Dateline Cotabato

Filipino HS students placed third in American math contest

2009-06-13T06:41:00.002+08:00

Zamboangueno is top scorer of the Phil. Team

Filipino high school students once again gain international recognition as they placed third in the recently concluded International Regional Mathematics League (IRML) contest held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The IRML is part of the American Regions Mathematics League (ARML) contest. The ARML contest is for American teams while the IRML is for international teams that compete in the contest.

Among the team of Filipino students is a fourth year high school students from Zamboanga who was awarded a gold medal for being the top scorer of the Philippine team in the contest which was held at the University Nevada in Las Vegas.

The other members of the Philippine team were Jomar Anthony Sastrillo of Siliman University, Matthew Chris Chan of St. Stephens High School, Ralph Joshua Sarrosa of Angelicum School de Iloilo, Ricci Ryan Rojo of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Hanz Vladimir Cabanes of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Maria Moper Dionaleigh Nunez of Philippine Science High School Main, Charles Kyle Mupas of Colegio San Agustin in Biñan, Laguna, Dennis Ong Betito Jr. of Philippine Science High School Main, Noelle Paola Santos of Philippine Science High School Main, Geomarie Concepcion of Philippine Science High School Main, Misaki Ueki of Canossa Academy in Laguna, John Ostin Ong of Trinity High School in Bacolod City, and Ralph Henry Kimoden of Quezon City Science High School.

Dr. Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines (MTG) said, “The ARMM is a warm-up of Filipino students who are slated to compete in different international math contest this year.” He said the Philippine team’s score this year was better than last year’s performance.

The Philippine delegation was headed by team leaders Rechilda Villame and Misael Jose Fisico, and Dr. Ofelia Sison as the deputy team leader.

MTG trains and sends Filipino students to different international math competitions including the IRML. (Source: Pinoy Business)

Ninth ray to RP flag’s sun proposed

2009-05-31T08:47:00.000+08:00

Senator Richard J. Gordon wants to add a ninth ray to the sun in the Philippine flag to symbolize the Muslims who fought against foreign invaders.

“Our national flag not only represents principles of sovereignty and solidarity of the Philippine nation, but also embodies the ideals and traditions of the Filipino people developed over the course of national history,” he said in a statement.

Gordon said the Philippine flag symbolizes the nation’s struggle for independence and victory against foreign colonizers.

The three stars in the flag represent the three major geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; while the eight rays of the sun represent the eight provinces that revolted against the Spanish regime: Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Tarlac.

Gordon said that behind the stories of the most celebrated names of national heroes who fought for our independence lie the stories of our mostly-forgotten Muslim heroes, including Lapu-Lapu, Sultan Kudarat, and Rajah Sulayman, who displayed courage and integrity.

The senator explained that this is the reason he proposed to add a ninth ray to the sun in the Philippine flag—to acknowledge the courage and integrity of Muslim Filipinos who fought for the nation’s independence.

“Our Muslim heroes left an imprint on national history that, at the very least, must be given due recognition in the most heraldic item of national importance—the Philippine flag,” he said.

Gordon authored Senate Bill 2590, which proposes that the rays of the sun on the Philippine flag be increased from eight to nine, to symbolize the community of Muslim leaders who defended the country from foreign invasion.

“By adding a ninth ray in the sun to represent our Muslim brothers, I think we make ourselves one with them. They are the Filipinos who were very successful in thwarting colonialism in our country,” Gordon said.

Gov't. employees’ salary increase approved by Congress

2009-05-24T15:15:00.001+08:00

Public school teachers will soon be receiving a P6,000 pay hike spread over four years. That is because the House of Representatives has unanimously approved on final reading a resolution granting salary increases to all government workers, including public school teachers.

According to Speaker Prospero Nograles, the House Joint Resolution 36, which passed 178 to 0, “would upgrade, rationalize and standardize” the compensation of all government employees starting this July. “This program applies to all civilian government personnel, regardless of status. Military and uniformed personnel are also covered by a separate compensation system provided under HJR 36,” Nograles said.

The salary upgrades which would cost a total of P150 billion, would be implemented gradually over the next four years, said Quirino Rep. Junie Cua, chair of the appropriations committee. “All told, this will rationalize the salaries of government officials depending on their rank, skills, work and education requirement,” he said.

Just like in private companies where employees are classified in ranks, government employees are also categorized as sub-professionals, professionals and executives.

Nograles noted however, that the salary adjustment for the President, Vice President and members of Congress would not apply to incumbents.

Meanwhile, the salary increases in the said resolution was assailed by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) as being inequitable. They said that government employees in the sub-professional level will receive a 28 to 36 percent increase, while those in the professional level will receive a 38 to 100 percent increase. The ACT further added that those in the executive category will receive an increase between 71 to 142 percent.(Pinoy Business)

RP’s driver’s license honored in Belgium

2009-05-22T13:18:00.000+08:00

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has finally entered into an administrative arrangement with the Belgian government to honor the driver’s licenses issued in the Philippines. Because of this, Filipinos who are living and/or working in Belgium can now exchange their valid Philippine driver’s license with Belgian license without the need to take any written and practical examinations.

This arrangement has been under discussion for the least eight years, before it was finally implemented last April 22. Before the implementation, Filipinos living in Belgium were required to take written and practical examinations in either French or Dutch/Flemish to obtain Belgian driver’s license. Those who wanted to take the exam in English are made to pay a translation fee of €50.

Filipinos who did not want to take the exam then were still allowed to drive around in Belgium, provided that they have an international driver’s license issued in the Philippines.

The requirements for exchanging the Philippine driver’s license to the Belgian driver’s license are: a valid Philippine driver’s license; Belgian identity card or work permit; one passport-size photo; and a fee of €16. Other requirements may also be asked by the Belgian authority as deemed necessary.

Likewise, Belgian nationals living in the Philippines can exchange their valid Belgian driver’s license for a Philippine driver’s license at any Land Transportation Office (LTO) in the Philippines.

For more information, Filipinos in Belgium can visit the Federal Public Service, Mobility and Transport website at the www.mobility.fgov.be or contact their local commune.

Philippine Ambassador to Belgium Cristina Ortega reported that husband and wife Alex and Jovelle Fernandez were the first Filipino expatriates to get their Belgian driver’s license under the new arrangement last April 22. “They had absolutely no trouble. They simply presented the requirement including their valid Philippine driver’s licenses at their local commune, and a week later, they received their Belgian driver’s licenses,” she added.

The LTO submitted to the Belgian Embassy a list of security features with which the Belgian official can check the validity of the driver’s license. (Source: Pinoy Business)

Manny Pacquiao's Boxing Titles

2009-05-10T08:01:00.002+08:00

Below is a list of the boxing titles Pacquiao has won:

World Titles

1. Pacquiao first held the WBC Flyweight title in 1998 when he defeated Chartchai Sasakul in Bangkok, Thailand. Pacquiao won by TKO in the 8th round. He defended the title once before losing it in a bout vs. Medgoen Singsurat in 1999.

2. Pacquiao first held the IBF Super Bantamweight title in 2001 after defeating Lehlohonolo Ledwaba in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. He won by TKO in the 6th round, then proceeded to defend and retain the title four times.

3. Pacquiao then bagged the WBC Super Featherweight title on March 15, 2008, when he defeated Juan Manuel Marquez in a match in Las Vegas.

4. Pacquiao knocked out David Diaz in the 9th round of their June 28, 2008 Las Vegas match, clinching the WBC Lightweight title.

5. Pacquiao earned the IBO Light Welterweight title when he knocked out Ricky Hatton in the 2nd round of their May 2, 2009 bout in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao defeated Marco Antonio Barrera in a non-title featherweight bout on November 15, 2003, in Texas, USA. Pacquiao's victory in this match earned him titles such as the "People's Featherweight champ" and Ring Magazine's "Featherweight Championship of the World" award, although these are not considered world titles.

Other Titles

Pacquiao held the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) Flyweight title in 1997.

Pacquiao first held the WBC International Super Bantamweight title in 1999 after defeating Reynante Jamili at the Elorde Sports Center in Manila. Pacquiao won by TKO in the 2nd round; he successfully defended the title five times.

Pacquiao first held the WBC Super Featherweight International title in 2005 after defeating Hector Velasquez in Los Angeles, California, USA -- TKO in the 6th round. He successfully defended the title five times. Pacquiao initially vied for the said title in a match vs. Eric Morales earlier that year, but he lost to the Mexican boxer. Pacquiao was able to get the title in the bout vs. Velasquez. Morales twice attempted to snatch the title from Pacquiao in 2006; Pacquiao defeated him in both rematches.

Pacquiao won the RING Super Featherweight title in 2008 when he defeated Juan Manuel Marquez in Las Vegas. It was in the same fight as the one where he got the WBC Super Featherweight title. This was his last boxing match as a featherweight. (Source: GMA News Research)

Detained SK Mayor tries to escape

2009-05-07T14:18:00.001+08:00

MANILA, Philippines—Sheriffs and security guards of the Sandiganbayan detained a Sultan Kudarat mayor and his wife after they allegedly tried to flee while he was being arraigned for murder charges Wednesday afternoon.

Columbio, Sultan Kudarat mayor Edwin Bermudez and his wife Sheryl allegedly left the courtroom after the charges against him was read, took the stairs from the third floor down to the ground floor and went out the main gate of the six-story building in Quezon City.

Bermudez and his wife denied they were trying to escape and said they were just looking for the witness they will present for his bail petition, Chief Sheriff Edgardo Urieta said.

The Office of the Ombudsman had accused Bermudez of masterminding the killing of two supporters of his political rival Mohamad Paglas on May 15, 2004. The victims were gunned down in front of the town hall while joining a convoy to transfer ballot boxes to a nearby town.

Voluntary surrender

His arraignment was scheduled Wednesday afternoon. He also filed a petition for bail which is still pending with the court.

Bermudez had been at large since the case was filed with the Sandiganbayan in August 2008, but in an endorsement to the Sandiganbayan Wednesday, Columbio police chief Insp. Nathaniel Panaguiton said the mayor had voluntarily surrendered.

But Urieta noted that Bermudez was without any police escorts.

Second Division court bailiff Dennis Macaranas said that during the court hearing, the phone of Bermudez’ female lawyer suddenly rang. He advised her to answer the call outside the courtroom, but as she stepped out, Bermudez and his wife followed her.

The wife allegedly said they would be fetching a witness for the mayor’s bail petition.

Macaranas said he had asked them not to leave the court and that they had to be escorted by court sheriffs while the lawyer had insisted to return to the courtroom, her phone still in her ears, that the security guards had to take turns in telling her that it was not allowed.

But amid the commotion, Bermudez followed his wife who had already taken the stairs.

In his official report, Urieta said the guard on the third floor immediately asked through two-way radio his fellow guards on the ground floor “to hold the fleeing Bermudez and his wife” while Sheriffs Alexander Valencia and Federico Gamugamo ran after the couple.

The couple dashed out of the main gate fronting the Don Mariano Marcos Avenue, but security guard Noel Haddad saw them running. He also gave chase.

Haddad finally caught up with Sheryl about 30 meters from the main gate. Bermudez allegedly stopped running after seeing his wife had been accosted.

The couple were detained at the Office of the Sheriff as a nurse attended to Bermudez whose blood pressure reportedly shot up after the chase.

Urieta said because of the mayor’s condition, they would remain detained in his office instead of being turned over to the Quezon City Jail.(By Edson C. Tandoc Jr.; INQ.net)

There’s only one Manny Pacquiao

2009-05-03T17:07:00.002+08:00

LAS VEGAS – Four years ago, in the very same ring where he scored a crushing second-round knockout over an opponent many thought would give him the challenge of his career, Manny Pacquiao lost a decision to Erik Morales.

Morales was one of the most entertaining fighters of his time, but never once were “Morales” and “all-time great” ever used together in the same sentence.

In 2005, Pacquiao was good and exciting but hardly great fighter. After Saturday’s K.O. of Ricky Hatton, though, he stands atop the boxing world, even with the heavily hyped return of Floyd Mayweather Jr., who had been a near-unanimous choice as the world’s top fighter prior to his untimely retirement in June 2008.

Mayweather Jr. unretired on Saturday said he’d fight Juan Manuel Marquez in July, but he’ll have to defeat Pacquiao if he wants to be regarded as the best after Pacquiao decimated Hatton at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Pacquiao knocked Hatton down twice in the first round and then knocked him cold with a crushing left hand that may have been the best punch of his career late in the second round. Hatton fell face first and laid motionless for several minutes as the arena erupted.

If the Pacquiao Era hadn’t started with his decimation of Oscar De La Hoya in December, it began with a straight left that left promoter Bob Arum squealing.

Arum has promoted many of the game’s finest fighters, including Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Marvin Hagler. Arum was so ebullient after Pacquiao’s devastating victory, he was comparing Pacquiao favorably to Ali.

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“I promoted Muahmmad Ali and the best Ali I ever saw was the one who fought before he was forced to take a sabbatical for 3½ years,” Arum said. “That was the best Muhammad Ali. He had phenomenal speed and he had terrific reflexes, but he sure as hell didn’t have the explosive power that Manny Pacquiao has. … He was a great, great fighter, but there has never been a fighter with the same combination of speed and explosive power as Manny Pacquiao.”

It was hard to argue with any superlatives hurled Pacquiao’s way after the finest effort of his career. He picked apart a guy who was 45-1 coming into the fight and who was the linear super lightweight champion, making Hatton look like an upstart amateur.

Pacquiao was far too fast and far too strong for Hatton, who fought his entire career as a 140-pounder. Pacquiao, who began at just 106, hurt Hatton with nearly every shot on Saturday.

“Before the fight, a lot of people were saying I’m small at 140 and Ricky Hatton is bigger than me,” an unmarked Pacquiao said. “I didn’t put that in my mind.”

Ever since that disappointing loss to Morales, Pacquiao has made a transformation that has turned him into a superstar and has old-school boxing experts talking of him as an all-time great.

He barely squeaked out a victory over Marquez 14 months ago, but his trainer, Freddie Roach, said it would be no contest if they were to fight now.

“He’s a different now than he was [when he lost to Morales],” Roach said. “He’s not that guy. He’s a different guy. If he fought Marquez right now, I guarantee you he’d knock him out in three rounds. I’m telling you. I know that’s a bold statement, but he’s a much better fighter than the guy who fought those guys.

“Something clicked inside of him. I can’t pinpoint it. He’s just a different guy.”

Pacquiao isn’t a guy who simply goes to the gym to shed pounds to make the weight. He uses his training sessions as a classroom and takes a studious approach to improving himself.

Roach worked diligently with him to improve his right hook and on Saturday, it was his key punch. Hatton would cock his left as he went to throw it, a sign for Pacquiao to unleash his right hook, which he did in devastating manner.

He hurt Hatton with a combination that began with a right hook about 90 seconds into the fight, sending the British star spaghetti-legged in the corner. As Hatton’s many fans in the sellout crowd of 16,262 sang “There’s only one Ricky Hatton,” you had to wonder if Hatton somehow thought there might have been two Manny Pacquiaos the way punches were raining down upon him.

Hatton wasn’t in Pacquiao’s class, though he might have beaten him a few years ago. Pacquiao and Roach now form the best team in boxing as Pacquiao has developed his game to a point where he compares favorably with any man alive.

“What I am watching is something that is astounding,” Arum said. “Usually when a world championship-caliber boxer reaches the top, he can be good for a number of years. But most of the time, there is no improvement. This young man improves every single fight.

“He’s doing things he didn’t do two years ago. He’s doing more things and he’s doing other things he didn’t do before. His defense is tremendous and his reflexes now are tremendous. I have never, ever in more than 40 years – and I say this without hyperbole – I have never seen a fighter combine speed and explosive power the way he does.”

Boxing now needs a Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. If it occurs, it could be the most significant fight in the sport in decades.

But Pacquiao doesn’t need Mayweather to affirm himself as one of the sport’s greats. Pacquiao answered that question plenty well in the ring. (Source: Yahoo! Sports)

Pacquiao out to make a big difference

2009-05-03T07:02:00.001+08:00

LAS VEGAS—Who’ll get knocked out? And in what round?

Manny Pacquiao, the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, and Ricky Hatton, the light welterweight king, will supply the answers when they clash for the International Boxing Organization light welterweight crown on Saturday night (Sunday in Manila).

With both fighters known for their power and aggressive brawling styles, ring experts believe the megabucks “Battle of East and West” won’t last the 12-round distance at the sold-out MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Pacquiao, who has defied logic by hopping from one division to another in his last three fights, will try to become the first boxer—living or dead—to fight in four different divisions and sweep them all.

The Associated Press noted that Pacquiao returns to the ring much the same fighter he was five months ago, taking on Hatton in a lucrative 140-pound fight matching two guys who love to brawl. The big difference now, though, is that everybody expects him to win.

One big fight can create a lot of expectation, and the biggest task for Pacquiao may be managing them in the ring, said AP.

Betting odds in this gambling haven favor Pacquiao, holder of a 48-win, 3-loss, 2-draw record, to score a knockout victory that will etch his name in boxing annals. (Follow a real-time, online round-by-round account of the Manny Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight through the sports channel of www.inquirer.net. The fight starts at 9:54 p.m. in Las Vegas, 12:54 p.m. Sunday in Manila.)

Last year, Pacquiao bested Juan Manuel Marquez for the World Boxing Council junior lightweight title, knocked out David Diaz in the ninth round for the WBC lightweight crown and pounded Oscar De La Hoya into submission after eight rounds in a non-title welterweight bout.

It was a feat reminiscent of the great Henry Armstrong, the only boxer to hold three world titles simultaneously, from November 1937 to August 1938.

Elite company

If he dethrones Hatton, holder of a 45-1 slate and unbeaten at 140 pounds, Pacquiao will clinch his fifth world title, joining the elite company of Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Floyd Mayweather Jr. De La Hoya, the man whom Pacquiao forced into retirement last month, is the lone six-division champion.

The 30-year-old Pacquiao copped the WBC flyweight title in 1998 and the International Boxing Federation junior featherweight plum in 2001.

Pacquiao knows the historical significance of a victory over Hatton, also 30, but his main intention is to give pride and dignity to a country longing for heroes.

“Wala nang atrasan, bakbakan na ito (There’s no turning back, it’s going to be a brawl),” Pacquiao said before retiring to his suite Friday night.

Like Pacquiao, who tipped the scales at 138 pounds during the official weigh-in Friday afternoon, Hatton commands a huge following in England and this was aptly proven when 25,000 Britons flew in for the bout this weekend despite the recession and the threat of an impending influenza pandemic.

Official weigh-in

They were able to gobble up about 60 percent of the sold-out tickets, but many of the Britons will wind up just betting in the casinos and drinking in bars.

During the official weigh-in Friday, Hatton barely made the light welterweight limit and overcame reported weight problems, tipping the scales at exactly 140 pounds.

The British star boasted to his countrymen that they won’t go home disappointed.

According to Hatton, he’s going to be the biggest man Pacquiao has ever faced as he intends to climb the ring at 154 pounds. The biggest man Pacquiao ever fought was De la Hoya, who was just 147 pounds.

As usual, Pacquiao refused to predict the outcome, insisting that his fists will do the talking in the ring.

‘Only God knows’

“Only God knows what will happen tomorrow,” said Pacquiao after the weigh-in.

With Pacquiao and Hatton, whose lone defeat was inflicted by the retired Floyd Mayweather Jr., son and namesake of his trainer Floyd Sr., refusing to get into a word war in the fight build-up, attention has shifted to the verbal sparring between trainers Freddie Roach and Mayweather Sr.

The elder Mayweather went as far as saying that Roach is a joke as a coach, later improving the name-calling to “cockroach.”

And just to rile Mayweather, Roach predicted that he’d be disappointed if Pacquiao fails to finish off Hatton in three rounds.

But after feeling Pacquiao’s newfound power in the punching mitts during training, Roach changed his mind and insisted that Hatton will definitely fall in three rounds.

Trainer’s trophy

To further drum up interest in the Roach-Mayweather sideshow, a four-tiered trophy over five feet tall will be given to the winning trainer.

The fight card, jointly promoted by Top Rank of Bob Arum and Golden Boy Promotions of De La Hoya, will also be shown worldwide on pay-per-view and closed circuit television, with sales expected to approximate the 1.25 million buys Pacquiao-De La Hoya generated.

Officiating the Pacquiao-Hatton showdown will be referee Kenny Bayless with Michael Pernick, Glenn Trowbridge and CJ Ross as judges.

The main supporting event pits Mexican Humberto Soto (47-7-2 with 30 KOs) against Canadian Benoit Gaudet (20-1 with 17 KOs) for the WBC super featherweight title.

Also seeing action in the non-televised bouts is rising Filipino star Bernabe Concepcion, who will be facing Colombian Yogli Herrera in an eight-round lightweight encounter.(INQ.net)

RP Braces for Pacquiao Fight

2009-05-02T11:00:00.002+08:00

The streets of the Philippines could resemble a ghost town for a few hours on Sunday morning as everyone from taxi drivers to petty thieves makes time to watch Manny Pacquiao's fight against Ricky Hatton.

Pacquiao, known as the "nation's fist," is idolised in the Southeast Asian nation and his every appearance in the ring has a majority of the 90 million people glued to their television and radio sets, causing a surge in demand for electricity.

"In terms of sports events, every Pacquiao fight is the Philippines' Super Bowl," said Carlito Claudio, vice president for systems operations at the National Grid Corp of the Philippines.

Power demand normally rises by two percent, or around 140 megawatts, whenever Pacquiao fights and this Sunday is likely to be no different, Claudio told Reuters by phone.

