investigation findings to the media.
But Goltiao said they might not really be able to arrest any of the suspects today because they are concentrating on their intelligence gathering.
The police official has said that when some 300 policemen went to Al-Barka last Tuesday morning to start the service of the arrest warrants, the place was “almost abandoned,” with houses only being occupied by women and children.
He said they have received information that some of the suspects escaped to the next town of Tipo-tipo.
Goltiao did not say how many troops they will use for today’s operations and what time they will start “so we cannot let our targets escape.”
“We don’t want publicity anymore,” he said./DMS
AFP Educational Benefits System to deal for the first time with illegitimate kids
By Ronron
August 1, 2007
The Philippine military’s Educational Benefits System (EBS) is confronted for the first time with the problem of whether or not it will extend its services to the illegitimate children of one of the killed 14 Marine soldiers in the July 10 incident in Basilan.
During the awarding yesterday of scholarship certificates to families of some of the killed soldiers, officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) EBS were not aware that Corporal Russel Panaga, one of the 14 killed, had children with two different women, but none with the third one he married.
“We will have to check that (case) because we have a policy on who is allowed to receive the benefits… The policy is it should only be the legal dependents,” said Lt. Col. Rizaldo Limoso, the General Manager of the AFP EBS.
Panaga, 30, one of the 10 mutilated out of the 14, has two children with Maridel from Sorsogon, and one with Theresa from Davao. But he has no child yet with Marilou of Rizal whom he married seven months ago.
During the awarding ceremony held at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, all three women, donned in black blouses, went on stage to receive one scholarship certificate from the AFP EBS. Marilou received the framed certificate, while Maridel and Theresa followed, bringing along one kid each.
Asked after the ceremony if Panaga’s children with Maridel and Theresa are entitled to the scholarship benefits, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog, who is also the AFP EBS Board of Trustees Chairman, said: “That needs a careful investigation because supposed to be, it should only be legal dependents.”
“We have to review the case because that is different. Of course, we have to consider the fact that these kids are also his,” Cadungog said.
Limoso would not say yet about the likelihood of Panaga’s illegitimate children being granted the benefits of dependents of fallen soldiers.
He said that since the creation of the AFP EBS in August 2000, more than 6,500 dependents of soldiers have availed of its scholarship grants, from pre-school level up to college. None of these were illegitimate dependents.
But Maj. Gen. Napoleon Malana, the AFP Deputy Chief of Staff (J1), is giving a little hope, saying that the law now is kinder to illegitimate children. “As long as there is proof of parenthood, that can be allowed,” he said.
In a separate interview, Maridel and Theresa were of the impression that their children can avail of the scholarship grant from the AFP EBS as they were invited to attend yesterday’s event.
They were even thankful that the military is extending the services to their children despite their illegitimacy.
Maridel’s children are aged four and two, while Theresa’s is three.
Panaga was among the elements of the 1st Marine Brigade who searched for abducted Italian Catholic priest Fr. Gian Carlo Bossi in Basilan when they came under fire in the morning of July 10 at Barangay Guinanta, Al-Barka.
The government said the perpetrators were mixed members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), and other local lawless elements.
Bossi has since been released nine days after the encounter.
The police and military are expected to serve arrest warrants to 127 identified suspected perpetrators starting Thursday./DMS
August 1, 2007
The Philippine military’s Educational Benefits System (EBS) is confronted for the first time with the problem of whether or not it will extend its services to the illegitimate children of one of the killed 14 Marine soldiers in the July 10 incident in Basilan.
During the awarding yesterday of scholarship certificates to families of some of the killed soldiers, officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) EBS were not aware that Corporal Russel Panaga, one of the 14 killed, had children with two different women, but none with the third one he married.
“We will have to check that (case) because we have a policy on who is allowed to receive the benefits… The policy is it should only be the legal dependents,” said Lt. Col. Rizaldo Limoso, the General Manager of the AFP EBS.
Panaga, 30, one of the 10 mutilated out of the 14, has two children with Maridel from Sorsogon, and one with Theresa from Davao. But he has no child yet with Marilou of Rizal whom he married seven months ago.
During the awarding ceremony held at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, all three women, donned in black blouses, went on stage to receive one scholarship certificate from the AFP EBS. Marilou received the framed certificate, while Maridel and Theresa followed, bringing along one kid each.
Asked after the ceremony if Panaga’s children with Maridel and Theresa are entitled to the scholarship benefits, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog, who is also the AFP EBS Board of Trustees Chairman, said: “That needs a careful investigation because supposed to be, it should only be legal dependents.”
“We have to review the case because that is different. Of course, we have to consider the fact that these kids are also his,” Cadungog said.
Limoso would not say yet about the likelihood of Panaga’s illegitimate children being granted the benefits of dependents of fallen soldiers.
He said that since the creation of the AFP EBS in August 2000, more than 6,500 dependents of soldiers have availed of its scholarship grants, from pre-school level up to college. None of these were illegitimate dependents.