Pacquiao, a former four-weight world champion, will try and snatch the IBO light-welterweight title from Hatton in a 12-round bout in Las Vegas on Sunday morning Phillipines time.

"I'll skip work in the morning to watch the fight," Danilo Santos, a 28-year-old taxi driver in Manila, told Reuters.

"I'm sure all Filipinos will also stay home so it will just be a waste of time driving around. If Manny wins, then I'll have a busy afternoon," added Santos, who expects people to be partying in the streets should their man triumph.

Lolita Cruz has set up a cable television at her small, neighbourhood canteen in a Manila suburb so her customers can watch the fight while eating.

"I am praying for Manny's victory because that will bring honour and pride to all Filipinos anywhere in the world," Cruz said. "He's my hero because he always makes us proud."

Restaurants with cable television will open early as will shopping malls with cinemas, where people can watch the fight live via satellite.

The SM group, the country's largest cinema operator, said the tickets, priced at 551 pesos each, were selling fast.

"So far we've sold only 50 percent of the tickets but many people usually buy during the day of the match," said Armando Cortez, supervisor at the SM North EDSA cinemas which sold the most tickets in the country for Pacquiao's December 7 defeat of Oscar de la Hoya.

Pacquiao, nicknamed "Pac-man," is clearly popular with the nation's criminals as well.

"We have historical and statistical data to show that there's always zero crime during Pacquiao's actual match," said Nicanor Bartolome, national police spokesman.

In the southern Mindanao island, government soldiers will set up a giant screen in a former camp of the militant rebel group Abu Sayyaf to watch the match, according to a local radio report.

Pacquiao, widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, has also distracted politicians.

Congress adjourned its session early this week so about 50 lawmakers, including the speaker of the House of Representatives, could fly to Las Vegas for the fight. (By Manolo Serapio Jr. and Manny Mogato)

"It's going to be a war" - Pacquiao

2009-05-01T07:49:00.002+08:00

LAS VEGAS—RICKY HATTON promised to “shock the world” when he meets Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night (Sunday morning in Manila) in a title fight that both boxers said would be a war.

The expected fireworks at the two fighters’ joint press conference at the MGM Grand hotel-casino on Wednesday fizzled out, but just the same promoters of the “Battle of East and West” succeeded in raising interest in the blockbuster card.

But Pacquiao’s mother, Dionesia, in the United States for the first time, provided the sizzle.

Oddsmakers have installed Pacquiao a 2-1 favorite in their 140-pound (63½-kilogram) fight for Hatton’s IBO junior-welterweight title.

“I’ve been here before,” Hatton said, reveling in his role as underdog. “People say (I’m) over-hyped, overprotected, a fat, beer-drinking Englishman. Well, I’m going to shock the world again.”

Pacquiao said he and his team had been repeatedly watching video tapes of previous Hatton fights and were ready for Saturday’s showdown.

“Everyone knows the style of Ricky Hatton,” the 30-year-old Filipino added. “He always comes forward, throwing a lot of punches. It’s going to be a war.”

Hatton was quick to echo his opponent’s forecast. “Oh yeah, it’s going to be a war,” he said. “We’re going to make it one.”

Poet Mayweather Sr.

Hatton said “I will be shocked” if the fight went against him. “And I say that with no disrespect for my opponent.

“But just standing next to him—and I hope this doesn’t come back to haunt me because he can punch—the first thing that goes through my mind is: ‘How is this man going to keep me off him for 12 rounds?’ That’s how confident I feel.”

Bob Arum of Top Rank and Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions took turns extolling the virtues of their respective fighters, Pacquiao and Hatton, during the fight’s final press conference even as Floyd Mayweather Sr. failed in his bid to lure counterpart trainer, Freddie Roach, into a verbal tussle.

Roach keeps his cool

Mayweather, who recited a poem, referred to Roach as a joke of a coach and insulted the three-time Trainer of the Year and Hall of Famer by likening him to a cockroach.

Roach kept his cool, opting not to answer the taunts. Roach’s speech was short and sweet. He said he had the better fighter, reiterating that he would be disappointed if Pacquiao did not get Hatton in three.

Mayweather taunted Pacquiao in poetic verse as he predicted a knockout by the British “Hitman.”

“After this fight, Pacman will never be the same,” Mayweather said.

“Hey Pac, it’s over, so quit wishing on a four-leaf clover.

“You will be uncrowned, with your head down, on your chest, knowing that Ricky Hatton is the best.

“I hope you know, you have got to go, it’s going to be Hitman Hatton by KO.”

The 78-year-old Arum called Pacquiao the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter and the Social Welfare System of the Philippines for sending 500 children to school, donating hospital beds and giving dole-outs to the destitute.

De La Hoya cited Hatton’s iconic stature in England, citing the 60,000 fans who packed the Wembley Stadium in one of his fights.

Hatton sounded a little bitter

“I think you (media) have all made your mind up already,” Hatton said. “I have been reading what you have been saying and what everyone has been saying. That doesn’t scare me. I have been here before. I have been the underdog before.

Hatton added: “This is my weight division, but I understand that I am the underdog. I understand why people are picking on me especially since Manny Pacquiao is the No. 1 pound for pound fighter in the world who just had an exceptional win over Oscar.”

Pacquiao refused to predict the outcome

“I respect Ricky Hatton. He is a good person. He is a nice guy and I would like to remind everyone that there is nothing personal (in) this fight and we are just doing our job to give a good fight to the people and make them happy.”

Dionesia a hit

It was Pacquiao’s mother, Aling Dionesia, who grabbed attention when he was introduced by Arum to the hundreds of broadcast and print journalists.

A swarm of photographers swarmed all over Dionesia, who is in the United States for the first time to lend support to his favorite son. She still can’t bring herself to watch her son fight.

“She is scared to watch it live,” Pacquiao said. “To have her here, it’s going to give me more inspiration to do my best and win. It’s going to be one of the best times I’ve had in my life.”

Dionesia says she plans to pray for her son while he is in the ring.

“I’m not scared,” she said through a translator. “I’m confident he’s going to win. Manny is going to go all the way.”

Lessons in humility, generosity

“I wasn’t feeling too well and also I wanted to take care of everything at home so it was ready when Manny got home,” she said. “I love the United States. It’s wonderful. I have wanted to come here for a long time.”

Pacquiao has pleased his mother by learning the lessons she taught of humility and generosity.

“It’s the way he processes everything, humbly and with kindness,” she said.

A sell-out

Though the Hatton fight is for a lightly regarded IBO crown, winning at junior welterweight will mean Pacquiao has won titles in six weight divisions, beginning at 112 pounds (51 kilograms).

Both fighters had spectacular performances the last time they were in the ring. For Pacquiao it was the win over De La Hoya, but Hatton showed off some himself a few weeks earlier by stopping Paulie Malignaggi in front of thousands of his ever-singing fans.

Promoters claim the fight has already sold out the 15,000-seat arena at the MGM and are selling closed circuit viewing at other Las Vegas hotels. They’re also hopeful that even an ailing economy won’t stop people from spending $50 to order the fight on pay-per-view, perhaps with a few friends.

With reports from AP, Reuters and AFP

Pacquiao hits 140 lbs a week before fight

2009-04-27T06:28:00.000+08:00

HOLLYWOOD -- WHILE WINDING DOWN his training on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), Manny Pacquiao took off his sweaty red shirt to flaunt his well-chiseled body and bulging muscles.

Then, while doing abdominal strengthening exercises, he blurted out: “Am I small at 140?”

Pacquiao actually doesn’t look like somebody who can readily be swept aside by a bigger guy like Ricky Hatton.

Pacquiao, in fact, overpowered sparring partners Alisher Rahimov and David Rodela in five rounds with his dazzling speed.

As it turned out, Pacquiao had already made the 140-pound limit for his light welterweight clash with Hatton a week before the megabuck bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“He didn’t even need to diet,” assistant trainer Nonoy Neri said in Filipino. “Hard work in training kept his weight in check.”

Neri’s disclosure was rather surprising as master trainer Freddie Roach put Pacquiao’s weight at around 145 on Thursday.

Based on Pacquiao’s movements, however, his weight is likely to be less as he zooms and glides with power to match during the training session presided by three-time former heavyweight champ Michael Moorer.

Atlanta Olympic silver medalist Onyok Velasco, now a close pal of Pacquiao, was impressed.

“He (Manny) is very fast and strong,” said Velasco in Filipino.

Matchmaker and Pacquiao confidant Wakee Salud added that Pacquiao seems to have gotten stronger than when he stopped Oscar De La Hoya at 147 lb last Dec. 6.

Rodela, who was knocked down by a body blow from Pacquiao during sparring last week, also praised Pacquiao.

“Damn, he’s too fast,” said Rodela. “I was about to catch him and then he was gone.”

Despite the betting odds piling up in his favor, Pacquiao, however, refuses to be drawn into complacency.

“I don’t know why people trust me so much,” said Pacquiao.

Pacquiao even likened the bout, a blockbuster with 16,300 tickets sold to a cockfight.

“We both have spurs and gaffers, so let’s just wait and see,” he said. Team Pacquiao will proceed to Las Vegas on Monday.

NOTES: Amir Khan, the rising British star who beat Marco Antonio Barrera last month, dropped by at Wild Card on Friday. He went to see Pacquiao, with whom he was able to spar with at Wild Card… Aside from Bernabe Concepcion, another Filipino, lightweight Dennis Laurente will be seeing action in the undercard of the Pacquiao-Hatton showdown, where he fights Marvin Cordova Jr. (20-0-1 with 11KOs)… Rodel Mayol guns for Ivan Calderon’s WBO light flyweight crown on June 13 at the Madison Square Garden in New York… The presence of his mother Dionisia, brothers Bobby and Roel and wife Jinkee inspires Manny to go the extra mile in training… Team Pacquiao members are in a for windfall as Manny is going to reward with a substantial amount those who surpass his weight challenge of reducing by 10 percent their respective weights on Sunday.(By Roy Luarca)

"I’m ready", declares the Pacman

2009-04-25T18:39:00.002+08:00

HOLLYWOOD – It’s not the weight, but the impact of the punches that matters.

A reinvigorated Manny Pacquiao said on Thursday that he didn’t care if Ricky Hatton would come in heavier for their “Battle of East and West” date on May 2 (May 3 in Manila) at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

“It’s OK if he comes in at 150 [pounds] or over,” said Pacquiao in Filipino. “It’s the punches that will decide the outcome.”

Though betting odds are heavily stacked in his favor at minus 285 – meaning a $285 bet wins just $100 if he prevails, Pacquiao refuses to be complacent.

“I’m already in top condition, but we can’t really tell until the fight is over,” he said. “Hatton is just as fast, he’s also good, strong and a champion.”

Pacquiao even prefers to consider himself as the underdog.

“Let’s not presume that this is going to be an easy fight, that I have the advantage” the General Santos lefty told Manila-based sportswriters over lunch at Nat’s Thai Restaurant, which is just a few steps away from the gym.

“Come fight night, it’s our hands that will do the talking in the ring. Let’s not say anything, so that we can’t be blamed whatever happens.”

Nibbling on fresh strawberries and slices of watermelon while signing autographs, Pacquiao said he felt he was in the same condition now as when he beat Oscar De La Hoya into retirement last December 6, also in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao said he’s totally focused on taking away Hatton’s International Boxing Organization light welterweight crown and that weight was the least of his concerns.

According to Pacquiao, he pigged out on his favorite foods on Wednesday, when Roach ordered him not to do gym work. Despite the extra food, he still tipped the scales at 147 pounds.

Asked about Hatton’s supposedly dirty tactics and brawling style, the Filipino ring superstar said he was not worried as Roach and chief assistant Michael Moorer have devised strategies to counter them.

Pacquiao said he would prefer that Hatton would fight him toe-to-toe because they have the same style. He said he would need to be careful to avoid the enemy’s phantom punch.

“When the bell rings, let’s get it on,” said the only Asian four-division world champion. “The fight lasts just 30 to 40 minutes, but we trained for two months.

“All I can say is I’m ready.”(By Roy Luarca)

Troops clash with Abus holding aid worker

2009-04-23T15:21:00.000+08:00

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines—Troops clashed with Islamic extremists holding hostage a sick Italian Red Cross worker in the southern province of Sulu as the crisis entered its 99th day Thursday, the military said.

There were no immediate details of casualties and no word on the fate of Eugenio Vagni, 62, who intelligence reports earlier said was unable to walk due to a hernia.

The fighting took place Wednesday as the Abu Sayyaf group holding Vagni tried to escape from a jungle area on the island of Jolo, military spokesman Brigadier General Gaudencio Pangilinan told reporters in Manila.

"It was a big group, about 50 of them," Pangilinan said of the Abu Sayyaf unit, adding they were carrying high-powered firearms including rocket launchers.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno confirmed the fighting and said troops have set up naval blockades near Jolo's coastal villages to prevent the Abu Sayyaf from escaping by sea.

"We have to pursue them and remain close to them to make sure they will not escape," he said.

He said the rebels holding Vagni were trying to reach the town of Talipao, where they were said to be planning to merge with a bigger Abu Sayyaf command entrenched in the area.

Vagni was abducted along with fellow International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) colleagues Andreas Notter of Switzerland and Mary Jean Lacaba of the Philippines in mid-January while on a humanitarian mission in the area.

Lacaba was freed on April 2 while Notter was safely recovered by authorities on April 18.

There have been mounting fears that the increasingly desperate Abu Sayyaf group may try to harm Vagni as they evade troops in the jungle.

The Geneva-based ICRC on Wednesday said it was "extremely worried" for Vagni and repeated a call for his immediate and unconditional release.

"We have serious concern for his worsening health condition," ICRC operations director Pierre Kraehenbuehl told a news conference.

Notter, who also spoke at the press conference, said he last saw Vagni on April 16, the day the militants separated them and moved in smaller groups.

He said it rained constantly in the tropical jungle and the harsh condition took its toll on the hostages physically and mentally.

"I am very concerned about my colleague, Eugenio Vagni, particularly because of his health," Notter said. "He has a hernia which is making it difficult for him to walk."

In an intelligence report Wednesday, the military said Vagni was unable to walk and was being carried by his captors.

The Abu Sayyaf was founded in the 1990s ostensibly to fight for an independent Islamic state. The group later branched off into high-profile abductions and bombings and is on the US government's list of wanted foreign terrorist organizations.(Agence France-Presse)

Donaire, Viloria crush Mexican foes

2009-04-21T12:36:00.001+08:00

Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire lived up to his moniker, crushing Raul “Cobra” Martinez in just four rounds while Brian Viloria scored an emotional win knocking out Ulises Solis to snatch the IBF light flyweight crown in their title bout at the Araneta Coliseum.

Despite a painful left hand, Donaire pummeled his Mexican-American challenger from the get-go, hitting Martinez with left-right hook combinations in the first and second rounds.

Donaire, who retained his IBO/IBF flyweight title, delivered the decisive killer blows in 2:42 mark of the fourth round, ending the fight on a technical knockout (TKO).

He improved his win-loss record to 21-1-0 (14 by way of knockout) while handing the erstwhile undefeated Martinez his first loss after 24 fights.

“He’s a real champion. I’m a big fan of him now,” Martinez said after the fight. He also acknowledged that he was “not invincible,” when asked about the lessons he learned from the bout with Donaire.

Donaire, whose father was not able to watch him fight, said he felt a stinging pain in his left hand.

“My father will always be my father and I thank him because he got me where I am today,” Donaire said during post-fight interviews.

Meanwhile, Viloria, nicknamed “The Hawaiian Punch”, knocked down Ulises Solis in the 11th round to steal the IBF light flyweight crown.

Viloria was aggressive in the first two rounds but Solis recovered in later rounds, before the Fil-Am fighter opened a cut in his right eyebrow in the fifth round.

A former WBC junior flyweight king, Viloria again struggled on the sixth round as Solis briefly regained control of the fight. Both fighters exchanged punches in later rounds until a solid right hook from Viloria knocked his opponent cold towards the end of the 11th round.

During post-fight interviews, Viloria, who improved his record to 25-2-0 (15 by knockout), admitted that Solis was a “tough nut to crack”.

The Mexican fighter, who earlier christened himself “The Filipino Executioner”, previously defeated Filipino boxers Rodel Mayol, Bert Batawang and Nonito’s older brother, Glenn Donaire.(By Marjorie Gorospe; INQ.net)

Another ICRC hostage freed

2009-04-19T14:34:00.000+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- (UPDATE 8) A Swiss Red Cross worker is now free after being held hostage for over three months by Islamic extremists, officials said.

But conflicting version of how Andreas Notter regained his freedom Friday evening gave rise to confusion whether he was freed by the Abu Sayyaf or rescued by government security forces.

Notter himself said he was still confused because "everything happened very quickly."

"I'm still a little bit confused how it happened," a haggard looking Notter told reporters as he was formally turned over to Red Cross representatives by Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan and Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno.

Notter talked about walking with his captors prior to his freedom, but exactly how the authorities got hold of him remained unclear.

"I walked out and I'm happy to be alive and safe," he said.

Notter, along with Italian national Eugenio Vagni and Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, was seized by Abu Sayyaf group on January 15 while on a humanitarian mission as volunteer workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Sulu. Lacaba was released on April 2.

The government said it had no immediate details about the fate of 62-year-old Vagni, who was believed to be unwell and in need of hernia surgery.

Notter called on authorities to do everything they could to rescue Vagni, whom he said was in pain from his condition.

Malacañang welcomed news Notter has regained his freedom.

"This is very good news not only for Notter's family, friends or co-workers but everyone else who prayed for his safety, and for our military, police and government officials who worked tirelessly for his release,'' Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said over the government-run Radyo ng Bayan.

"We reiterate our call to the kidnappers to release the last hostage, and we commend the local crisis management committee, the police, military, the ulama and all those who in one way or the other has helped in the release of Mr. Notter,'' he said.

ICRC spokesperson Anastasia Isyuk said they had yet to talk to Notter.

“So far, we have not been able to see him or talk to him,” she said

But she said the ICRC remained concerned about Vagni.

"We're relieved to hear the latest news (about) Andreas and remain concerned about the safety of Eugenio," Isyuk said. "We are hopeful that he remains safe and unharmed."

Prior to Notter’s release from his abductors, the ICRC said it last heard from the two on April 14, two weeks after Lacaba’s April 2 release.

“Andreas and Eugenio made contact with the ICRC on Tuesday 14 April. They were also able to call their families on Sunday 12 April. Hearing their voices again more than two weeks after their last call was a relief for all of us,” said Alain Aeschlimann, head of delegation of ICRC Asia-Pacific.

Chief Superintendent Felizardo Serapio, chief of the Western Mindanao police's integrated police operation, said Notter was actually rescued by militiamen and members of the Indanan police force on Saturday morning.

"Notter was rescued by these groups consisting of Civilian Emergency Force (CEF) and the Indanan police. Actually I don't have a clear picture yet, everything is still garbled," he said.

Serapio said what was clear was that Notter was now free.

He said Notter was rescued near a government security cordon in the municipality of Indanan early Saturday morning.

"We got Notter near an established cordon," he said.

Lieutenant General Nelson Allaga, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said Notter was found in Indanan town.

"I'm not sure what particular barangay in Indanan, but whether he was recovered, released or rescued, that I cannot say," Allaga said.

A leader of the civilian volunteers said he was one of those who fetched Notter.

But unlike Serapio and Allaga, the source said Notter was released by the Abu Sayyaf in the village of Lipunos in Parang, Sulu, near midnight Friday.

He said they initially thought that he was Vagni.

"Inaalalayan namin kasi nahihirapan lumakad kaya akala namin si Vagni (We helped him because he had difficulty walking and that is why we thought he was Vagni)," said the source, who requested anonymity for lack of authority to speak on the matter.

In a press conference aired on ANC, Tan said that Notter was taken by policemen to his residence at around 7 am Saturday.

Tan said that on Friday, he informed the Ulamas or Muslim scholars who have been helping in negotiation efforts, that a tactical operation would be undertaken by security forces on Saturday.

He added that Notter was left behind by the Abu Sayyaf group in Indanan while they were being pursued by police early Saturday morning.

During the press conference, Tan said that he hasn't spoken with Notter directly since he only allowed doctors to enter the room where the rescued kidnap victim was staying.

Armed forces chief General Alexander Yano declined to give further details of the rescue mission as he said it would compromise efforts to free the remaining hostage.

He said "non-violent" efforts were underway to free the Italian including dialogue headed by five Muslim clerics who were dispatched to the Abu Sayyaf's stronghold last week to negotiate.

Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross chapter, said there had been reports of intense clashes around Indanan late Friday, just a day after the military said it was prepared to rescue the hostages.

The Abu Sayyaf had threatened to behead one of the foreign hostages unless government forces pulled back from around their positions on Jolo.

They have been locked in an intense stand-off with troops after being cornered in a jungle area near Indanan, where the military said their supplies were running low.

Abu Sayyaf militants have kidnapped other Westerners over the past decade, many of whom, according to the Philippine military, were released after the payment of large ransoms.

The militants also murdered an American hostage, Guillermo Sobero, in 2001. The following year a second American, Christian missionary Martin Burnham, was killed in a military attack that led to the rescue of his wife.

The group is on the US government's list of foreign terrorist organisations, and a small number of American forces have been rotating on Jolo island since 2003 to provide intelligence information to their Filipino counterparts

By Julie Alipala with reports from Abigail Kwok, INQUIRER.net; Kristine L. Alave and TJ Burgonio, Philippine Daily Inquirer; and Agence France-Presse

RP courting P3B halal investments for Mindanao

2009-04-11T06:18:00.001+08:00

The country has arranged separate discussions with Kuwait and Brunei on about P3 billion worth of investment opportunities in the domestic halal sector, particularly in Mindanao, the Agriculture Department said in a statement.

The department said Mindanao has a comparative edge over other countries in the region because it was free of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and the avian influenza (AI) or bird flu virus.

Agriculture Undersecretary Jesus Emmanuel Paras said the DA was offering foreign investors at least two big-ticket halal investment project proposals in Mindanao: The Halal Economic Zone in Davao City and a Halal model poultry farm in Cagayan de Oro City.
“The proposed Halal Economic Zone, which will cost at least P2.2 billion, is the centerpiece of the halal investment portfolio being offered to overseas investors by the Arroyo administration,” Paras said in a recent forum.

To be located in Davao City, the zone is expected to generate 24,000 new jobs for Muslim Filipinos, and boost the Philippines’ export earnings by at least $200 million per year, he said.

The other investment proposal packaged by the department, said Paras, is a P840-million project involving the establishment of a halal model poultry farm complete with research laboratories, abattoirs and other modern facilities.(By Riza T. Olchondra; INQ.net)

500,000 new jobs in Mindano from the BPO sector

2009-04-10T06:10:00.002+08:00

Mindanao is bound to benefit from the continuing growth of the business process outsourcing industry, as Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) undersecretary Merly Cruz said in a report that they are projecting at least 500,000 new jobs in two regions, three provinces and a city in Mindanao this year.

By the end of 2009, Cruz said the combined revenues from BPO and tourism industries in Mindanao will likely reach to an amount more than $10 million. For the BPO sector alone, they are projecting more than $7 million revenue this year, which is very realistic since the said industry raked in close to $6 million last year.

Cruz said that the BPO sector is expected to produce about 500,000 jobs in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City, and in southern Mindanao.

For the tourism industry, the agency is projecting an income that would reach $5.5 million. Last year’s income $4.3 million. Cruz said they are the increase in tourism because of the government’s active push to make Mindanao a medical tourism area. “The government targets to enhance the medical and wellness facilities in Mindanao in a bid to make it the medical and wellness tourism destination in Asia,” she said.

To boost the tourism in the area, the Department of Tourism also endorsed, in behalf of the government, a P9-billion package for tourism projects, which includes hotels, resorts and spa, and medical centers.

Cruz also said that aside from the tourism and BPO sector, the government is also projecting increased revenues in other sectors like the processed food industry, especially halal products. The agency is projecting an income of about $2 million by the end of 2009 from this industry.

The government is also looking to generate more jobs through various infrastructure projects in the area, to cushion the effects of the global recession on OFWs and workers in the manufacturing sector. It also offered training programs for the OFWs who were removed from their foreign jobs as a result of the recession.(Source: PinoyBusiness)

Binay draws applause in Bukidnon

2009-04-09T06:02:00.003+08:00

MALAYBALAY CITY (8 April 2009) -- Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay drew both applause and flak in his recent visit to three areas in Bukidnon.

He related his city’s success story, his personal struggles and victories, and his opinion on the national scene in an hour-long meeting at the Malaybalay City People’s Hall.
The president of the United Opposition put a message across that this martial law activist, lawyer, opposition leader, and “successful” Makati mayor, is among the “presidentiables” for 2010 and is “Handa para sa bansa” (ready for the nation).

A Makati City councilor who introduced the mayor in the program described Binay as “most fit as chief executive” for his success in Makati.

A “comics” presentation of Binay’s biography distributed in the meeting showed that Makati’s income rose from P280 million in 1985 to P10.6 billion last year under his administration.

He cited his achievements and the city’s feats in computerization and benefits to senior citizens, and other areas. He said they have a P112 million budget for senior citizen benefits in Makati.

Binay invited city officials and barangay captains to a “free board and lodging” tour to Makati to see their achievements which could be replicated locally.

Malaybalay City started its computerization program last year and has offered benefits to senior citizens similar to those started in Makati.

Binay has registered his stand against automation of the 2010 elections, saying “programmed results” might prevail over actual votes.

He criticized the Commission on Election’s ineptitude in preventing cheating when he explained how Makati’s computerization has prevented “dagdag bawas” (padding-shaving) in taxation.

Binay hit corruption in government when he told barangay captains it is one reason why the government cannot afford to pay premium for their coverage to the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

“It is a question of priority, character, and leadership,” he said.

He cited a proposed bill to make internal revenue allotment higher for low income local governments and decrease those who already have high incomes.

He offered scholarships for students from Malaybalay in the Pamantasan ng Makati and admission at the Ospital ng Makati, both owned by the city government.

Binay’s offers and his light humor drew applause from the audience.

The courtesy call actually included an audience with the city councilors, the barangay captains of poblacion barangays and the top three kagawads in the said barangays.

Flores assured his fellow mayor he was welcome and appreciated the precious time he spent to come to the City of Malaybalay in “fellowship and to bring good tidings”.

Binay’s handlers said he was in town to sign sisterhood agreements with the municipality of Kalilangan and the City of Valencia. In his speech, he offered a sisterhood agreement with Malaybalay City.

The letter requesting the courtesy call said Binay is in town as guest speaker of the reunion of his fraternity, the Alpha Phi Omega (APO). Binay tagged along some Makati City councilors in his Bukidnon sortie.

Tarpaulins bearing Binay’s picture and campaign slogan were posted in many parts of Malaybalay and Valencia. The posters said it was put up by the “Binay for President Movement”.

Businessman Joey de Venecia III, who was with Binay’s party, talked about the harassments he suffered since he faced the Senate hearings over the ZTE-NBN controversy.

De Venecia, son of the ousted House speaker, called for change in 2010 and at one point spelled Binay’s family name for residents to remember. (Source: MindaNews)

Abus demand $5 million for hostages' release

2009-04-08T06:05:00.001+08:00

he Abu Sayyaf had demanded $5 million or more than P200 million for the release of three kidnapped workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a military document shows.

The document, which details the kidnap-for-ransom activities perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf since 2003, was apparently prepared prior to the release on Thursday last week of one of the three ICRC workers Mary Jean Lacaba.

“The kidnappers are reportedly demanding $5 million (for Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipina engineer Mary Jean Lacaba),” the document read.

Lacaba was released reportedly in exchange for a sizeable “board and lodging” fee, but authorities have denied that ransom was paid for her release.

Lacaba, Notter and Vagni were snatched last Jan. 15 near the Sulu Provincial Capitol in Patikul town after inspecting a water supply project.

Notter and Vagni are believed held in the jungles of Mt. Tukay in Indanan.

But Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan, who chairs the local crisis management committee dealing with the hostage crisis, claimed no knowledge of hostages of the Abu Sayyaf released without the payment of ransom.

“Although I have not seen payment of ransom, yun talaga ang ginagawa nila (it’s what they have been doing),” Tan said in an earlier interview.

Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo, the military’s spokesman for the hostage crisis, said that they do not have any information regarding the alleged payment of ransom for Lacaba’s release.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro also maintained that Lacaba’s release was a result of military pressure on the kidnappers.

The document said the Abu Sayyaf has kidnapped 54 people since 2003 in Sulu, including ABS-CBN news anchor Ces Drilon and her TV crew.

The same document said P20 million changed hands for the release of Drilon and her companions.

In the same period, 17 cases of abduction involving 33 victims were carried out in Basilan by the Abu Sayyaf or by rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

In Western Mindanao, particularly in the Zamboanga Peninsula, 59 people were reportedly kidnapped in 2008, and 24 have been taken this year.

Most of the victims were snatched in Zamboanga and taken to Basilan by their abductors.

Hostages free ‘anytime soon’

Tan said he is confident the two remaining hostages would be freed soon.

“While they (kidnappers) continue with their stand, they have toned down. Hopefully, we will be able to convince them to free their last two hostages unconditionally,” Tan said.

Tan did not discuss the details of his recent contacts with Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad.

Puno, for his part, said the bandits are on the run and appeared jarred by the crackdown on their alleged supporters, seven of whom have been charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention.

He said kidnappers were preoccupied with two things: receiving ransom and escaping.

“Yung sa dalawa, mas mahalaga sa kanila yung pagtakas nila (Between the two, the more important is their escape),” he said.

“Wag magbigay ng ransom kasi ang ransom ang nagpapatuloy ng mga ganyan na kidnapping (Don’t pay ransom because paying ransom perpetuates kidnapping),” he said.

No order to evacuate

The military yesterday denied reports that it has ordered the evacuation of residents from some villages in Sulu, allegedly in preparation for a rescue operation.

“Although we have contingency plans for that, there is no order yet for them to evacuate,” Arevalo, the military’s spokesman on the hostage crisis, said in a phone interview.

Arevalo said they have received reports that more than 200 people have been forced to flee Indanan due to sightings of Abu Sayyaf bandits in the area.

“We have not told them to move, because we don’t want to cause the unnecessary flight and panic among the public,” he said.

Arevalo said those who spread the rumor might be planning to seize crops and livestock and other belongings of fleeing residents.

“They might be interested in the harvest of the residents. That’s why we are appealing to these people that in these trying times, in times of hardship, sana isantabi muna ang panlalamang sa kapwa (they should not takw advantage of others),” he said.

He said that while it has not ordered an evacuation, the provincial government has prepared contingency plans such as the stockpiling of relief goods.

DND’s Teodoro said the other day that crisis managers were still pushing for negotiations instead of a military solution to the crisis.

But he remained firm against a pullout of troops as demanded by the kidnappers. He said giving in to the bandits would embolden them to commit more atrocities.

Tan’s group stays

Meanwhile, Malacañang clarified that the local crisis management committee headed by Tan remains in charge of the negotiations for the release of the two remaining hostages.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said he is not aware of any new appointments and that Sulu Vice Gov. Lady Ann Sahidula remains as the only emissary to the kidnappers.

“I don’t know. I just read it in the papers myself that there is a new group of emissaries. But as far as we are concerned, the local crisis team continues under Gov. Sakur Tan,” Ermita said.

On Monday, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said new negotiators would be sent to Sulu to help secure the release of the hostages.

“Suffice it to say that that’s further proof that our local crisis committee is doing its best to secure the safe release of the hostages,” Remonde told Palace reporters. He did not name the new negotiators but said they are known to the kidnappers.

But Ermita insisted he was not aware of the reported designation of new emissaries and even warned that this could work against the interests of the government and the hostages.

“We should not muddle the situation very much. There is a saying that more (sic) cooks spoil the broth,” he said.

However, he said having new emissaries working side by side with the current emissary could also be helpful.

Ermita said that the new emissaries could provide the negotiators with additional sources of information about the actual condition of the hostages.

“What is important is that we should be able to reach out and find out the status of the hostages and see what we can do. Maybe they could get some new information,” he said.

Ermita said the reported designation of new emissaries could have been the result of the legal action taken by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group against seven relatives of Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad. The seven, including three policemen and two village chiefs, have been charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention for allegedly conspiring with the kidnappers of the three ICRC workers.

“So maybe because of that they are reviewing this (appointment of emissaries). But we are not replacing the local crisis team headed by Gov. Sakur Tan,” Ermita said.

Ermita said that the charges against the seven individuals should deter anyone from colluding with terrorists and other criminal elements.

On the debate between Teodoro and Sen. Richard Gordon over how to deal with the hostage crisis, Ermita argued that the government has its reasons for wanting to limit the airing of statements or demands coming from the Abu Sayyaf.

Ermita pointed out that terrorist organizations such as the Abu Sayyaf should not be given publicity considering that this is their primary objective apart from getting ransom.

“I agree with any action that would prevent giving too much attention to the other side. One of the objectives of terrorists around the world is to call attention to their existence,” Ermita said.

“We should not give them the opportunity of getting publicity for what they are doing,” he added. – With Roel Pareño, Marvin Sy, Cecille Suerte Felipe, James Mananghaya (Philippine Star)

Text cost to go down by 50 centavos

2009-04-07T05:13:00.001+08:00

By May 1, 2009, the cost of text messaging would go down from P1 to 50 centavos per text. This is according to House oversight committee chairman Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, as the panel agreed on the decision in a meeting with representatives from telecommunication companies (telcos) together with officials of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

The decision will be formalized in a resolution that he would file when Congress resumes session in April 13, Suarez said. “The resolution will be binding on NTC, which will fix the maximum cost of text messaging at 50 centavos per message based on our agreement. The current average cost is about P1,” he added. The 50-centavoes includes a five-centavo computer education tax.

Suarez said that their estimate of telcos’ text messaging cost is 18-19 centavos, adding the 5-centavo tax would make the cost reach about 25 centavos. “So if they offer text messaging at 30 centavos per text, they have a profit of five centavos,” he said.

Suarez continued with his illustration, “since Filipinos send two billion text messages per day, making us the texting capital of the world, a five-centavo profit translates to P100 million a day, P3 billion a month and P36 billion a year.” He added that if they offer it at 35 centavos, their net profit would soar to P73 billion a year.

President Arroyo, Speaker Prospero Nograles and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile are all supporting his text cost proposals, according to Suarez.

Representatives of the country’s leading mobile service providers, refused to comment on the congressional plan. Smart Communications and Globe Telecoms have both opposed previous proposals from lawmakers to reduce text messaging costs and impose additional taxes on texting.

Suarez, also reiterated that the additional 5-centavo text tax should be spent exclusively for free information technology (IT) and computer science education. “I will make sure that collections go to a trust fund for IT and computer science education. We will build computer laboratories and offer IT and computer science education for free, “ he added.

He also assured that the money would be beyond the reach of congressmen and other politicians, and that a board composed of educators would administer the trust fund.

(Source: Pinoy Business)

Militants renewed threat to kill 2 remaining hostages

2009-04-05T10:14:00.002+08:00

Al-Qaida-linked militants renewed their threat to kill their two Red Cross hostages unless government loosen a security cordon around their southern jungle stronghold, an official said Saturday.

Sen. Richard Gordon, who also heads the Philippine Red Cross, said he spoke late Friday by cell phone with Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad who wanted security forces to pull back after the militants released Filipino Red Cross worker Mary Jean Lacaba without any ransom.

The Abu Sayyaf refused to free the two Europeans from the International Committee of the Red Cross, Swiss Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni. They were last seen Thursday when Parad handed over Lacaba to provincial Vice Gov. Lady Anne Sahidullah near Jolo island's Indanan township.

The three were abducted Jan. 15 after visiting a Red Cross water sanitation project in a Jolo jail.

"I will do what I told you I will do," Gordon quoted Parad as telling him, referring to a threat made earlier in the week that the militants would behead one of the hostages if troops did not pull back. Parad had promised he would release a hostage if his demand was met.

The government did withdraw before Tuesday's beheading deadline lapsed, but not as much as the militants demanded. Troops later retook their old positions.

Parad promised to start negotiations for the release of Notter and Vagni after the pullout of Philippine marines, police and armed civilian volunteers, Gordon said. He said the militants wanted an area to move around that's much smaller than what they had earlier demanded.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said security forces will pull back only if it will lead to the release of the hostages.

Puno indicated the kidnappers could be seeking a ransom in releasing Lacaba but not the two others.

"Maybe they feel that there is still some hope they will get some money from the (families of the) other two hostages and not from the family of Lacaba," he said.

Gordon said Parad did not indicate what the militants wanted in exchange for the hostages, but that he told them the Red Cross does not pay ransom.

He said Parad sounded angry and may have taken a personal risk when he ventured outside the militant camp to get a cell phone signal to communicate.

The Abu Sayyaf group has beheaded hostages in the past, including an American in 2001 and seven Filipinos in 2007.

The U.S. government has placed the Abu Sayyaf, which has about 400 fighters, on its list of terrorist organizations because of its attacks on American citizens and links to al-Qaida.

No ransom paid--DILG chief

2009-04-04T05:41:00.001+08:00

There was no ransom paid for the release of Abu Sayyaf captive Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said on Friday.

At a press briefing in Camp Crame, Puno said that Lacaba's release on Thursday night was brought by the "change of environment for the kidnappers in Sulu," as government troops assumed their former positions in the province.

At the same time, Puno said that as of 9 a.m., Lacaba was promptly turned over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as the organization requested that Lacaba be given private time with her family.

"We are very happy but there is much more to be done. We intend to do whatever is necessary," Puno said, referring to the two remaining hostages, Eugenio Vagni and Andreas Notter."(By Abigail Kwok)

Filipina ICRC worker released

2009-04-03T05:54:00.001+08:00

Fate of 2 foreign captives remains unknown

MANILA, Philippines—“We already shed so many tears.”

These were some of the first words of Mary Jean Lacaba upon her release Thursday night after 78 days of captivity. Her kidnappers left her in a village without ransom being asked or given.

But the fate of the two other workers of the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)—Swiss Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni—remained unknown.

Alain Aeschlimann, ICRC’s regional chief, expressed relief at the release of Lacaba but said he remained concerned about the safety of the two other staff members.

“The nightmare of this abduction is not over,” he said.

“Once again, we ask that they remain unharmed. While we welcome this first positive move, especially after a very tense and difficult week, we reiterate our appeal to the kidnappers to let Eugenio Vagni and Andreas Notter go without delay and unconditionally.”

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said that the 37-year-old Lacaba was abandoned by her kidnappers on Jolo Island, where the three ICRC workers were kidnapped Jan. 15 while on a mission to improve water facilities in a Jolo jail.

Vice Gov. Anne Sahidulla later fetched Lacaba in Barangay Paligi along the border of Indanan and Parang towns at around 7 p.m. and turned her over to the military, the officials said.

“She’s fine and she is undergoing medical treatment,” said regional police Chief Supt. Felizardo Serapio.

The ICRC worker was expected to be brought immediately to the Marine camp for “processing,” said Puno through his assistant, Brian Yamsuan. If she is fit to travel, she will be flown to Manila on Friday for a thorough medical checkup, he said.

“All of us are excited and happy,” said Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, Western Command chief. “It is good that she was safely recovered. Right now, she is resting and being attended to by physicians.”

Film footage shown by GMA 7 showed Lacaba being pushed in a wheelchair to a trauma clinic in the Jolo military camp. She wore a red hijab Muslim headdress and was talking on a cell phone.

Sahidulla, who has previously visited the hostages, said she went back to the kidnappers’ camp and talked to the Abu Sayyaf.

“When I reached the place, the talks were good. I convinced them to free Lacaba” she said.

“No ransom was asked or given,” said Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the Philippine National Red Cross.

Gordon said that he talked by phone to Lacaba, who was weeping.

“I said, Jean, you make me cry,” he said. “She cried herself and she said ‘we already shed so many tears.’ I said calm down and relax.”

Gordon said Lacaba told him that the two other hostages had been through severe hardship and were exhausted and that if it was possible for the military to ease its operations.

“You can imagine their ordeal. It’s raining out there. Then it’s suddenly hot and they are walking at night. They are scratched by thorns. They get eaten up by mosquitoes. There is no water that is clean. They are under guard all the time,” the senator said.

“I hope we can get the other two,” said Gordon.

Arroyo’s statement

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, in a statement Thursday night, said:

“We are happy that Ms Lacaba is back with us and we hope that the Abu Sayyaf Group will also release the other hostages very soon. This is the answer to our people’s prayers and also confirmation that we should always stand behind our policy of dealing firmly with any form of lawless behavior.”

State of emergency

Lacaba was freed two days after Abu Sayyaf kidnappers put off a planned execution on Tuesday of one hostage despite the failure of the military to comply with their demand to withdraw all forces on Jolo Island.

Troops pulled out from the kidnappers’ hideout were redeployed after a state of emergency was declared in the area. Officials said Thursday that government forces had sealed off the area where the abductors and their hostages had been spotted.

Cell phone signals out

A Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter earlier attempted to contact by phone the kidnappers who had been relaying information about conditions of the hostages.

Rep. Yusop Jikiri said cellular and satellite phone transmissions covering Indanan, Parang and Patikul towns had been shut down by authorities since 8 p.m. Wednesday following the declaration of a state of emergency in the province.

“We know the forest and the mountain so we can find a way to locate them even without a cell phone signal,” said Jikiri.

He said that electricity also had been turned off in Indanan, his hometown, prompting him to go to Jolo town to communicate.

Phone calls by the Inquirer reporter to the Abu Sayyaf leaders holding the hostages had not gone through since the kidnappers put off a threat to behead one hostage Tuesday.

But in Rome, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini indicated that he had been able to contact Vagni, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

The hostages “are alive, according to information in our possession,” said Frattini, following “contacts with our compatriot,” ANSA reported. It was unclear when the contact was made.

Jikiri, along with Muslim religious and political leaders, was able to negotiate a stay of execution, according to Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan, head of the hostage crisis management committee who earlier reported the hostages were alive.

Palace negotiator

Jikiri, who was dispatched by Malacañang to negotiate with the kidnappers, his former comrades in the separatist Moro National Liberation Front, had been in the Indanan area since Tuesday.

Jikiri also said that farmers reported that they saw around 300 armed men and possibly the three hostages at Sitio Pansul, Barangay Lipunos, Parang, but that he was treating this information as “second hand.”

No possibility of escape

Interior Secretary Puno said the authorities were trying to reestablish contact with the kidnappers, who he insisted had been prevailed upon by local religious leaders not to carry out their threat.

“Our focus is on trying to make sure that these kidnappers will get back in the direction of negotiations,” he said in a television interview.

Puno said the kidnappers were penned in a 15 square-kilometer area of Jolo.

“It is raining hard (there) and they cannot get away too far from that because it is the only source of water in the area,” he added.