But Maj. Gen. Napoleon Malana, the AFP Deputy Chief of Staff (J1), is giving a little hope, saying that the law now is kinder to illegitimate children. “As long as there is proof of parenthood, that can be allowed,” he said.
In a separate interview, Maridel and Theresa were of the impression that their children can avail of the scholarship grant from the AFP EBS as they were invited to attend yesterday’s event.
They were even thankful that the military is extending the services to their children despite their illegitimacy.
Maridel’s children are aged four and two, while Theresa’s is three.
Panaga was among the elements of the 1st Marine Brigade who searched for abducted Italian Catholic priest Fr. Gian Carlo Bossi in Basilan when they came under fire in the morning of July 10 at Barangay Guinanta, Al-Barka.
The government said the perpetrators were mixed members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), and other local lawless elements.
Bossi has since been released nine days after the encounter.
The police and military are expected to serve arrest warrants to 127 identified suspected perpetrators starting Thursday./DMS
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Drugs agency worried with lack of personnel
By Ronron
July 31, 2007
An official of the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has expressed worry about the agency’s ability to perform because of its current lack of personnel.
Assistant Secretary Rodolfo Caisip, Deputy Director General for Operations of PDEA, told a news forum yesterday in Camp Crame that the agency currently only has 104 personnel after some 500 personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were recalled effective July 4 as mandated by law.
“We are really quite worried because PDEA is operating nationwide. With this, we really can’t perform because we are really lacking in number,” Caisip said in Filipino.
He said the PDEA is currently monitoring about a hundred local illegal drugs syndicates and six foreign syndicates in the country, which they hope to strike on soon.
Caisip took pride in the fact that almost 50 clandestine laboratories and over 40 illegal drugs warehouses were dismantled by different operations led by the PDEA in the last five years, or since 2002.
“This recall of police personnel will really result to a setback in our operations but it will only be temporary,” Caisip said.
The recall of the 500 policemen to the PNP last July is provided for in Section 86 of the Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. It is the same law that created the PDEA.
Caisip said that while they are in close coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the PNP, and the Bureau of Customs in the conduct of their operations, having their own personnel is equally important.
Caisip said they are currently requesting 200 policemen to be reassigned for a six months to one year at the PDEA, 80 of which already have the approval of PNP chief Gen. Oscar Calderon but still awaiting the final action of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno.
The move is based on Executive Order 218 that allows PDEA to tap personnel of the anti-illegal drugs task forces of various agencies like the PNP and the NBI.
Caisip said this is meant to fill in the job that is supposed to be done by 400 PDEA agents and employees still to be recruited and trained this year.
Caisip said they are finding consolation in the fact that 107 policemen are seeking to transfer to the PDEA because they will no longer be trained from scratch.
Based on the plan, the PDEA wants to have 1,943 personnel to be able to function well, said Caisip. These include agents, technical people and civilian employees.
He said PDEA has a budget of P600 million only per year./DMS
July 31, 2007
An official of the Philippine Drugs Enforcement Agency (PDEA) has expressed worry about the agency’s ability to perform because of its current lack of personnel.
Assistant Secretary Rodolfo Caisip, Deputy Director General for Operations of PDEA, told a news forum yesterday in Camp Crame that the agency currently only has 104 personnel after some 500 personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were recalled effective July 4 as mandated by law.
“We are really quite worried because PDEA is operating nationwide. With this, we really can’t perform because we are really lacking in number,” Caisip said in Filipino.
He said the PDEA is currently monitoring about a hundred local illegal drugs syndicates and six foreign syndicates in the country, which they hope to strike on soon.
Caisip took pride in the fact that almost 50 clandestine laboratories and over 40 illegal drugs warehouses were dismantled by different operations led by the PDEA in the last five years, or since 2002.
“This recall of police personnel will really result to a setback in our operations but it will only be temporary,” Caisip said.
The recall of the 500 policemen to the PNP last July is provided for in Section 86 of the Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. It is the same law that created the PDEA.
Caisip said that while they are in close coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the PNP, and the Bureau of Customs in the conduct of their operations, having their own personnel is equally important.
Caisip said they are currently requesting 200 policemen to be reassigned for a six months to one year at the PDEA, 80 of which already have the approval of PNP chief Gen. Oscar Calderon but still awaiting the final action of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno.
The move is based on Executive Order 218 that allows PDEA to tap personnel of the anti-illegal drugs task forces of various agencies like the PNP and the NBI.
Caisip said this is meant to fill in the job that is supposed to be done by 400 PDEA agents and employees still to be recruited and trained this year.
Caisip said they are finding consolation in the fact that 107 policemen are seeking to transfer to the PDEA because they will no longer be trained from scratch.
Based on the plan, the PDEA wants to have 1,943 personnel to be able to function well, said Caisip. These include agents, technical people and civilian employees.
He said PDEA has a budget of P600 million only per year./DMS
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