“This has been their situation for a while now, and although there has been no offensive action taken against them, they have absolutely no possibility of getting away from the area,” Puno said.

Road checkpoints

He said the focus of government efforts was to make sure that kidnappers “head back in the direction of negotiation with anyone.”

Governor Tan said the kidnappers and captives were on the run as the government redeployed troops around a hilly area on Jolo close to their camp.

Provincial police chief Julasirim Kasim said earlier Thursday that government forces were “sealing off” areas where the gunmen and the Italian, Swiss and Filipino hostages had been sighted.

He said police were continuing to set up road checkpoints around Jolo but refused to give other details.

Also Thursday, the National Disaster Coordinating Council reported that about 100 families had sought shelter in evacuation centers in Indanan and Jolo town, fearing clashes. About 70 tents and food packs had been sent to the area by the provincial social welfare office. With reports from and Arlyn dela Cruz, TJ Burgonio and Jocelyn R. Uy

Sec. Teodoro sorry for delay in hostages' release

2009-03-27T08:31:00.002+08:00

Military says no timetable for release

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Thursday apologized for the delay in the release of the three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) aid workers held captive by Abu Sayyaf bandits in Jolo Island, Sulu province, since Jan. 15.

But the Armed Forces’ Chief of Staff Alexander Yano said the government was not setting a timetable for the hostages’ release.

“I am asking for our people’s forgiveness and understanding,” he said in Filipino at a press briefing in Malacañang. “It’s not easy to work under this situation because we are dealing with an irrational organization.”

Teodoro said the governments of Italy and Switzerland were naturally “very concerned about the plight” of their nationals—Eugene Vagni and Andreas Notter, respectively. The third hostage is Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba.

“But I’m thankful that they understand the difficulty of the situation and have supported our efforts to secure the release of the hostages,” he said.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has directed the government negotiators to “exert and exhaust all measures to ensure the safe release of the hostages,” according to Teodoro.

He said Ms Arroyo wanted “a speedy resolution” but was aware of “the balance that needs to be done, which is to ensure the hostages’ safety.”

Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad has demanded that government troops withdraw from areas near where the bandits were holding out.

Early this week, he gave the government until March 31 to pull back its troops or one of the hostages would be beheaded.

‘Time running out’

Lacaba on Thursday called on the government to move quickly.

“Please tell them (the government) that if they can help, to make it faster because time is running out on us,” she told ANC television by mobile phone.

Lacaba said she and her colleagues were afraid for their lives “every minute, every second, because we don’t know when a firefight will suddenly start.”

She also said the three of them sometimes had nothing to eat because their captors were busy eluding the pursuing troops.

According to Lacaba, the hostages heard gunfire and explosions just above their heads last week, after Marine snipers fired as the bandits tried to breach a loose military cordon.

The episode sparked two days of clashes that killed three Marines and up to seven bandits.

The hostages were not harmed, but Parad later threatened to kill all of them if another clash erupted or if the military tried to rescue them.

In the same interview with ANC television Thursday, Parad repeated his earlier promise to free a hostage if troops moved farther away, and to behead one if they did not.

“They know I do what I say,” he said.

Fundraising for 2010

Said Teodoro at the press briefing: “I don’t see any positive thing that can be gained by the Abu Sayyaf if they make good their threat to behead the hostages. It would not do anybody any good.”

He also said the government had not ruled out the possibility that some local officials might be involved in kidnappings in the south, and that these activities could be aimed at raising funds for the 2010 elections.

“There could be some connection … We can surmise, but we cannot do anything about it without concrete evidence,” he said.

“And first things first: We have to secure the safe release of the hostages … We will deal with the problem later, when we have less pressing matters to [attend to].”

No timetable

At the same briefing, Yano said the government was “trying to explore all possibilities of peaceful action to recover the hostages safely.”

Yano said the government was not setting a timetable to recover Lacaba, Notter and Vagni.

“We have continued to maintain the pressure within the vicinity,” he said.

“We have seen to it that there would be no offensive action on the part of the government troops at this time … We will [give] time and space to allow peaceful measures to be undertaken.”

No pullout

On the phone from Jolo, Lt. Col. Edgard Arevalo, the newly appointed spokesperson for the hostage crisis, said the military was continuing to assess the bandits’ demand because, he pointed out, to give in would be to virtually desert the local residents.
“We have repositioned our troops as [the bandits] had demanded,” Arevalo said, adding:

“There is no need for us to pull out any further. We are virtually giving them 92 percent of Jolo.”

Logical consequence

The Associated Press quoted Arevalo as also saying that the troops might be forced to launch an assault if the bandits harmed the hostages.

“It may sound a threat, but actually it isn’t. It is but a logical consequence of what they might do,” he said. “If they’ll harm or kill the hostages, they will remove the reason for us to talk to them.”

Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, the highest ranking military commander involved in the ground operation to secure the hostages’ release, also said the military was not pulling out.

“The troops are staying put, awaiting further advice of development, because we have observed that the Abu Sayyaf is becoming weaker, is disintegrating and under pressure,” he said.

‘Problem is the media’

Reacting to Lacaba’s plea, Brig. Gen. Gaudencio Pangilinan, one of the military officials authorized to speak on the matter, Thursday expressed hope that the hostage crisis would be resolved before the March 31 “deadline” set by the bandits for the withdrawal of troops.

But he said the media were adding to the pressure being brought to bear on the military.

“No one can tell [if these beheading threats are true or not] but these are taken seriously by the negotiating team. But the problem is the media, which doubles the pressure on us,” Pangilinan, the chief of the military’s Civil Relations Service, told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo from Zamboanga City, where he was attending a battalion commanders’ seminar.

According to Pangilinan, it is “customary” that the media desist from airing threats and demands so as not to affect the decisions of the negotiating team.

To Lacaba’s statement that occasionally she and the other hostages had nothing to eat, Pangilinan said the military was not enforcing a food blockade in the area.

Allaga made a similar denial, rebutting the claim of police Senior Supt. Julasirim Kasim on Wednesday that a food blockade had been implemented to deprive the Abu Sayyaf of provisions.

Now in command

Allaga, the chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said he was now taking charge of the military operation vice Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban.

Sabban has gone on leave; his superiors said it has nothing to do with Sen. Richard Gordon’s earlier criticism.

Gordon, the chair of the Philippine National Red Cross, has assailed Sabban for purportedly subverting efforts for the release of one of the hostages late last week.

Allaga said the government should not allow itself to be held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf.

“It’s only a threat. Why should we also become their hostage?” he said.

Asked to comment on the hostages’ own appeal for the withdrawal of troops from the area, Allaga said: “What’s not good is that [some government officials and the media] play up the plight of the hostages. I have been saying time and again that the hostages are already slaves, and that everything they do or say is [a result of being] under duress.”

Allaga said the media and other government officials could help in securing the hostages’ release by holding back on information.

He said media interviews with the kidnappers were beyond the control of the military, which was ending up in a bad situation.

Hostages safe

Allaga said that despite the clashes, Lacaba, Notter and Vagni were safe.

He said Chief Supt. Felizardo Serapio Jr., the head of the Western Mindanao police’s directorate for integrated police operations, was in charge of the police troops, and that Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan was supervising Task Force ICRC. With reports from Associated Press and Agence France-Presse

Pacquiao to face legal battle as he dumped Solar Sports in favor of ABS-CBN

2009-03-21T07:11:00.001+08:00

Pambansang Kamao Manny Pacquiao is getting yet another distraction as he prepare for his upcoming fight with Ricky Hatton. Solar Entertainment Corp. will be seeking legal venues as Pacquiao terminates his exclusive contract with them.

Solar Sports legal counsel Enrique dela Cruz, Jr. announced their plan in a television interview. He also warned third parties of meddling or intervening with contract. Dela Cruz specifically mentioned ABS-CBN in the interview as one of the parties who meddle with their contract with Pacquiao.

Pacquiao already announced his decision that he will give ABS-CBN the exclusive coverage of his fight in recent TV interview.

Solar, through Dela Cruz, said that they will file for breach of contract as they insist that their contract with Pacquiao’s MP Productions is still in effect. Solar said that Pacquiao granted them (Solar Entertainment) the exclusive rights to the audio-visual presentation of all bouts of Manny Pacquiao from May 7, 2009 to May 6, 2009.

Any attempt of Manny Pacquiao to rescind the License Agreement without any factual or legal basis is ill-advised. Solar warned third parties against interfering with their agreement with Pacquiao. “Solar shall avail of all its legal remedies to the fullest extent against any undue breach of and/or tortuous interference with the License Agreement,” Solar added.

Pacquiao, for his part, based his decision to rescind his contract with Solar Entertainment because of the latter’s delayed in the payment of the fees stipulated in the contract.

Solar reported that Pacquiao sent them a letter stating, “This is to inform you of the decision of the undersigned to rescind the subject contract, effective immediately. Despite repeated demands, SOLAR has failed to fulfill its obligation to pay the undersigned the stipulated fees for the subject rights.”

So even as he prepare for his fight in the right with Hatton, Pacquiao could also be preparing for a legal battle as well.

Hostages: ‘Why does gov’t want us to die?’

2009-03-21T06:11:00.000+08:00

Angry, exhausted and frustrated, the three Red Cross workers held hostage for two months by Abu Sayyaf kidnappers poured their hearts out in a phone conversation Thursday with Sen. Richard Gordon.

First allowed to speak at 2:20 p.m. by gang leader Albader Parad was Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba, who sounded afraid in the forested Indanan hideout on Jolo island, which was encircled by troops a day after clashes over the previous 48 hours had left five dead and 19 wounded.

“It is difficult to remain calm if your life is constantly on the line,” Lacaba said in Filipino in a soft pleading voice, obviously shaking in fear as Gordon, who was in his Makati City office, coaxed her to remain strong.

“You don’t know where a bullet will hit you,” she said, “your head, your back … you can see the fire fight.”

Gordon replied: “Do not show them that you are weak. I am proud of you. Be strong.”

Lacaba said she and the two other workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)—Eugenio Vagni of Italy and Andreas Notter of Switzerland—remained together during the clashes.

“It was terrible. We saw the gun battles in front of us. We saw the killings. It was really terrible,” said the 37-year-old Filipino engineer.

“We have been here for 64 days,” she said. “I don’t know if we are ever going to be free.”

Gordon told Lacaba not to lose hope. But Lacaba replied that it was tough to be courageous in the situation they were in. “It is easy for you to say that, senator, but it is very difficult …”

Lacaba passed the cell phone to Vagni, 62, who did not even bother to greet the senator. Apparently in tears, he shouted: “Why does the government want us to die? I don’t understand! I don’t understand!”

‘What is gov’t doing?’

“I am not the government, Eugenio,” said Gordon, chair of the Philippine National Red Cross. “I just can’t turn my back on you. I need you to be strong. You need to be strong; can you do that for me?”

Still in high-pitched voice, Vagni yelled: “I am strong. We are strong. But what is the government doing? We came to the Philippines to do something good. Why do we have to die?”

Sobbing, he said: “We have to be strong. We will be stronger. But if the military will not pull out, we are going to die.”

“I am trying my best,” Gordon said. “I’ve had my pains in life, but it’s nothing compared to yours.”

Vagni, who is reported to be ailing, said the last few days had been very painful.

Sensing that the Italian was losing hope, Gordon said: “Remember who you are, Eugenio. I am going to fight for you, you remember that, but you must show your dignity… Do not give up. We are doing our best.”

“OK, senator. OK, OK,” Vagni said.

‘Catastrophic’

Notter was on the phone next. He sounded in a rage.

“The situation is very bad. It is catastrophic! I really cannot understand what your government is doing. Rescue? The government sent the military to rescue us? No! These guys came to kill us, have us killed, not rescue us!” he screamed.

Notter, 38, said the ICRC was invited by the Philippine government in 1982 to undertake humanitarian mission. “Now they are going to kill us?”

Gordon tried to cut him, but Notter railed on: “One more attack, they are going to kill us! And let me tell you this, senator, if I’m going to survive this, I’m going to make sure that the whole world knows what happened here. This is going too far!”

Notter said the military action was a “completely wrong move.” He asked what Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Alexander Yano was doing.

“I cannot understand the military. There is a chain of command but what is General Yano doing?”

Notter also mentioned the number of days since the three were seized by the Abu Sayyaf bandits on Jan. 15.

Word of honor

The conversations with Gordon lasted over an hour. The last time the hostages were allowed the use of a cell phone was on March 11, when they talked with their ICRC colleagues.

Parad had called Gordon on Tuesday to deny that he had been killed in the fire fight.

The kidnapper sounded apologetic Thursday. Gordon pleaded with him to release the hostages, saying they would not be in that condition if he had not seized them.

“You will not be embarrassed,” Parad said.

He said that if the military pulled out, Gordon would get one hostage.

Parad did not repeat his threat to behead the ICRC workers if the military pressed their operation against the kidnappers.

He did not say whom he would release, but he said he would keep his word.

“Usapang lalaki.” A gentleman’s word.(Arlyn dela Cruz)

Pacquiao KOs sparmate on first sparring day

2009-03-18T21:18:00.003+08:00

In an event that may send warning signals to Ricky Hatton’s camp, Manny Pacquiao displayed deadly form in his first day of sparring by knocking down one of his sparmates.
According to a report by philboxing.com’s Dr. Ed de la Vega, Pacquiao had sparmate Art Hovhannesyan down on all fours in just the second round.

Those close to the action said the hapless Hovhannesyan, an undefeated lightweight sporting a record of 7-0-1, 2 KOs, also suffered a one-inch cut in the eyelid. The gash was reportedly caused by a Pacquiao left hook.

Pacquiao faces the British slugger Hatton on May 2 in Las Vegas. - By Dino Maragay (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

3 more teachers seized in Zamboanga

2009-03-15T22:45:00.001+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – Armed men kidnapped three female public school teachers off the coastal town of Naga in Zamboanga Sibugay Friday, authorities said.

The kidnapping came a month after three other teachers were kidnapped by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits in Basilan.

Senior Superintendent Pederico Castro, Zamboanga Sibugay provincial police director, said policemen figured in a brief gun battle with an armed group believed to be responsible for the kidnapping.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or injuries in the encounter.

Authorities believe that the three teachers – initially identified as Noemi Navales Mandi, Jocelyn Enriquez and Jocelyn Inion, all of the Bangkaw-Bangkaw Elementary School – were brought to Basilan by their kidnappers.

The teachers were on board a motorized banca with a male operator when four gunmen on board another pumpboat chased them.

Castro said the banca operator tried to outrun the kidnappers but failed. He then jumped and swam away, leaving the teachers in the banca.

The gunmen then forced the teachers into their pumpboat and sped away.

Castro said another teacher, a Muslim, was not taken by the kidnappers. The teacher paddled the boat and picked up the banca operator along the way before going ashore to report the incident.

Authorities have no immediate suspects and no group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus condemned the kidnapping, the second in less than two months.

“We condemn all forms and acts of violence and harassment inflicted on hapless teachers. They perform a noble role in nation-building and are indispensable instruments for lasting peace and prosperity,” he said.

Lapus said young school-aged children would be the ultimate victims of the kidnapping of teachers.

“We appeal for justice for the teacher-victims and ask lawless elements to spare our schools, our teachers and our children,” he said.

Lapus urged local officials to implement measures to protect public school teachers from being kidnapped.

“The community should protect our teachers, otherwise our teachers would be afraid to go out and do their duties,” he said.

Lapus said the spate of kidnappings has forced several public school teachers to refuse deployment in remote areas in Zamboanga and other provinces in Mindanao.

In certain areas in Mindanao, particularly in Zamboanga, he said teachers have started to ask for reassignment to other areas due to fear for their safety.

“In some schools (in Zamboanga), policemen have assumed the role of teachers since there are no teachers anymore,” Lapus said.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro also called on local government units to implement the barangay defense system to protect public school teachers in their villages.

“This recent kidnapping only showed that there is indeed a need for all local government officials to strengthen their barangay-based defense system,” he said.

Teodoro said the kidnapping at Zamboanga Sibugay came at a time when the police and military have succeeded in addressing the menace in nearby Zamboanga City.

“Our troops could not be in different places at one time. We were able to prevent kidnappings in Zamboanga City, then the kidnappers struck in Zamboanga Sibugay,” he said.

Teodoro said local officials could no longer afford to take it easy when it comes to securing their respective communities.

He cited intelligence reports that the kidnappers have brought their three hostages to Basilan.

He said government security forces are now verifying reports that the kidnappers were Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas.(By Roel Pareño)

3 kidnapped Red Cross workers calm—ICRC

2009-03-14T06:06:00.001+08:00

The three workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) remained calm despite their continued captivity by Abu Sayyaf gunmen in Sulu, the incoming communications coordinator of the aid group said Friday.

Anastacia Isyuk, who was set to replace Roland Bigler, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone that Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipina Jean Lacaba, made contacts with the ICRC office in Manila on Wednesday.

Notter, Vagni and Lacaba were being held by the group of Albader Parad after they were snatched just outside the Sulu provincial capitol in Patikul town on January 15.

"Yes, we heard from them on Wednesday. Although it's an enormously tremendous situation for them, they did sound calm and composed," Isyuk said.

But she declined to reveal the other details of their talk with the three kidnapped victims.

Isyuk said the ICRC community was eagerly watching the situation and that they were hoping their three colleagues would be freed soon. On the ICRC website, a counter reflecting the days the three had spent in captivity was also posted.

"It means that we are all waiting everyday, all the ICRC staff here in Manila, in Geneva and worldwide for our colleagues to be back with us again and of course we hope this day will come very soon," Isyuk said.

She said the ICRC community also admires the three captives for their "resilience in dealing with this difficult situation."

"And we believe that their health is stable even though they are suffering from fatigue and stress," Isyuk said.

Asked about the reported ransom money the Abu Sayyaf had demanded in exchange for the freedom of the victims, Isyuk begged off.

The alleged P50-million ransom was bared by Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, who heads a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front.

Jolo Mayor Hussin Amin admitted receiving similar reports but he dismissed them as rumors because "I was not the one who personally received it."

Amin said if the P50-million demand was true, it could be for cigarettes and coffee only.

He said he even received information that the Abu Sayyaf wanted P500M for all three hostages. Parad had denied his group was asking money.(Julie Alipala)

2 hurt in Cotabato City blast

2009-03-04T11:08:00.000+08:00

Two people were slightly injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off inside a lodge in Cotabato City Tuesday night, a police official said on Wednesday.

Agong Lodge manager Dagadas Pantao, 52, and staff Anwar Gaca, 21, suffered minor injuries when the IED exploded inside room 318 of the hotel located at Usman Building, Don Rufino Alonzo Street at 9:10 p.m., a report from city police chief Senior Superintendent Willie Dangane said.

Prior to the explosion, the room was believed to have been occupied by two men and registered under a certain Adz Ali, an alleged soldier, since Sunday.

The explosion destroyed four rooms of the lodge, Dangane said, while the injured were rushed to the Cotabato Regional Hospital for treatment.

Police also arrested a certain Benzar Yahya Asula, who identified himself as an agent of the intelligence officer assigned to police regional office 10.

Asula was caught suspiciously roaming the hotel and yielded a home-made caliber 380 pistol, Dangane said.(By Abigail Kwok)

Malaysia assures support to GRP-MILF peace talks

2009-03-01T17:07:00.001+08:00

Malaysia has assured the Philippine government of its continued support to the efforts to forge a final peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

In a press briefing with reporters covering the Asean summit in Thailand, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said the assurance came from no less than Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi himself.

Gonzales said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo asked Badawi during their bilateral meeting to do something so that the negotiating panels of the Philippine government and the MILF would meet again soon.

“Hiniling lang naman ng Pangulo ang patuloy na pagtulong ng Malaysia sa atin sa peace talks at gusto ng Presidente natin na magsimula na uli ang pag-uusap kaya hiniling ng Presidente sa Malaysia na kung puwede, gumawa na ng mga hakbang para muling magkita ang dalawang panel,” he said.

[“President Arroyo asked Malaysia to continue supporting the peace talks because our President wants the negotiations to resume. She asked Malaysia if it could do something to convince the two panels to meet again.”]

Gonzales said Badawi responded favorably to President Arroyo’s request.

“Badawi said Malaysia is always willing to help so they will help. They will try to facilitate (the resumption of peace talks). They will help in making sure the two panels will meet,” Gonzales said.

He added that no date was mentioned but “I'm assuming it will be as soon as possible.”

Aside from Gonzales, those who joined President Arroyo in the bilateral meeting were Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary and government chief negotiator Rafael Seguis.

Badawi, on the other hand, was accompanied by Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim and Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi.(GMANews.TV)

Kidnapped ICRC workers in Sulu cry for help

2009-03-01T06:23:00.002+08:00

‘It’s become very hard, truly painful’

The Filipino engineer held captive by Abu Sayyaf bandits in the mountains of Indanan, Sulu, along with her two colleagues in the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has pleaded for help to end their suffering.

Mary Jean Lacaba was allowed by her captors to speak on the phone with this reporter on the afternoon of Feb. 25. Her voice was low and trembling, and she spoke in short sentences, in a mix of Filipino and English.

Lacaba relayed the same message over and over again, directed at the government or anyone else working on their release: She and her colleagues need help. They still have no idea what the Abu Sayyaf wants in exchange for their freedom.

“Please tell them, if possible, if they can, to quicken the process. It has become very hard and truly painful. Physically and emotionally, it’s really very, very hard,” she said.

With Andreas Notter of Switzerland and Eugenio Vagni of Italy, Lacaba was abducted by gunmen in Jolo, Sulu, on Jan. 15, just after they finished inspecting water facilities in the Jolo jail.

It was only much later that the Abu Sayyaf bandit group, through Albader Parad, claimed responsibility for the abduction.

No contact

In Geneva where it is based, the ICRC said it had had no direct contact with Notter, Vagni and Lacaba for a week.

Alain Aeschlimann, the head of the ICRC’s Asia-Pacific operations, said the three aid workers were being moved through the jungle and were reportedly suffering ill health.

Aeschlimann quoted a reliable source as saying that the three aid workers had received medical supplies sent to them.

He said the ICRC was appealing to the abductors’ sense of humanity and asking for the swift and unconditional release of Lacaba, Notter and Vagni.

On the phone with this reporter, Lacaba said she did not want to stay a day longer where she and her colleagues were being held.

“It’s really very difficult now. Help us so our suffering will end,” she said, adding that she and Vagni had again been afflicted with diarrhea.

Notter spoke of the same physical and emotional distress in an interview with radio station dzEC/NET-25 on the afternoon of Feb. 17.

No ransom demand

The Abu Sayyaf has yet to make an official ransom demand for the release of the three aid workers.

This was confirmed by Sulu Vice Gov. Lady Anne Sahidullah, who said she had kept her lines open with the Abu Sayyaf after she produced a proof-of-life picture of the captives late in January.

“I did not believe that they do not want ransom until I heard it myself from them. Of course, no one will believe this because we all know what happened in their previous kidnapping cases. This is the first time I heard them say there will be no ransom,” Sahidullah said.

According to the vice governor, the information that the Abu Sayyaf did not want ransom in exchange for the captives’ release came, not from Parad, but from another commander older and more experienced than he.

That commander is known as Dr. Abu, who was a combatant of the separatist Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) before he joined the ranks of the Abu Sayyaf.

Military pullout first

Pader had been telling not only the three aid workers but also members of the media that there would no negotiation for the captives’ release without a military pullout.

Sahidullah told this reporter that the Sulu provincial crisis committee—which is headed by Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan—was doing its best to negotiate for the peaceful release of the three, or even just one.

She said she had tried to bargain for Lacaba’s release and had come close to convincing the Abu Sayyaf to free the captive as a sign of “goodwill,” but that certain factors intervened in her attempt.

“Even if I knew that they were amenable to releasing Mary Jean to me, it didn’t push through. There were many considerations—an ongoing military operation, the possibility that I might be sabotaged on the way…” she said.

A source from the MNLF told this reporter that a Sulu official had tried to pay P5 million for the freedom of the three captives.

But Sahidullah denied this, saying: “All I know is that [the captors] don’t want to discuss ransom.”

Former MNLF Chair Nur Misuari and his loyal faction in the group was tapped by the Sulu provincial crisis committee to help in the negotiation.

But the Abu Sayyaf through Parad maintained its position: “No negotiation with anyone or any group” without a military pullout. (By Arlene de la Cruz)

First Muslim to get 2-star rank in the PNP

2009-02-28T10:41:00.001+08:00

The country's first Muslim post-war two-star police general has been designated the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) point man in the peace process.

Sukarno Ikbala, head of the PNP Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development, took his oath as director in Camp Crame Tuesday, the PNP said on its website (www.pnp.gov.ph).

"Ikbala’s promotion is a significant milestone for the Philippine National Police as he is the first post-war Muslim Officer to be promoted to the 2-star rank in the PNP," the PNP article said.

“I am very thankful for all the people who have made this unprecedented feat possible and to those who have extended their support especially in the PNP’s continued battle against criminality," Ikbala said.

Attending the ceremony were Reps. Mujid Hataman (Anak Mindanaw) and Abdolmunir Arbeson (Sulu), and Mayor Omar Aripin of Turtle Island in Tawi-tawi.

PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa commended Ikbala as well as the other Muslim officers of the PNP for their exemplary performance in keeping the peace in Mindanao.

“The Muslim officers of the PNP have exemplified a great deal of leadership and they played a vital role in our peace initiatives. In that regard, I am directing (Director) Ikbala to be the ‘point man’ in our peace process in Mindanao," Verzosa added.

Ikbala belongs to the PMA “Magilas" Class of 1976 and has formerly held key positions in the Mindanao region.

He was previously the police chief of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and senior assistant to the PNP chief for Muslim concerns.

Also, he was former director of the Police Community Relations Group. - GMANews.TV

No talks despite kidnapped victims’ appeals — Sec. Teodoro

2009-02-26T13:13:00.000+08:00

The government will not negotiate with kidnappers holding three members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) despite the hostages’ appeal for the government to start the talks, the Defense chief said Wednesday.

In an interview, Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. said Wednesday that negotiating with the kidnappers would negatively affect anti-crime efforts and could lead to the rise of kidnapping cases.

In a television interview aired Tuesday night, one of the abducted ICRC staff — Mary Jean Lacaba — called on the government to negotiate with the kidnappers for their release, saying their health has been deteriorating.

Ms. Lacaba, a Filipina, Swiss Andreas Notter and Italian Eugenio Vagni were kidnapped on Jan. 15 after conducting a humanitarian mission in Sulu province.

"I think the public must be reminded that there is no justification for kidnapping," Mr. Teodoro told reporters.

He said the government is concerned with the health of the hostages but the abductors, who reportedly belong to the Abu Sayyaf, must not use the deteriorating condition of the hostages to pressure the government to negotiate.

"If you have hostages [and] they are suffering, there is only one right and correct thing to do, release them immediately," he told reporters Wednesday.

He said the crisis management committee led by Sulu Governor Abdusakur M. Tan is still on top of the situation. The group is composed of representatives from the Armed Forces, Philippine National Police and the ICRC.

Earlier, the Abu Sayyaf led by Albader Parad and Radullan Sahiron asked for the pullout of military troops as well as the abolition of the crisis management committee.(Louella D. Desiderio, BusinessWorld)

Datus’ help sought in kidnap case

2009-02-21T17:58:00.000+08:00

COTABATO CITY, Philippines -- Police authorities here are seeking the help of traditional and religious leaders in Maguindanao in a bid to safely recover the father and daughter abducted by alleged Pentagon Gang gunmen on February 18.

Senior Superintendent Willie Dangane, Cotabato police chief, said the help of datus and Muslim clerics might actually work.

Maguindanaons are known to hold deep respect for members of royal families and clerics.

"They are well respected and we hope they can help us convince the captors to release their captives," Dangane said.

Wilson Tan, 50, a local hotelier and owner of a fish trading company, and his 10-year-old daughter were snatched in front of their house in the village of Rosary Heights 4 here. Tan's wife was injured in the scuffle.

Dangane said that even as the help of local leaders was being sought, police and military operations against the kidnappers were continuing.

"We have conducted a house-to-house search and rescue operation in the nearby marshy areas of Kabuntalan, where they were last seen," he said.

Dangane said the kidnappers, led by one Musa Ali, have not attempted to contact the family again.

"The contact was only on the first day, when they asked our troops to halt the rescue operation," he said.

But Dangane said the authorities believe that the kidnappers and the victims were still in the areas they have been watching.

"We believe they are still in the marshy area of Kabuntalan (in Maguindanao)," Dangane said.

The operation against the Pentagon gang in Kabuntalan has caused fear among residents, who have just returned home after having been displaced by military operations against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front last year.

"There will be war again, and we will again evacuate," said Elias Mabang, a farmer.

Mabang said he was hoping that the Tans would be released soon to spare residents from more trouble.(By Edwin Fernandez, Jeoffrey Maitem)

Local execs told to join rescue efforts

2009-02-20T07:23:00.000+08:00

The provincial government of Basilan has directed all town executives to help in search and rescue operation for a kidnapped Sri Lankan humanitarian worker and five other hostages.

Municipal officials were ordered by Governor Jum Akbar during a meeting of the province’s crisis management committee to help locate and rescue Sri Lankan Umar Jaleel, who is involved in peace advocacy in the province; a nine-year-old boy kidnapped in Lamitan City; Leah Patriz, a microfinance collector; and Zamboanga City-based teachers Janette delos Reyes, Freires Quizon and Rafael Mayonado, who are believed to have been brought to the province by their abductors.

Commander Alexander Pama, chief of the Joint Task Force Trillium and of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao, said Jaleel and his captors were sighted in Kapatagan area late Saturday night.

Kapatagan is a village in Isabela City that links the towns of Maluso and Lantawan.

While declining to identify which group was holding Jaleel, Pama said it had a record of past kidnappings.

Senior Superintendent Salik Macapantar, Basilan police director, said the municipal officials and civilian volunteers have joined police rescue operation.

Pama said the kidnappers had not established any communication with Jaleel's organization, the Nonviolent Peaceforce, as of Sunday.

Norgianna Suleik of the Nonviolent Peaceforce said their office has been coordinating with authorities since the abduction on February 13.

Meanwhile, Anak Mindanao Representative Mujiv Hataman, a native of Basilan, said he had passed a resolution in Congress calling for an inquiry into the rise of kidnapping cases in Basilan, Zamboanga City and Sulu.(By Julie Alipala)

ICRC worker: Ordeal now “difficult”

2009-02-17T21:10:00.001+08:00

A Swiss International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) worker kidnapped with two colleagues, an Italian and a Filipina, in Sulu said Tuesday their situation was becoming “very difficult.”

“We are in a very difficult situation,” 38-year-old Andreas Notter told radio station DZEC in a telephone interview from where they are being held, thought to be on Jolo.

“They [the kidnappers] are under military pressure,” he added. “We have to be on the alert as well.”

It was unclear whether Notter was speaking under duress. The ICRC had no immediate comment.

Notter, Eugenio Vagni of Italy and Mary-Jean Lacaba of the Philippines were abducted while on a humanitarian mission on Jolo on January 15. The kidnappers have allowed medicines to be delivered to the 62-year-old Italian.

The Philippine military say they have cordoned off a four square kilometer area of jungle to prevent the gunmen, blamed for the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines, from taking the captives elsewhere.

The military said the Abu Sayyaf gunmen have made certain “political” demands that the authorities deem unacceptable.

The Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked to the Al-Qaeda terror network, is known for kidnappings and bomb attacks.

Another unit of the group is also believed to be holding a Sri Lankan peace activist who was abducted on the southern island of Basilan last week.

Mindanao peace talks to start next month

2009-02-14T05:44:00.000+08:00

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines—The government expects to resume the stalled peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front next month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, according to presidential adviser on the peace process Avelino Razon.

Razon made the pronouncement following a dialogue facilitated by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the provincial capitol with local officials on Friday.

However, Razon made it clear that the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD), which the Supreme Court had struck down as unconstitutional, would serve only as reference material if negotiations resume.

"We have relayed the willingness of our panel to sit with the MILF counterparts to the foreign minister of Malaysia. We are waiting for the Malaysian government to relay our position as well the response of the rebel group," Razon told reporters.

"The government is sincere in pushing for the talks’ resumption. We are hopeful and optimistic we can talk with them (MILF) as soon as possible," he added.

MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone that his group "can't resume the talks if the government will not settle the issue of MOA-AD."

The MILF has been fighting for a separate Muslim homeland.

The talks bogged down in August after the country's Supreme Court stopped the signing of the homeland accord.(Jeoffrey Maitem)

ICRC wants safety of 3 abducted staff confirmed

2009-02-11T05:08:00.001+08:00

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is waiting for confirmation that its three abducted members in southern Philippines are unharmed amid the ongoing military operations there.

While relieved over initial reports the hostages were not harmed, the ICRC remains concerned for the safety of Andreas Notter, Eugenio Vagni and Mary Jean Lacaba.

"It was a great relief, therefore, to be informed last evening that Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas were unharmed. We still expect a direct confirmation from our colleagues that they are fine," said Alain Aeschlimann, ICRC head of operations for East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Aeschlimann also reiterated the group's appeal to the kidnappers and all those dealing with the hostage crisis to be careful in their moves.

"The ICRC is renewing its appeal to the kidnappers and to all those involved in dealing with this crisis to refrain from any action which could jeopardize the safety of Mary Jean, Eugenio and Andreas," he said in the group’s website.

The terrorist group Abu Sayyaf has admitted holding custody of Notter, Vagni and Lacaba in the hinterlands of Sulu province. The three were seized last January 15.

Earlier this week, an exchange of gunfire occurred in the area where the hostages are reportedly held.

"The ICRC is aware that there was an exchange of gunfire yesterday, 9 February, in an area close to where our three kidnapped colleagues are reportedly being held. The ICRC was very concerned when it heard about this development in view of the consequences it could have had for our staff," Aeschlimann said.

But he declined to comment further on the situation, saying it is a "very delicate" one that must be "handled with caution."

"For this reason, I am unable to provide further information about the incident. I am sure that both the media and the public will understand this. I will just mention that we have been well informed by the Philippine government about what happened yesterday and the chain of events," he said.

He added the ICRC is doing everything it can to obtain the unconditional and rapid release of its staff.(GMANews.TV)

5 Marines hurt as military closes in on ICRC abductors

2009-02-10T07:06:00.001+08:00

Five Marines were wounded in an encounter with Abu Sayyaf terrorists currently holding three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers in southern Philippines.

The firefight is ongoing as of posting time, Armed Forces public information chief Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres Jr. said in a statement.

Torres said the encounter started when Abu Sayyaf bandits fired at military troops in Barangay (village) Paligue in Indanan, Sulu.

The official said troops in the area were positioning to mount pressure on the abductors of the Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba, who were seized last January 15.

"The Abu Sayyaf terrorists, sensing that they have been cornered, fired the first shot at the government troops in an attempt to extricate themselves from the military cordon," Torres said.

The official added that the military decided to pursue its operations to free the three ICRC workers because they were "left with no choice."

"Military operations have always been an option to take, and having exhausted all other possible means for peaceful release of the victims, we were left with no choice but to use military force to rescue the victims," he said.

No let-up

Lt. Steffani Cacho, a military spokesperson in Mindanao, said operations to rescue the ICRC workers would continue until the hostages are freed.

"The rescue operation is going in Sulu and this would continue without let-up," she said, adding that despite the operations, the safety of the hostages is still their main concern.

"Their (hostages) safety is our concern, but the operation will have to continue until we recover the hostages," she said.

Monday's encounter was the second in Sulu province in four days. Last Friday, troops clashed with Abu Sayaff bandits in Barangay Timpook in Patikul town.

Sulu police chief Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim said fighting broke out after patrolling troops spotted a band of Abu Sayyaf rebels under Kumander Juhurin Hussein.

Kasim said Hussein and his troops burned a school in the village, which he said led to the deployment of security forces in the area to secure the civilians.

No casualties were reported in the encounter, police said.

The Abu Sayyaf, which means the "bearer of the sword," was tagged as a foreign terrorist organization by the US and also linked by the Filipino authorities to the spate of kidnappings and killing of innocent Muslims in Sulu and Basilan provinces.

Manifesto

Meanwhile, 16 of Sulu's 19 mayors had signed a manifesto with Governor Sakur Tan expressing their support to the officials handling the kidnapping crisis and at the same time offering assistance to resolve the problem.

"We collectively commit human and material resources within our means and control if need to be effect the early and safe release of the hostages," the manifesto read.

The officials also condemned "in strongest term" the actions of the Abu Sayyaf and other lawless elements in the province.

"We condemn in the strongest term any form of action by irresponsible and lawless elements that seek to wreak havoc not only in our respective areas of jurisdiction, but in the whole of Sulu," they said.(AL JACINTO with Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV)

Gov't. ready to resume talks with MILF

2009-02-09T20:10:00.001+08:00

Mediator Malaysia to pick venue

The Philippine negotiating panel is ready to resume peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Foreign Undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael Seguis said on Monday.

Seguis, chair of the government panel, said he just met with Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim and Malaysian Foreign Affairs Secretary General Rastam Mohd Issa in Kuala Lumpur.

"I told the Malaysian officials that the Philippine negotiating panel is ready and prepared to return to the negotiating table with the MILF. Now, it's up to the Malaysian facilitator to be the one to inform the MILF," Seguis said in an ambush interview.

Seguis said that Malaysia had also expressed its readiness as mediator in the talks.

Malaysia has resumed brokering the talks after it announced last year a pullout of peacekeepers, citing a slow progress in the Mindanao peace process.

Asked if the kidnappings by Muslim extremists would affect the talks, Seguis said he did not think so, as the crimes were being perpetrated by the Abu Sayyaf, not the MILF.

Earlier, the influential Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) urged the government to resume peace talks in Mindanao and come up with solutions that could be turned into an accord.

OIC secretary-general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu called on the MILF to work with the Manila to save the peace process.

In a statement posted on the OIC website, Ihsanoglu said the uninterrupted military operations in Mindanao had displaced close to a million civilians.

Such a dire condition, he said, could "empower undisciplined elements who seek to abort the peace process and fuel extremist feelings."

He promised to mobilize OIC resources and allied organizations "to alleviate the suffering of displaced populations."

The government aborted the talks in August 2008, after the MILF leadership refused to surrender its rogue commanders responsible for the spate of offensives in southern Mindanao.

In the same period, the Supreme Court ruled that the "ancestral domain" scheme proposed in the draft memorandum of agreement was unconstitutional.

The OIC is an influential grouping of 56 Islamic states and has been brokering negotiations for peace between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and Muslim groups, including the MILF and its precursor, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

OIC's role in the GRP-MNLF peace negotiations led to the 1996 Tripoli Agreement, that in turn resulted in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Ihsanoglu urged that both sides continued "to work in the same positive spirit that led to the accomplishments made so far through negotiations and build upon these achievements" toward a just and durable peace.(By Cynthia Balana)

Downturn affects 34,000 Mindanao workers

2009-02-08T04:16:00.002+08:00

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines -- Close to 34,000 workers stand to lose their jobs or work shortened hours this year as a result of the global economic downturn, according to a regional labor department official.

Alan Macaraya, director of the northern Mindanao regional office of the Department of Labor and Employment, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview that his office project that at least 1.7 percent of the 1.81-million workforce in the provinces of Misamis Occidental, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, Lanao del Norte, Camiguin, including the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, will be affected by the global crunch.

"Our conservative projection is that almost 34,000 workers will be affected by the crisis. This means they will either be laid off or comply with compressed work week," he said.

According to labor department statistics, Macaraya said, almost 1,000 workers in Misamis Oriental and Iligan City have already been laid off by companies that have shutdown operations during the past weeks.

"Because of sharp decline in demand, many export-based companies in the region are slowing down. What they do is either downsize their operations or contract out parts of the operations," he said.

For some companies, this means they will have to operate between four and five days a week instead of six.

As early as November last year, major cement manufacturer Holcim Ltd. closed its shipping services Arastre, which had 350 workers.

Macaraya said five companies filed notices of retrenchment last month. These were Global Steel in Iligan City; Platinum Group of Companies in Manticao, Misamis Oriental; Refractors Corp. in Iligan City; IDS Philippines in Cagayan de Oro City; and Air Philippines.

The All Workers Alliance of Trade Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (Awatu-TUCP) has called on the labor department to ensure that the rights of the workers are protected in the wake of the retrenchments.

"We are supposed to be protected by the law. What the government can do is ensure that the companies will not violate what is provided for us by the labor code," Awatu-TUCP’s Milbert Macarambon said.

In Davao City, the southern Mindanao regional office of the DOLE said it will launch its global financial crisis center on Monday to help address the needs of displaced workers in the region.

Since December, more than 300 workers have already lost their jobs in Southern Mindanao, which is composed of the three Davao provinces and Compostela Valley.

Jalilo dela Torre, DOLE Region 11 director, said the center will serve as a one-stop shop for assistance on employment, livelihood, training, psychosocial, and legal aid.

It will be manned by "competent employees" of the agency, he said.(By Ma. Cecilia Rodriguez, Rizalene P. Acac)

Villagers rally to revive ‘Alsa Masa’

2009-02-07T06:04:00.000+08:00

DIGOS CITY – Officials and residents of Barangay Goma here have started mobilizing in a bid to rally support for the revival of an anticommunist group that helped weaken the New People’s Army (NPA) in Southern Mindanao in the 1980s.

During a meeting on Thursday, which was presided over by Barangay Captain Nicolas Bibal, the residents said they decided to fight back after experiencing various types of abuses in the hands of the rebels.

During the meeting – also attended by the village’s 28 purok presidents – the residents expressed fear due to the continued presence of rebels near the village.

They eventually agreed that fear would bring them nowhere and that fighting back was the reasonable thing to do.

“Many of them wanted to flee already especially since the military could not protect them. This was also the reason they later decided to rise against the rebels,” Raul Paran, a villager who has been allegedly receiving threats from the rebels, told reporters after the meeting.

Another resident of the village, who requested anonymity, said he had pledged funds to help reorganize either the Alsa Masa or the Nagkahiusang Katawhan Alang sa Kalinaw (Nakasaka) in Barangay Goma.

“I’m simply overjoyed by the development. The most important thing for me now is that this campaign to fight back the NPA has taken place. I hope this will be for real now,” the resident said.

Lt. Brian Lorejo, commander of the 39th Infantry Battalion’s Charlie company, said the initiative of the residents would certainly help in the government’s anticommunist drive.

“We will support their efforts at all times,” Lorejo said.

It was not clear yet whether or not the residents would take up arms themselves.

Officials said another meeting would be held on the matter.

One of the founders of Nakasaka and Alsa Masa said he was not worried if the residents eventually armed themselves.

Armed members of Alsa Masa and Nakasaka were among those blamed for the spate of summary executions in Davao City and in Davao del Sur starting in 1986.

The activities of Alsa Masa in Davao City transformed Agdao district into Nicaragdao. A village in the district was even named Barrio Patay as bodies started turning up almost on a daily basis.

Hagonoy, Davao del Sur Mayor Franco Calida, who was one of the prime movers of the two anticommunist groups in the 1980s, said at that time, the two groups had clear instructions not to violate human rights.(By Eldie Aguirre)

EO 777 is not a pre-emptive strike -- Palace

2009-02-02T07:24:00.002+08:00

A recently issued Executive Order seeking to amend the law that created the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was not intended to preempt whatever future peace agreement is concluded with Muslim separatist rebels, Malacañang said on Saturday.

Any amendment to the ARMM law can only be made after an agreement has been forged with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said Undersecretary Nabil Tan of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process.

Executive Order 777 “is not in any manner intended to preempt the ongoing peace process’’ between the government and the MILF for the revival of the stalled peace talks, said Tan.

President Macapagal-Arroyo issued EO 777 on Jan. 19 creating a preparatory committee to amend Republic Act No. 9054, the law that expanded the ARMM into a five-province region.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita explained that the idea was to amend the law’s provisions on territory, among other things, and to use this in the terms of reference in the talks with the MILF.

Tan said EO 777 would serve as a mechanism for collating the results of an ongoing review of the implementation of the 1996 peace agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the main Muslim insurgency.

If an agreement is forged with the MILF, a breakaway faction of the MNLF, it will also go through the same process of proposing amendments to RA 9054 to make way for the implementation of the agreement, Tan explained.

The government aims to restart peace negotiations with the MILF after they collapsed last August when a provisional agreement on an expanded autonomous Muslim region was aborted amid claims of its unconstitutionality.

Malaysia has agreed to again act as facilitator of the informal talks, said Foreign Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, who chairs the government panel of negotiators.

Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, the outgoing presidential adviser on the peace process, said he believes the talks should be in full swing next month and a final agreement signed by 2010.

“When we talk about authentic consultations with the people, we are not only talking to the MILF level, but we are talking to the entire stakeholders of Mindanao. We are also talking to the lumad, to the Christians and all the peoples who have a stake in peace,” said Esperon, who is to head the Presidential Management Staff.

The MILF on Saturday said the President’s order creating a preparatory committee to amend RA 9054 was a “misdirected effort.”

Khaled Musa, the MILF deputy information chief, warned that amending the organic act that created the region incorporating the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi, would only “prolong the agony and suffering in Mindanao.”

He said that even if Malacañang was serious about amending the ARMM charter, the MILF still would not accept it as the basis for returning to the negotiating table.

“[We] will not settle for it because it is not negotiated, it is imposed,” he said.

The peace talks hit a snag over the issue of territory when the MILF insisted that the negotiations should focus only on a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD), the provisional agreement that the Supreme Court had declared unconstitutional.

The MOA-AD proposed an expanded Muslim region under the control of the MILF to be called the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

Last week, Ermita said amending the ARMM charter was more feasible than insisting on the MOA-AD. (By Jeoffrey Maitem)

Govt ‘fooling around’ with peace talks

2009-02-01T06:30:00.001+08:00

COTABATO CITY, Philippines -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front accused President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Saturday of “fooling around” with the Mindanao peace talks by creating a preparatory committee to amend a 2001 law expanding the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

On January 19, Arroyo issued Executive Order 777 creating a National Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) to amend Republic Act 9054 which made Basilan the fifth province in the ARMM. Before passage of that law, the ARMM consisted only of Maguindanao, Lanao Del Sur, Sulu, and Tawi-tawi.

Arroyo said the idea was to amend the provisions on territory and use this as a term of reference for the resumption of talks the MILF.

But Khaled Musa, MILF deputy information chief, warned that amending the 2001 law would only prolong the agony and suffering in Mindanao as "it is a misdirected effort."

"Why does the Arroyo administration do another thing when negotiation is the only right thing to address the Moro problem and the armed conflict in Mindanao?" Musa asked in an e-mailed statement.

There was only one explanation, he added: “The latest antic from Malacañang is part of its fooling around scheme."

Musa said even if Malacañang was serious about amending the ARMM charter, the MILF could still not accept it as basis for returning to the negotiating table.

He said MILF “will not settle for it because it is not negotiated; it is imposed.”

The peace talks between the government and the MILF hit a snag when the Supreme Court last August stopped the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain which the government had worked out with the MILF. The Supreme Court subsequently struck the agreement down as unconstitutional.

The MILF insists any resumption of the talks should center on the MOA-AD.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita was quoted in newspaper reports as saying last week that amending the ARMM charter was more feasible than insisting on the MOA-AD.

"I think it will be wiser to take a look at the provisions in RA 9054 pertaining to territory. This is one way of (accommodating the MILF demands) rather than calling it the Bangsamoro Juridical Authority (sic). The amendments can very well be the answer to the problem on territory in the negotiations," Ermita was quoted as saying. The original term used in the MOA-AD was Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

He said the PrepCom was given six months to formulate a package of proposed amendments to the ARMM law that would be "reflective of the Moro interest."

The committee was tasked to hold dialogues and consult with various stakeholders to get their views on the proposed amendments, he said.

Under Arroyo's order, the panel will be composed of a chair, and 14 members representing the ARMM regional government, Lanao Del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Regional Legislative Assembly, Presidential Legislative Liaison Office, the indigenous communities, Christians, the academe, and civil society.(By Jeoffrey Maitem)

Sick Red Cross hostage gets medication

2009-01-31T12:28:00.000+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- Red Cross worker being held by suspected Muslim extremists in southern Philippines has received medicine for a health condition, the government said Saturday.

The hypertension medicine was sent to Italian Eugenio Vagni, one of three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) workers being held hostage in the jungles of Sulu island, said a government statement.

Government envoy Nur Anna Sahidulla had met with the hostages and reported that they "seem to be well although Vagni was suffering from high blood pressure," the statement said.

"She confirmed that the victims were able to receive books, medicines, and other personal effects," it added.

Sahidulla, who is vice governor of the Sulu island chain that includes Jolo, met with the hostages on January 28.

Vagni, Andreas Notter of Switzerland, and Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba are believed to be in the hands of Islamic militant group the Abu Sayyaf on Jolo, where they disappeared during a humanitarian mission on January 15.

Abu Sayyaf has been tagged by the United States State Department as a "terrorist" group and has been blamed for many kidnappings of westerners and bombings of Christian targets over the past 18 years.

Government forces on Jolo have suspended pursuit operations to allow Sahidulla to conduct talks.

The ICRC declined to comment on the hostages' reported health problems.(Agence France-Presse)

Floods, landslides kill 5 in 2 provinces

2009-01-28T05:58:00.000+08:00

COTABATO CITY – Heavy rains continue to pound villages in North Cotabato and Davao del Sur, bringing floods and landslides that have killed at least five people and displaced hundreds of residents.

North Cotabato Gov. Jesus Sacdalan said rescuers in President Roxas town had retrieved the bodies of three victims who died during Monday night’s flooding there.

He did not identify the victims.

Sacdalan said search and rescue teams were still trying to locate another person missing in the floods.

One person also disappeared in Magpet town at the height of the floods, he said.

“We are still assessing if there are other missing persons in neighboring towns,” Sacdalan said, adding that in Kabacan town, the Kabacan River also overflowed.

In Compostela Valley, a father and his son were killed when a landslide buried their house in the mining village of Napnapan in Pantukan town on Sunday evening, Insp. Werenfredo Regidor Jr., the town police chief, told the Inquirer by phone.

Regidor said the victims were asleep when mud and boulders fell on their house past 11 p.m.

He said the bodies of the victims were pulled out of the debris by residents and village officials of Sitio Diat Uno before noon on Monday.

Senior Supt. Ronald dela Rosa, Compostela Valley police director, identified the fatalities as Junjun and Gonggong Mantog, of Barangay Casoon in Monkayo town.

Police said the victims were engaged in small-scale mining and were temporarily living in the area.

“Days of heavy rains have loosened the soil in the area causing the tragedy,” he said.

Landslides and cave-ins are common in most mining areas in Compostela Valley where unregulated and destructive mining methods have resulted in unstable soil.

Last November, three small-scale miners also died in a rock fall in an illegal mining site in Sitio Bango in Barangay Ngan, Compostela town.

In Davao del Sur, more than 2,000 families were displaced when flash floods swept through five towns early Tuesday.

Roderick Milana, action officer of the provincial disaster coordinating council, said in Malalag town alone, at least 1,822 families fled their homes due to the floods.

Terry Hania, a rice trader of the town, said the raging waters swept away her store.

Milana said in Matanao town, 27 families were displaced when the swollen river there inundated Sitio Lumbang in Barangay Manga.

Classes were also suspended in Hagonoy Central Elementary School and in Sulop National High School due to rising water levels, he said.

Milana said they were still assessing the damage brought by the floods that also hit Sta. Maria and Hagonoy towns. (Frinston Lim, Jeoffrey Maitem, Orlando Dinoy and Eldie Aguirre)

Gordon: Kidnapped ICRC workers ‘well’

2009-01-27T07:13:00.000+08:00

Three workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross kidnapped in Sulu are “well” and no ransom has been demanded by their captors, Senator Richard Gordon said on Monday.

Also on Monday, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Jesus Verzosa said the kidnappers of the aid workers are still in Sulu but are hard to locate because they are constantly on the move.

Gordon said he had spoken with Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Jean Lacaba over the weekend and they all “seemed well.”

“I’ve been working over the whole weekend and the last several days on this issue [kidnapping]. We’ve been talking with these people, with our associates [and] they seemed to be well,” he said at a press conference.

“In fact, I’ve spoken to them over the weekend [and] they are well. But we are not negotiating. We’re not giving any ransom and no ransom has been demanded,” he said.

It has been almost two weeks since the three aid workers were seized by gunmen in Patikul town but no group has yet claimed responsibility for the abduction. Authorities, however, are blaming a faction of the Abu Sayyaf group.

“It’s the normal move of any kidnap group to [be mobile] to avoid detection. We have yet to trace their exact location,” Verzosa said in an interview after the flag ceremony at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Verzosa refused to disclose further information on the kidnapping, but stressed that the PNP is working closely with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to recover the victims safely.

“Our anti-kidnap operations there are continuing. We are [undertaking] efforts as in other kidnap-for-ransom situations and the operational matters should not be discussed because we want to ensure…our primary concern [which] is the safety of [the] hostages,” he said.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said the National Police Commission (Napolcom) is considering a review of the firearms policy to address the kidnappings in Mindanao.

“In the National Police Commission, we are really thinking of reviewing the whole policy of firearms, not just in Mindanao but in the entire country. We have to inventory what’s out there and then try to assess whether it is better to change direction on some of these things,” he said.

But Puno, who is also Napolcom chairman, admitted that implementing a total gun ban in some parts of Mindanao will be difficult because of “legitimate security concerns” there.

Earlier, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said he was considering a total gun ban as a “logical solution” to the kidnappings in Mindanao.

But Puno said: “In Mindanao it is very difficult to implement a total gun ban because there are many legitimate security concerns by the people that live there. So hindi tayo magmamadali diyan, hindi tayo pwedeng pabigla-bigla diyan, kailangang suriin ng mabuti yan, ngunit totoong pinag-iisipan yan [So we are not rushing this, we cannot be impulsive about this, we need to examine this carefully, but it is true that is being considered].”

Even if a gun ban is decided, Puno said implementing this would not be easy.(By Abigail Kwok and Maila Ager)

Kidnap victims ‘monitored’ in Indanan

2009-01-26T06:04:00.000+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Gunmen have taken three kidnapped Red Cross workers together with the son of a Chinese businessman abducted earlier to a known stronghold of Abu Sayyaf bandits on Jolo Island, a Muslim civilian leader said Sunday.

Octavio Dinampo, a professor at Mindanao State University, said his sources in the separatist Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) had told him that the four kidnapped victims had been “monitored” to be in the village of Tubig Dakulag in Indanan town.

The three workers of the Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)—Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba—were kidnapped at the provincial capitol in Jolo town on Jan. 15. (Julie Alipala, Ed General)

Pacquiao-Hatton Match Finally On!

2009-01-25T05:41:00.001+08:00

Finally! After a long wait and with much controversy on the split of the purse, the Pacquiao-Hatton match is now a done deal!

There has never been a negotiation on a boxing match that has caught so much attention as that of Manny Pacquiao and Ricky Hatton. Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter allegedly agreed verbally with the Hatton camp for a 50-50 split of the purse in behalf of Pacman, an agreement that Pacquiao did not consent to.

The succeeding news saw Hatton insisting on the verbal 50-50 split agreement to be honored, because of the fact that Hatton is bringing also something big on the table as far as pay-per-view viewership is concerned.

Team Pacquiao on the other hand is adamant on the 60-40 split or else they will look for a match elsewhere. Believing the recent victory of Pacquiao over Dela Hoya has given him enough bargaining right to dictate the match’s conditions. The Hatton camp didn’t take this lightly, as they threatened Pacquiao with a lawsuit should he back out of the agreed match.

Recently, the Hatton camp gave a deadline to Pacquiao to sign the contract or they will call of the fight and look for another worthy opponent. Deadline passed and Pacquiao did not sign the contract as reported.

The next day, reports of the fight between Pacquiao and Hatton is off spread throughout the leading newspapers as well as in various websites and blogs.

However, the latest report said that Manny Pacquiao finally signed the contract which officially puts the match on. The split on the signed contract was said to be 52-48 in favor of Pacquiao, there were also other conditions with the contract which were still undisclosed as of the moment.

Unless another controversy or a development to the contrary, the Manny Pacquiao vs. Ricky Hatton is official on and they will face-off in May this year in Las Vegas.

Japan gives $9.5M of rice for Mindanao

2009-01-24T19:50:00.001+08:00

Japan will extend 860-million-yen (about $9.5 million) worth of emergency food aid to people in Mindanao who were displaced by the ongoing conflict there, the Japanese embassy in Manila said.

In a statement, the embassy said the food aid of about 7,500 metric tons of rice will be coursed through the United Nations’ World Food Program.

Japan has been part of the peace-building efforts in Mindanao. Before the end of the tour of the International Monitoring Team overseeing the ceasefire between the Philippine forces and those of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Japan had a development expert in the team.

According to the embassy, the decision was finalized on January 23, when Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Italy Hiroyasu Ando and WFP Deputy Executive Director Sheila Sisulu signed and exchanged diplomatic notes of this emergency aid.

This decision has been conveyed by Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Makoto Katsura, to the Philippine government, and Country Director and Representative of WFP Philippines Stephen Anderson.

On Wednesday, January 28, the grant agreement will be signed and exchanged between Norio Matsuda, Chief Representative of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Philippines , implementer of Japan ’s Official Development Assistance, and WFP’s Anderson. The signing would be witnessed by Ambassador Katsura and representatives of the Philippine government.

This food aid is substantially larger than the one Japan gave earlier in 2006 for those displaced by the conflict in Mindanao, about 280 million yen (about $2.8 million).

Earlier in December 2008, the embassy provided sleeping mats, blankets, mosquito nets, polyethylene containers, and sheets for tent amounting to $81,853 also for those affected by the conflict.

Japan sincerely hopes that this emergency food aid through the WFP would help mitigating the current humanitarian crisis in Mindanao and strongly expects a cease-fire and the immediate resumption of peace talks between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Japan has been implementing various support projects for reconstruction and development in the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao down to the grassroots level. In 2006 and 2007, Japan carried out 21 Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) amounting to a total of 145 million yen (about $1.6 million), and has been implementing, through the Yen Loan Scheme, the ARMM Social Fund for Peace and Development Project (2,470 million yen or about $27.2 million), among others. ARMM is the political unit covering the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Through these projects, various kinds of infrastructure such as schools, training centers, water supply systems, and roads have been rehabilitated or constructed.

Also, Japan has been conducting the Study for Socio-Economic Reconstruction and Development of the Conflict-Affected Areas in Mindanao (600 million yen or about $ 6.5 million) since 2006 in view of massive needs of reconstruction and development, once final peace agreement is attained in the area.
(By Veronica Uy)

Red Cross appeals for release of staff

2009-01-22T20:59:00.001+08:00

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Thursday appealed for the unconditional release of three staff members kidnapped by suspected Islamic extremists in the southern Philippines.

The appeal came exactly a week after gunmen kidnapped ICRC workers Filipina Mary-Jean Lacaba, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Swiss national Andreas Notter on the southern island of Jolo.

"I appeal to those holding Mary-Jean, Andreas and Eugenio to let them go as quickly as possible," said Alan Aeschlimann, head of the Asia operation of the Geneva-based organization.

"We want to have them back safe and sound," Aeschlimann said in a statement, noting that their families "are anxious and are waiting for them to come home."

The three had contacted the ICRC "several times" since they were seized by suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen on January 15. The last telephone conversation was on Monday.

"We hope that we'll hear their voices again soon and that they remain unharmed," Aeschlimann said. "We also continue to hope that this difficult situation will have a positive outcome."

Military chief General Alexander Yano on Wednesday said troops have stepped up manhunt operations for the Abu Sayyaf, who are believed to have taken their hostages to a forested area near the remote Jolo town of Talipao.

Separately, a negotiating team in Jolo are trying to open dialogue with the kidnappers, who were reportedly demanding millions of dollars in ransom. The ICRC has said however that it has not received any ransom demands.

The Abu Sayyaf is a gang of Islamic extremists blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks. It is on the US government's list of wanted foreign terrorist organizations and is behind the deaths of two US hostages seized from a beach resort in 2001.

In a separate development, two Abu Sayyaf members -- a father and son -- were arrested for the murder of a Catholic priest in January, 2008, a military spokeswoman said.

The two suspects, Ahmad Kuhutan and Kursid Kuhutan, have been linked to the killing of Father Rey Roda in the Tawi-Tawi islands, south of Jolo in a botched kidnapping attempt, said Lieutenant Steffani Cacho.(Agence France Presse)

Misuari joins efforts for ICRC workers

2009-01-22T05:41:00.000+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- Former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor leader Nur Misuari has joined efforts to secure the release of three workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) abducted Thursday last week in Patikul, Sulu.

Ustadz Zain Jali, Misuari's spiritual adviser, said on Wednesday the Moro leader's help in the efforts to recover Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipina Jean Lacaba, came after Senator Richard Gordon talked to the former ARMM governor, who also founded the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

Jali said Gordon, who also chairs the Philippine National Red Cross, "requested chairman Misuari's help for the release of the three kidnapped staff members of the ICRC."

"Red Cross people also visited Misuari on Sunday at his residence," Jali told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) by phone.

After the visit, Misuari immediately asked Ustadz Khaid Adjibun, chair of the Lupah Sug Revolutionary Committee and other MNLF commanders in Sulu to create a team "that will establish [a] line [of communication] with the [ICRC workers’] captors."
Professor Octavio Dinampo, a peace advocate who is privy to the meeting between Misuari and the Red Cross representatives, said the Moro leader asked his followers "to produce some alternative actions on the ground for the successful and immediate liberty of the three captives."

The three victims were seized just outside the Sulu provincial capitol while on their way to the Jolo airport to take a fight to Zamboanga City.

Authorities have blamed a faction of the Abu Sayyaf for the kidnapping.

Jali said the MNLF is asking authorities to allow it to undertake its own initiatives to recover the kidnap victims.

"Let [the MNLF] work their way to secure the captives, otherwise it will again end up as business, where the other party is forced to pay ransom. With the MNLF working, there will be no ransom," he said.

As this developed, Fadzlur Abdulla, spokesperson of the Task Force ICRC, told the Inquirer by phone that the military is verifying reports the captives have been sighted anew.

He said the police reported the sighting.

But Abdulla declined to provide additional information.

Authorities have been releasing piecemeal information on the progress of efforts to free the victims to avoid jeopardizing operations.(By Julie Alipala)

US offers help to rescue ICRC workers

2009-01-21T06:49:00.002+08:00

The United States Tuesday offered to help Philippine authorities hunt down the abductors of three members of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Sulu province.

US Ambassador Kristie Kenney condemned the kidnapping, saying it was "unacceptable anywhere, anytime."

"If there's any information we have or any way that we can provide anything that leads to their safe return, we stand ready to do that," Kenney told reporters at the vin d'honneur hosted by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacañang.

"These are international Red Cross workers. They should be returned safely now. Those who captured them should be brought to justice and held responsible. Period."

Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba were abducted last week outside the provincial jail in Jolo town by suspected members of the notorious Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang.

American soldiers are frequent visitors to Jolo, the main island in Sulu, for joint exercises and community building projects with their Filipino counterparts.

Sulu is a known bailiwick of the al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, who were also implicated in the June 2008 kidnapping of an ABS-CBN news team and the string of kidnappings of foreign nationals that started in the late 1990s.

A small contingent of US troops is in Western Mindanao, training local forces in hunting down the Abu Sayyaf. The American soldiers are barred from taking part in combat operations.

Kenney said the latest kidnapping did not necessarily deal a blow to the Philippine government's effort to address the problem in Mindanao, including the bigger issue of terrorism.

"I think the Philippines has done a great job in combating terrorism," she said. "I also think the Philippines has done a wonderful job with its many partners in Jolo in promoting development. They are a great people there ... I think they deserve the kind of prosperous and peaceful life that they will get."

"We appreciate the support of the Philippine government and we hope that they show some results," Swiss Ambassador Peter Sutter said. "But all players have to coordinate closely to achieve positive results."

Sutter said he was hoping that "the perpetrators would become aware of what they have done in abducting humanitarian workers doing very, very positive things."

The Italian ambassador declined to comment on the matter, saying all information must come from the ICRC.

Guarded statement

In a statement Tuesday, Alain Aeschlimann, head of the ICRC delegation for Asia-Pacific in Geneva, said: "Our main concern is to ensure that they continue to be unharmed and that they are let go, without any conditions, as quickly as possible."

"The ICRC is also very concerned about the effect that rumors, conveyed by media, may have on the families of our kidnapped colleagues. We will not comment on public speculation about who is holding them, where or why," he added.

"We are being guarded in our statements because we do not want anything to jeopardize our colleagues' safety or well-being. We hope that everyone will respect this."

"We continue to hope that our colleagues will soon be able to hold their families and friends in their arms, and they can return to their activities in favor of people in need in the Philippines."

Kidnappers' demand

On Monday, Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the Philippine National Red Cross, passed on to the military a demand by the kidnappers to stop military operations to secure the release of the abducted ICRC staff.

The kidnappers' demand was mentioned in a telephone call by the victims to their office on Monday, Gordon said.

Armed Forces chief General Alexander Yano on Tuesday rejected the abductors’ demand.

Yano said easing the pressure on the kidnappers would allow them to further evade government forces on Jolo island.

"We cannot unilaterally declare the termination of our rescue operations," said 1st Lt. Esteffani Cacho, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command.

"The best course of action in addressing the crisis situation is collectively being undertaken by all stakeholders," Cacho said.

Gordon said the ICRC had dispatched two staff members to relieve "stressed out" personnel. He denied that the two would negotiate with the kidnappers.

"We don't do that ... We don't also pay ransom," he said, referring to media reports the abductors were asking $5 million in exchange for the release of the hostages. (By Joel Guinto; With reports from Christian V. Esguerra, Michael Lim Ubac, Kristine L. Alave, Julie S. Alipala and Ed General; Associated Press and Agence France-Presse)

ICRC says daily contact with hostages

2009-01-20T05:51:00.001+08:00

The International Committee of the Red Cross said Monday it had been in daily telephone contact with its three kidnapped workers in the southern Philippines since last week.

"The first call was Friday," Carla Haddad Mardini, a spokeswoman at ICRC headquarters in Geneva told Agence France-Presse. The latest call was on Monday.

"This allows us to know that they're in good health," she said, adding that they were being held together.

However, the agency has not been in touch so far with the gunmen or a group that might have kidnapped them, and was unable to identify who they were, Haddad Mardini added.

Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba were seized while on a humanitarian mission last Thursday on the island of Jolo.

Earlier Monday, the Philippine National Red Cross denied reports that gunmen were demanding $5 million in ransom.

Haddad Mardini said there was concern that the various accounts and "rumors" about the kidnapping could have an impact on the situation of the three.

"There are many rumors circulating and it's hard to separate fact from fiction," she added.

Military officials suspect the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militant group is behind the abductions, although local officials have also said a former provincial jail guard could be involved.

Abu Sayyaf is on the US government's list of foreign terrorist organizations, and is wanted for the kidnapping deaths of two Americans in 2002.

The Philippines military over the weekend imposed a news blackout for fear of jeopardizing pursuit operations.(Agence France-Presse)

Talks begin to free Red Cross team

2009-01-19T05:18:00.001+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY— Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan said Sunday “heads will roll” if provincial jail employees are implicated in the abduction of an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team by suspected Abu Sayyaf kidnappers.

An investigation this week will look into the Jan. 13 jailbreak of 12 inmates that left one dead and its possible connection to the abduction of three ICRC staffers two days later.

A dismissed jail employee is one of the suspects in the abduction of Andreas Notter, 38, a Swiss national and head officer of the ICRC Western Mindanao Region; engineer Italian Eugenio Vagni, 62; and engineer Marie Jean Lacaba, 37, a water sanitation expert from Davao City.

The three were snatched by armed men just a few meters away from the Sulu provincial jail in Jolo town.

Tan admitted that he was not discounting the possibility that some jail personnel could be behind the abduction “or have knowledge about it.”

Senior Supt. Julasirim Kasim, Sulu police chief, said that Raden Abu, Sulaiman Patah and Albader Parad had been identified as those who boarded the Land Cruiser of the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), which was used as getaway vehicle.

Raden Abu, son of a SPO4 Faizal Abu, a native of Indanan town, was dismissed as a provincial jail guard for alleged indiscriminate firing weeks after Tan took over as governor.

Kasim said witnesses also identified Raden Abu as behind the unresolved kidnapping of Xili Wu, a Chinese businessman’s son, in Jolo on Dec. 14.

Abu Sayyaf connection

Prof. Octavio Dinampo, a former kidnap victim, said Raden Abu is a nephew of the late Abu Sayyaf commander Totoh Sali “whose aunt, a sister of Raden Abu’s mother, is the third wife of Albader Parad.”

Sulaiman Patah, Dinampo said, is a cousin of Albader Parad, a son-in-law of Abu Sayyaf leader Umbra Jumdail, alias Doctor Abu.

“Their connection to the police as relatives and sympathizers inside the town of Jolo made this kidnapping possible,” said Dinampo, a peace advocate.

Dinampo said politics might have something to do with the kidnapping.

Tan admitted to the Philippine Daily Inquirer that a few months after he assumed his post, he fired several people “because they are very unproductive.”

Dinampo said most of those dismissed were identified as allies of some politicians.

Tan simply laughed off the possibility that the kidnapping was politically motivated.

“I don’t think my political detractors are so insensitive that they could easily do such thing,” he added.

Negotiations

In a report attributed to an unnamed senior police source, Agence France Presse said Sunday that talks had begun for the release of the ICRC team. AFP said the kidnappers called up Tan’s staff to say they were willing to begin talks.

“We expect they will call again anytime soon. The caller did not identify himself and did not mention a ransom payment,” said the source, according to the French news agency.

In a radio interview, Tan declined comment on the report.

Sen. Richard Gordon, PNRC chair, said in another radio interview that talks were being carried out through the cell phones of the three hostages but he did not give further details.

News blackout

But Gordon stressed that the Red Cross does not pay ransom.

“If we start paying, we can’t do our jobs anymore,” he said. “The Red Cross serves because we have the confidence of all combatants.”

Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the military would stop releasing news on the efforts to recover the three hostages.

“This is being done to avoid the possibility of compromising our operations and unnecessarily risking the safety of the victims,” he said.

A day after the kidnapping, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Alexander Yano ordered a 2,000-strong force organized to go after the Abu Sayyaf bandits in Sulu to intensify its operations and information gathering to rescue the victims.

Eid Kabalu, spokesperson of the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said his group was also conducting an operation for the release of the ICRC workers. (With reports from Christine O. Avendaño, Jocelyn R. Uy and Agence France-Presse)

ICRC Mindanao operations not suspended

2009-01-18T05:40:00.001+08:00

The operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Mindanao are not suspended, Philippine National Red Cross chairman Senator Richard Gordon told INQUIRER.net Saturday.

Asked to confirm reports that ICRC has suspended its operations in southern Philippines over the kidnapping of three of its staffers, Gordon, who is also chairman of the governing board of the International Federation of Red Cross, said the report was a "falsity."

"They do not have an understanding of what this 150-year-old organization does, guarding lives and dignity of people in difficult circumstances, and exercising neutrality," he said.

"I just spoke with them. It's not true. The operations of the ICRC, together with the PNRC, continue," he said.

Gordon said these operations include taking care of the estimated 300,000 people displaced by the resumption of hostilities between government forces and those of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and are now staying in evacuation centers; Red Cross operations also include visiting jails and sending sick people to hospitals.

"All of these will continue. We will not stop our work there. It is not an option for the ICRC. We have worked with the wounded in war, and those deprived of freedom. We will continue to provide food and non-food supplies, water, and sanitation for as long as we are needed," he said.

Earlier, Agence France-Presse reported that the ICRC has temporarily halted operations in Mindanao.

"We are temporarily halting operations in the area so we can revisit and assess our security arrangements," Roland Bigler, ICRC’s spokesman in the Philippines, was quoted saying on the GMA7 television website.

"Our main concern is the safety of our colleagues," Bigler said.

But Gordon said Red Cross regularly assesses the security situation in their areas of operation.

"We always assess. And they are trained to handle these types of situations," Gordon said.

At the same time, he said he has received information that the three kidnapped ICRC staff members are alive.

"I have reliable information that they are alive," he said of the three kidnapped victims.

"We have been receiving information for all over. The MILF is also talking to us," he said.

Gordon said that of the 90 ICRC staff members in the country, 60 to 70 are in Mindanao. He said some are in Tacloban and Samar because of the communist insurgency problem there.

Mohagher Iqbal, chief negotiator for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country's biggest Muslim rebel group, said it was helping in the hunt for the ICRC workers.

"The latest information we received is that the kidnappers are transferring their captives by land and sea from one island to another," Iqbal told AFP.

Jolo is a known stronghold of the Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, a 380-member group blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines. (By Veronica Uy, with a report from Agence France-Presse)

Military now mum on ICRC kidnapping

2009-01-17T19:50:00.001+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- (Update2) The military suddenly fell silent Saturday on the abduction in Sulu of three workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"Please be informed that for the time being, Westmincom will not be able to provide updates regarding the ICRC abduction incident," Lieutenant Esteffani Cacho, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command, said in reply to an Inquirer query.

But Cacho said they were not implementing a news blackout on the progress of efforts to secure the release of Swiss Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni, and Filipina Jean Lacaba from their captors.

The victims were on their way to the Jolo airport after conducting fieldwork in Patikul town when abducted by a group which allegedly involved a nephew of Abu Sayyaf leader Albader Parad on Thursday.

Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, Sulu provincial director, said witnesses also claimed that Parad himself participated in the kidnapping.

Aside from Parad, he said another Abu Sayyaf leader, Sulaiman Patah, was seen with the group that snatched the victims.

"They were positively identified as part of the group that abducted the three ICRC workers," he said.

Earlier, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro spoke of a massive military effort, which is now centered on Talipao, where the victims were reportedly sighted on Friday.

That was the last information provided by authorities regarding the incident.

"This is not a media blackout but rather a precaution to ensure that the operation on the ground is not compromised and that the safety of the victims is not jeopardized," Cacho said.

She pledged to release information "should there be some major developments in the case."

"We hope for your continued understanding, especially at this time when information is critical and could spell the difference between the success and failure of our efforts to safely bring home the victims," she said.

Cacho's reply to the Philippine Daily Inquirer's query on the progress of the manhunt in Talipao came after Teodoro made a brief stop over here from his visit to Sulu, where he proposed a ban on the media, on Friday.

During his stop over here, Teodoro proposed a ban on foreigners from visiting Sulu.

Aside from foreigners, Teodoro also said journalists should be banned from Sulu unless they coordinate their visit with authorities.

"We have to make it plain and simple to them that enough is enough, and we do not want to risk our soldiers' lives because of this (kidnappings)," he said.

Teodoro defended his proposal by saying that the Abu Sayyaf does not make any distinction between ordinary people, foreigners, and journalists.

Sulu police director Kasim said by phone that only those who do not coordinate will be banned from the province.

"We will not allow them to move around without notifying either the military or police, they have to register and we will provide them with escorts. If they will not follow then they better not stay here because we will surely end up in trouble again," he said.

Teodoro said the ICRC team had indeed coordinated before they came to Sulu but they declined security escorts offered by the military and the police.

"They refused escorts, they indicated in their communication that there should be no armed escorts," he said.

But Senator Richard Gordon, chair of the Philippine National Red Cross, said the international organization could not work that way.

"I just told my people. Even if you go to Quiapo, you have to let the military know," said Gordon. "That's not the way we work."

Red Batario, coordinator of the International News Safety Institute, also cautioned journalists and photographers "to exercise utmost precaution in terms of security in covering dangerous or hostile environments."

Sulu, for example, has a history of journalist kidnapping, the most recent of which was the kidnapping last June of ABS-CBN broadcaster Ces Drilon, two members of her crew, and peace advocate Professor Octavio Dinampo, Batario pointed out.

"In terms of security, the journalist on the ground has better judgment of the security situation. It's going to be a call of the journalists and photographers covering the area. They know better the security situation," he said.

Reacting to the ban, Batario said journalists and photographers have the responsibility to get the real story and the truth must not be sacrificed.

But he said they should "always think about the possibility of being kidnapped."

Dr. Reynaldo Guioguio, ICRC communication manager, told the Inquirer by phone that they were sad about the kidnapping because it happened in a place that is supposed to be safe.

Notter and his companions were taken just outside the Sulu provincial capitol in Patikul town.

"Despite the incident, we are not going to stop our projects there. We continue to monitor any projects we have set up," Guioguio said.

He also confirmed that the ICRC has already set up a response team "to coordinate efforts to get our colleagues back safely and its main thrust is to get them safely."(By Julie Alipala)

SC reaffirms ruling vs Shariff Kabunsuan

2009-01-11T07:35:00.000+08:00

COTABATO CITY, Philippines--It's final: Shariff Kabunsuan province does not exist anymore, and hundreds of elected and appointed civil servants are dismayed they may have been rendered jobless by the latest Supreme Court ruling on the matter.

The high court ruled with finality on Friday that the creation of the province was illegal.

Shariff Kabunsuan was carved out of a portion of Maguindanao in 2006 by the Regional Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao through Muslim Mindanao Act 201.

But the Supreme Court later ruled that its creation was illegal after Shariff Kabunsuan Representative Didagen Dilangalen sought clarification on the constitutionality of the RLA action.

The Supreme Court said only Congress, and not bodies like the regional assembly, has the power to divide or create new provinces.

ARMM officials sought reconsideration of the high court's decision, reasoning out that under the ARMM charter, the regional assembly was empowered to subdivide or create new entities.

But on Friday, the Supreme Court denied that motion with finality.

In its resolution, the Supreme Court said it found "no compelling reasons" nor "substantial arguments to warrant the reversal of the questioned decision."

Shariff Kabunsuan Vice Governor Ibrahim Ibay, who has been acting governor pending resolution of the gubernatorial row, said they were "in disarray."

"We do not know what to do with the more than 800 provincial employees," Ibay told reporters. "Practically we are jobless and unemployed now."

Norie Unas, Maguindanao provincial administrator, said Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan was to meet with officials of the defunct province "to find ways and means on how the provincial government could help cushion the impact of the court's decision." (By Edwin Fernandez)

Waterspouts swamp 3 Lanao villages

2009-01-10T05:41:00.000+08:00

LINAMON, Lanao del Norte -- Two waterspouts dumped tons of water on at least three coastal villages here of this town Thursday evening, Vice Mayor Procopio Chang said Friday.

Chang said the waterspouts were accompanied by "lighting strikes."

He said residents of Barangay (village) Magoong heard a roaring sound around 7:30 p.m. before water swamped their village, Barangay Samburon and part of the poblacion (town center) area.

"The water level was at five feet high and residents had to flee to higher ground," Chang said.

No casualty was reported but the incident damaged property, including livestock and crops.

Teaching materials at the Samburon Elementary School were also damaged by the water, according to Chang.

Luz Patalinghog, municipal social welfare officer, said at least 68 families were directly affected by the floods.

In 1999, a flashflood also hit this town, killing seven people.(By Richel Umel)

Wanted Moro rebel nabbed

2009-01-09T06:14:00.000+08:00

The military has arrested a Moro rebel believed to be under wanted Moro Islamic Liberation Front commander Basit Usman, an official said Thursday.

Dali Pamanay alias “Aladin” was caught in a checkpoint in the village of Saliao, Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat at around 11:35 a.m. Wednesday, said Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando of the 6th Infantry Division.

Civilians tipped off to Pamanay’s whereabouts, Ando said.

Pamanay is said to be a member of the Special Operations Group of Usman, who is believed to be behind a series of bombings in Central Mindanao over the holidays.

Pamanay is wanted for multiple frustrated murder charges and multiple attempted murder that stemmed from previous bomb attacks in Central Mindanao.

He is now in the custody of police, Ando said.(By Katherine Evangelista)

CHEd boss defends posting of USM head

2009-01-08T06:25:00.003+08:00

Commission on Higher Education Chairman Emmanuel Angeles on Wednesday defended his decision to install the newly elected president of the state-owned University of Southern Mindanao in Kabacan, North Cotabato, despite objections from some university faculty and staff members.

Angeles administered the oath to USM president Jesus Antonio Derije in his office at the CHEd building in Quezon City on Monday.

"It is already too late," Angeles said when sought for comment about the opposition, saying that those against Derije should have voiced their complaints during the screening process for the nominees for the post.

"They should have done it before the screening process," Angeles said, adding that his office had not received any formal complaint against Derije.

Angeles said that if a formal complaint is filed and evidence is presented, he will "create a fact-finding committee to investigate the allegations."

"We have to follow due process," Angeles said.

Derije won the presidency in a tight 6-5 vote by members of the university’s Board of Regents against incumbent USM vice president Palasig Ampang.

Derije is accused of being "unfit" for the post due to alleged dishonesty and involvement in a cattle-rustling case in 1989, accusations which Derije has denied.

Referring to the allegation that Derije and fellow fraternity members had stolen a cow and slaughtered it, Angeles said: "That is a case that has already been settled 20 years ago when he was still a student." (By Edson C. Tandoc Jr.)

--------------

Congratulations Brod Jess Derije. The University of Southern Mindanao (my Alma Mater) deserves you , no less.. Brod Mau

Saudi Needs 50,000 to 60,000 Nurses

2009-01-06T04:34:00.001+08:00

This may yet be the best news for nurses today; the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will be needing 50,000 to 60,000 in the next six months. Despite the economic crisis, the Middle East requirement for nurses and other medical staff in the Middle East, and especially in Saudi Arabia, is very high and urgent.

King Fahd Medical Center, a known medical institution in Saudi Arabia have tied up with more than two Philippine recruitment agencies just to be able to fill up their needs for additional medical personnel. Official of the said institution have been in country recently interviewing prospective applicants.

Together with this good news is that Saudi recently increased its inflation allowance from 5 to 10 percent of the basic salary, and this would range from $600 to $1,000. This would be on top of free housing, free transportation, and yearly vacation. Placement fee is usually a month’s worth of salary.

But in spite of such good news, there is one drawback that prevents the country from completing the required manpower. Ironically, one of the main reasons is lack of experience on the part of our nurses, although it does not mean that they do not have the required skills.

For our nurses to be qualified for Saudi hospitals, they need two years actual experience in tertiary hospitals with at least 200 beds and have worked with modern equipment. Unfortunately, we don’t have that much number of tertiary hospitals in the country to provide such experience.

Nurses who have completed volunteer work on government hospitals doing actual staff works, are issued only certifications that they worked as volunteer nurses. Unfortunately, such certification is not acceptable to Saudi employees.

The government, through the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Labor and Employment, should make these certifications more specific and official for our nurses to be qualified for such opportunities. (Source: Philippine Business)

Pacman to fight 3 bouts in 2009

2009-01-05T05:31:00.002+08:00

The Filipino superstar is locked on to face Britain’s Ricky Hatton on May 2 in Las Vegas, this year, and is hoping to land an even bigger fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. later on.

But Arum said if Mayweather, who retired last June as the undefeated pound-for-pound champion, doesn’t come out in the open, Pacquiao might consider two more fights.

Pacquiao said he wants to retire this year, and Arum, the legendary Top Rank chief, wants to make sure that boxing’s biggest draw today makes the most of his chances.

“If Floyd Mayweather is not available after we fight Hatton, then we can fight Edwin Valero,” said Arum, close to finalizing the deal with the Hatton people for the May 2 bout.

“There are a number of people out there although the fight may not be as big as Mayweather,” he added after dropping the name of the Venezuelan knockout artist.

Among the other worthy contenders are Joan Guzman or Zab Judah and, of course, Juan Manuel Marquez, the only fighter who really came close to beating Pacquiao in nearly three years.

Again, none of these fights can match the attention a fight with Mayweather would draw, considering that it will be a fight between two pound-for-pound champions of the same era.

“If Mayweather is not there, we can fight two more fights to make up for it. Manny can fight three times this year,” said Arum over the telephone.

But Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach wants Pacquiao going up against Hatton, and then Mayweather.

“In a perfect world, I would like to see him fight Ricky Hatton and then Floyd Mayweather Jr. and then I would like to see Manny retire, and become President of the Philippines,” he told fighthype.com.

Going back to things on hand, the matchmaking genius said Pacquiao stands to earn a lot, even more than what he earned against Oscar dela Hoya, for facing Hatton.

“There’s a good chance that Manny will earn more in this fight,” said Arum of Pacquiao, who got no less than $10 million despite the smaller 32 percent take against Dela Hoya’s 68 percent.

Arum said there’d be no such disparity in the Pacquiao-Hatton pie.

“Manny may get more but not much, much more because Ricky Hatton brings more to the table than anybody else Manny could fight at the moment,” he said.

“But we are not getting the smaller share if you know what I mean. A tremendous percentage of the money will come from England,” he added in recognizing Hatton’s pay-per-view draw back home. - (By Abac Cordero; Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

8 hurt in Tacurong carnival blast

2009-01-04T04:47:00.000+08:00

KORONADAL CITY, Philippines – At least eight people were injured when a grenade exploded in a carnival in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat at around 7:15 p.m. Saturday, a military official said.

The victims were immediately rushed to a local hospital due to shrapnel wounds, said Col. Marlou Salazar, commander of the Army's 601st Infantry Brigade.

The victims were identified as Joylyn Francisco, 19 ; Rio Delgado, 27; Janice Atanoso, 23; Alma Macabodbod, 55; Nasser Mangenyog, 24; Pogi Utto Dituas, Baldo Kanyang and Arman Dinggal.

“We cannot say who was responsible as of yet,” Salazar said.

On Dec. 31, 30 people were also injured when a grenade exploded at the Oval Plaza in General Santos City during the city government-sponsored Paskuhan sa Gensan.

Prior to that, explosion also ripped through several areas of Central Mindanao.

While the police said they were not pointing to any group, they were not discounting the possibility that Moro rebels were behind the explosions, a charge that the MILF has repeatedly denied.(By Jeoffrey Maitem)

Family not seized by rebels -- Military

2009-01-03T07:07:00.000+08:00

TACURONG CITY, Philippines – (UPDATE) A family of four earlier believed to have been seized by renegade Moro rebels “are now safe,” a military official said.

"They are now safe in their homes in Barangay Marquez," Colonel Julieto Ando, regional Army spokesperson, said quoting a military report from the 601st Infantry Brigade.

Ando earlier said Roy Martin, 45, sitio leader of the village of Marquez, in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat; his wife Shiela, 39; his two children aged six and eight; and a relative identified as Jun Bello, 30, were taken by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels after they stormed an agricultural village in the province.

He said about 80 heavily armed Moro rebels stormed the village of Marquez at about 12 noon Friday in what the military said was a "foraging mission." The rebels used the civilians as human shields against pursuing police and military elements, he added.

But Ando later clarified that the victims had been abandoned by the rebels, who apparently told the Martin family not to worry as they were just passing by.

Other residents thought the family of Martin was taken by the rebels.

A witness told military investigators that the rebels passed through the village of Panuntungan en route to the village of Chua, also in Esperanza town.

Quoting witnesses, the military said the rebels fired their guns and took rice and food stuff from the villagers who also fled after seeing heavily armed rebels.

The civilians were apparently told by the rebels not to report to military or police authorities

Ando identified the attackers as followers of renegade Moro rebel leader Ombra Kato, who carries a P15 million reward for his arrest for assaulting villages in North Cotabato in July.

Government forces from the Army's 601st Infantry Brigade and Sultan Kudarat police have been sent to track down the rebels who fled toward the Liguasan marshland.

Eid Kabalu, MILF civil military chief, said he had yet to confirm the report.
He said though that the rebels could have been provoked thus clashes erupted.

In Alamada, several villagers have fled their homes before New Year's Eve due to the presence of MILF forces in the village of Dado.

When they returned home on January 1, they found their work animals gone and hogs were strafed with automatic rifles.

Alamada Mayor Ernesto Concepcion said the rebels also took food stuff and agricultural products of the farmers.

Ando said pursuit operations were ongoing against the rebels.(Edwin Fernandez)

27 hurt in General Santos City blast

2009-01-01T17:24:00.002+08:00

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—(UPDATE 4) A grenade exploded at the city's Oval Plaza as hundreds of people were celebrating the end of the year late evening Wednesday.

At least 27 people -- two of them police officers tasked to help secure the packed plaza -- were injured in the explosion, which occurred a few hours into the New Year.

Police authorities said they were not discounting the involvement of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the 9:10 p.m. blast at the plaza, where the "Paskuhan sa GenSan 2008" celebration was being held.

Police Officer 1 Janver Pales and Police Officer 1 Romelyn Luminquit, who were part of the security team, were wounded along with 25 other victims.

Only one victim, Michelle Borromeo, remained in critical condition at the General Santos Doctor's Hospital.

Mayor Pedro Acharon, Jr. told reporters that the safety pin of the grenade used was recovered by the members of the police's bomb disposal unit near the booth of Katangawan village at the western portion of the oval plaza, about 30 meters away from the explosion site.

Paskuhan sa GenSan is an annual event staged by the city government to make the Christmas celebration among locals here even more meaningful and colorful.

Various Christmas-related activities would be held at the oval plaza during this time, aside from the usual carnival fair, flea market, pavilions and display booths of various barangays.

Acharon said as early as last week, he has already been receiving reports that a certain group will stage attacks in several areas in Central Mindanao.

The oval plaza blast was the second bomb attack here during the last days of 2008.

Around 7:20 p.m. on Tuesday, two civilians and a policeman on duty were injured when a motorcycle-riding suspect tossed a grenade near a police outpost in the intersection of Jose Catolico Avenue and Tiongson Street in Lagao Village.

Senior Superintendent Robert Po, City Police Chief, said they are looking at two angles as possible motives behind the incidents.

Po said it could be in retaliation for the raid conducted by the police intelligence operatives in purok Camasi in Ligaya village early Wednesday; and second, this could also be part of the MILF's region-wide operations against government forces.

Aside from the city, other areas in Central Mindanao like Maasim town in Sarangani Province; Polomolok and Tantangan towns in South Cotabato; and Esperanza and Isulan towns in Sultan Kudarat Province have either been attacked or rocked by explosions believed to be perpetrated by the MILF rebels.

The MILF has consistently denied its involvement in the attacks. (By Aquiles Zonio with a report from Julie Alipala, INQ.net)

Trader shot dead in Cotabato City

2009-01-01T07:40:00.000+08:00

COTABATO CITY -- Unidentified gunmen shot dead Tuesday afternoon the exclusive distributor of San Miguel Beer here, police said.

PO3 Eduardo Torres, officer on case, said Roberto "Bert" Padlan, 58, owner of Padlan Enterprises, was driving a pick-up truck on his way home at 4:30 p.m. when two men shot him at close range on TV Juliano Street.

Torres said the gunmen, riding in tandem on a motorbike, tailed Padlan from downtown where he was managing his auto machine shop and beer distribution office, before he was attacked.

"The suspects appeared to be guns for hire and made sure (Padlan) was dead before leaving the crime scene," Torres reported witnesses as saying.

Padlan, who also owned a sand-and-gravel business, moved around without armed escorts unlike other traders in the city.

In the 1990s, he and his mother were abducted by a kidnap-for-ransom gang and were freed after the family paid an undetermined amount of ransom.

Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema condemned the killing of Padlan, the second trader murdered in the past four months here.

"The police are looking at different angles, including business related or personal grudge motive," Sema said.

Witnesses said the killing of Padlan was very daring as it occurred on a busy avenue and in broad daylight.(Edwin Fernandez; INQ.net)

MILF denies report on Kato death

2008-12-30T04:45:00.001+08:00

COTABATO CITY—The military said it had received reports indicating that Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leader Ombra Kato was killed in a skirmish with government troops in Maguindanao last week.

However, a ranking MILF official denied this.

Col. Marlou Salazar, commander of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade, said intelligence reports said Kato, who carries a P10-million price on his head for staging attacks on villages in North Cotabato in August, died from gunshot wounds.

“We have information about it, we are verifying it,” Salazar said.

But Eid Kabalu, MILF civil-military affairs chief, laughed-off the reports.

“We have no report on that, as far as I know, he is alive and is somewhere in his area of responsibility,” he said.

It was the second time that Kato, head of the MILF 105th base command and one of three MILF field commanders described by the military as “rogue” for disobeying the MILF chain of command, had been reported dead.

Last month, a similar report also surfaced but Kato, in a video shot by the MILF, dispelled rumors of his death.

Salazar said the military was not saying it was certain that Kato had indeed been killed.

“That’s why we said we are still verifying it,” he said when asked late Friday afternoon if they had already ascertained the veracity of the reports.

Salazar claimed that while Kato might still be alive, his group’s capability to launch attacks against the military had been greatly reduced because of the ground and air assaults against MILF lairs in Maguindanao and nearby areas.

Kato’s group was linked to the recent raid on the town of Senator Ninoy Aquino in Sultan Kudarat.

At least six civilians, including a newborn baby, were killed in the attack that took place on Dec. 24, according to Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesperson of the military’s 6th Infantry Division.

Ando identified five of the fatalities as Ibey Bugtong, 30; Dandan Bugtong, 6; Buling Ikog, 45; Aysa Buling, 45; Baylan Sabing, 22; and the 15-day-old infant. The victims were members of a Manobo community.

The MILF attacks prompted the military to launch air and ground offensives in the area.

Ando could not say if the rebels suffered casualties during the military offensive. He doubted the accuracy of local newspaper reports saying about 14 MILF were killed in that operation.

As this developed, government security forces captured an alleged bomb expert with links to the MILF during a raid in Lambayong, Sultan Kudarat on Dec. 24.

Supt. Joel Limson, Tacurong City police chief identified the suspect as Badrudin Ambao Balawag, 45.

“He is a suspect in previous attacks in the region (Central Mindanao). A fragmentation grenade was also recovered from his possession,” Limson said.

However, Kabalu denied that Balawag had ties with the MILF.

Kabalu accused the military of creating a scenario to block the resumption of peace talks that did not push through in August. (By Edwin Fernandez and Jeoffrey Maitem; INQ.net)

Suspected MILF members bomb gym

2008-12-29T04:55:00.001+08:00

Suspected members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) bombed a gymnasium in Polomolok, South Cotabato Sunday night.

No one was hurt in the incident, a police official said.

Two unidentified men fired the roof of the Polomolok Municipal Gym using a rifle grenade at 7:45 p.m. and quickly fled. Senior Superintendent Robert Kuinisala, South Cotabato provincial police chief, said.

Initial investigation showed that suspected MILF members, under a certain Commander Wahid Aminola, were behind the incident. Kuinisala said the incident was reportedly a form of “retaliation” after police served a search warrant against Aminola in six homes located in Purok 1, Barangay (village) Sumbakil in the same town last December 23.

Confiscated during the search were one M79 grenade launcher and one Garand rifle, Kuinisala said.(By Abigail Kwok; INQ.net)

DAR chief’s son, 5 bodyguards face charges for alleged mauling of 2 golfers

2008-12-28T06:07:00.002+08:00

The Antipolo police said Saturday that they would file physical injuries charges against the son of Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman Sr. and five bodyguards for beating up two golfers at the Valley Golf and Country Club in Antipolo on Friday afternoon.

Facing charges are DAR chief’s son Nasser Pangandaman Jr., who is mayor of Masiu in Lanao del Sur, and his five bodyguards, a report on DZBB said.

They were accused by Delfin de la Paz, 56. De la Paz claimed that Pangandaman and his bodyguard mauled him and his 14-year-old son after a brief spat inside the golf course.

Meanwhile, GMANews.TV learned that Pangandaman Jr has filed a counter-complaint against his accuser at the police station in Mayamot, Antipolo.

Bombo Radyo reported that Pangandaman Jr filed physical injuries and grave threats against De la Paz. The DAR chief’s son claimed he was hit with an umbrella by De la Paz during a commotion.

The lead investigator of the case said they found out that only Pangandaman Jr. and the five bodyguards took part in the mauling of De la Paz. Earlier reports said the elder Pangandaman also hurt De la Paz.

De la Paz, however, told DZBB in a separate interview that he was not sure if the DAR chief hurt him during the melee.

“In fairness sa DAR chief, parang hindi ako sigurado kung naki-tadyak siya kasi bumagsak na ako at hindi ko masyadong makita kung kasama siya," De la Paz said.

(In fairness to the DAR chief, I’m not sure if he kicked me because I was already down and could not see very well.)

Radio dzRH earlier reported that the De la Paz family filed on Friday night a complaint with the Antipolo police for physical injuries and violation of the law protecting women and minors.

De la Paz said he was with his 14-year-old son Bino and 18-year-old daughter Bambi at the golf course when the incident happened at about 1 p.m.

He said the Pangandaman father and son overtook them at one of the holes, prompting him to ask a marshal to have them get back in line, but when they were playing at the fifth hole, Pangandaman Jr allegedly voiced impatience with his slow playing.

He said at the bodyguards of Pangandaman Jr beat him up and his 14-year-old son who tried to pacify the attackers. De la Paz said his daughter desperately tried to stop the attack.

After the scuffle, De la Paz said he and his children trudged back to the clubhouse but the Pangandaman, with their bodyguards, followed them.

Pangandaman Jr also reportedly poked a finger at De la Paz’s 14-year-old son and said, “tatandaan kita (I will remember you)."

Moreover, when his elder son and wife arrived at the clubhouse with baseball bats, the Pangandaman Jr’s bodyguards allegedly drew handguns.

Pangandaman Jr said he talked with the elder De la Paz in a nice way but the man hit him instead with an umbrella and hurled invectives and twice challenged him to a fight.

De la Paz admitted hitting one of the Pangandaman’s men with the tip of an umbrella in self-defense as he was being ganged upon.

However, the De la Paz family has said that they won’t be intimidated by Pangandaman and that they will pursue the criminal complaint against them.

Meanwhile, the Antipolo police said they are still gathering information from witnesses regarding the incident. (Kim Tan, GMANews.TV)

14 MILF rebels killed in military offensive

2008-12-27T04:24:00.001+08:00

COTABATO CITY – The military reported killing 14 suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels yesterday in the manhunt for the MILF guerrillas who attacked three towns in Sultan Kudarat, killing nine villagers on Christmas eve.

On Christmas Day, five people were wounded in separate grenade attacks in President Quirino town in the province, officials said yesterday.

Two men riding tandem on a motorcycle hurled a grenade at a house in Tacurong City, wounding three people.

Two more people were injured when unidentified men fired rocket grenades at a restaurant in the city several hours later.

Regional Army spokesman Lt. Col. Julieto Ando said the rebels led by Wahid Tundok and Basit Usman fired rockets and mortars on the troops, triggering a two-hour gun battle in two villages in Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao.

Ando said the MILF rebels earlier attacked an Army detachment in nearby Datu Saudi Ampatuan town.

Local officials said eight rebels were killed after troops responded with grenade and mortars.

Two of the slain rebels were identified only as Manan and Odin, both killed during the mortar barrage.

Six more rebels were killed by government troops when they attacked a detachment in Aleosan, North Cotabato.

Ando said military forces tightened security in some areas in Central Mindanao due to persistent intelligence reports that MILF rebels would attack more Christian villages and worship sites on New Year’s Day.

“The 6th ID (Army’s 6th Infantry Division) is not taking chances. These renegade MILF rebels are known for their disrespect of their central committee and for already being detached from their chain of command. They are loose cannons now,” Ando said.

Sporadic clashes between MILF forces and soldiers were also reported to have occurred at the border of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat provinces, according to Ando.

Ando said more soldiers have been fielded along main roads in Central Mindanao to prevent MILF forces from harassing commuters and motorists.

Ando said the Army’s 75th Infantry Battalion has been deployed to Sen. Benigno Aquino town in Sultan Kudarat to block the MILF forces behind the attacks last Christmas eve.

The attacks came at a time when the military claimed to have drastically reduced the capability of the MILF to mount large-scale offensives.

Ando said the attacks were an attempt by the group to show their strength in the light of renewed efforts to revive the scuttled peace talks between the government and the MILF.

Following the incident, Ando said soldiers would intensify their combat operations and pursue the attackers.

Ando said the attacks are the fulfillment of the rebel group’s warning that they would retaliate for the military offensives allegedly launched by government forces during the holy month of Ramadan.

Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said the military would continue to confront the MILF threat.

“The (MILF) have once again attacked villages. They are observed to be operating in large-scale formations. The military shall confront these lawless groups in accordance with these recent developments,” Torres said.

He added the AFP has succeeded in degrading the manpower and logistics of the MILF.

The situation on the ground remains fluid, however, forcing troops to make tactical adjustments in the face of the prevailing situation, Torres said.

“In warfare, strategies vary and it may vary in the middle of battle,” he pointed out.

‘Anti-Christmas’

The military had launched air and ground offensives against the MILF rebels behind the Christmas eve attacks.

Col. Marlou Salazar, commander of the Army’s 601st Brigade, said the MILF led by Commander Jakiri harassed Manobo villagers in Ninoy Aquino town in Sultan Kudarat, forcing them to leave their village at gunpoint while the rebels ransacked their houses.

Three barangays in Ninoy Aquino and two villages in Kalamansig town fell under the control of the MILF after the attack.

Initial reports said the rebels killed six Manobo villagers, including a newborn baby.

Officials said the rebels retreated to Palimbang town, also in Sultan Kudarat, just as government troops arrived with two OV-10 bomber planes.

Fr. Joel Canonizado, a parish priest in Ninoy Aquino, said about 450 families took shelter in two public schools in the town center.

“We appeal for immediate food assistance to the evacuees,” Canonizado said.

“I am sad with this incident, it happened during Christmas where we are supposed to be at peace in our homes,” he said.

Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad, for his part, said the attacks in Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato and Basilan might have been coordinated by what he called “anti-Christmas” groups.

Considering the timing of the consecutive terrorist attacks, Jumoad stressed he is not discounting the possibility that the three brutal incidents could be related.

Jumoad said the attack in Basilan last Dec. 23 was intended to “sow fear so Catholics would not attend the Misa de Gallo.”

It was meant as a signal to the public and the authorities that they are still capable of mounting a terrorist attack, he said.

At least 26 people were injured when grenades were hurled near a fastfood outlet near Sta. Isabel Cathedral in Isabela, Basilan.

Authorities suspect Abu Sayyaf extremists were behind the attacks.

The following day, Dec. 24, as people were busy preparing for their Christmas eve dinner, MILF rebels attacked three towns in the provinces of Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, leaving nine people dead and eight others wounded.

“I think they (the attacks) could be connected because the aim was to sow fear and terror,” Jumoad said.

Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma also expressed concern over the series of bombing incidents in Mindanao.

“Here in Mindanao, we pray for peace and the resumption of the peace talks to bring about lasting peace in Mindanao,” Ledesma said.

This developed as suspected Abu Sayyaf extremists attacked two Marine detachments in Patikul, Sulu on Christmas Day.

“The Abu Sayyaf group took advantage, thinking the soldiers were hanging out after the celebration on Christmas eve,” Western Mindanao Command spokeswoman 1Lt. Steffani Cacho said.

Cacho said troops from the 5th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) in Barangay Taglibi were able to repel the attackers, forcing them to retreat.

The bandits escaped but they torched the Datu Uddin Bajim Central Elementary School to divert pursuit operations.

Cacho said the bandits then staged another attack at a Marine detachment in Barangay Danag.

“The bandits were also repelled. They took advantage of Christmas eve but the soldiers have been on alert,” Cacho said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or injuries on both sides. –(With James Mananghaya, Roel Pareño, Evelyn Macairan - By John Unson; Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Blasts rock Cotabato bus terminal

2008-12-26T05:46:00.000+08:00

COTABATO CITY, Philippines--Two grenade explosions rocked a Cotabato City bus terminal on Christmas Day, police officials said Thursday.

Senior Superintendent Willie Dangane, Cotabato City police chief, said that at around 8:15 p.m., a still unidentified man onboard a motorcycle hurled two grenades at the Husky Bus Terminal located at Barangay (village) Tamontaka.

The explosion "slightly damaged" three buses but no one was reported injured in the incident, Dangane said.

The suspect, meanwhile, immediately fled in the direction of Datu Odin Sinsuat in Shariff Kabunsuan.

Revenge is being eyed as a possible motive according to Chief Superintendent Felizardo Serapio. An initial investigation revealed that a number of guards were terminated by the company this month. (By Abigail Kwok, Jeoffrey Maitem
INQ.net)

MILF kills 9 villagers in Christmas eve raid

2008-12-26T05:23:00.002+08:00

Nine people were killed and eight others were wounded after Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels attacked three towns in the provinces of Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat on Christmas eve, the military reported.

The fatalities and wounded have not yet been identified. The rebels also took hostage farmer Ramil Vicente, his wife and their two children.

Col. Julieto Ando, Army 6th Infantry Division spokesman, said troops have been sent to the scene to pursue the rebels.

Residents of Ninoy Aquino and Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat province and Alamada in Cotabato province were preparing their noche buena or Christmas eve dinner when the MILF fired a continuous barrage of mortars at the three towns at around 7 p.m. Eight residents were reportedly killed.

Three barangays in Ninoy Aquino and two barangays in Kalamansig remain under MILF control, according to Ando.

In Alamada town, an elderly woman was killed when the MILF fired 60 mm and 81 mm mortars at Barangay Dato at about 10 p.m.

“This is an atrocity against innocent civilians,” Ando said.

At 9 p.m. the MILF fired mortars continuously for 15 minutes at a military detachment in Barangay Gayunga, Northern Kabuntalan town in Shariff Kabunsuan province.

Barangay Gayunga is on the border of Cotabato and Shariff Kabunsuan provinces.

Almost at the same time, the MILF unleashed 17 rounds of 60 mm mortars at a military outpost in Barangay Puyon, Pigcawayan town in Cotabato province.

No injuries were reported in the attacks on the military installations.

Cotabato Gov. Jesus Sacdalan said residents of a barangay fled their homes when armed men attacked Aleosan town in Cotabato province at about 9 p.m. on Christmas eve.

“The attacks came while the people were setting off firecrackers. The attackers timed their attacks during the revelry,” said Alamada Mayor Ernesto Concepcion.

Eight people living near the military detachment in Alamada were taken to the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center after they were hit by flying shrapnel.

However, Eid Kabalu, MILF civil-military chief, denied the military report that they attacked the three towns in Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato provinces.

“All these incidents took place because the MILF were subjected to attacks by the military,” he said.

Kabalu said the MILF had not launched a coordinated offensive on Christmas eve as the military claims.

“In all incidents, we were on defensive mode,” he said.

As many as 400 families fled their homes after the MILF attack, according to social welfare officer Edmund Cordero.

More than 600,000 people were displaced in the fighting, he added.

Maj. Randolph Cabangbang, Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command spokesman, said the attack on barangays Midtungok and Kiadsam in Cotabato province were spearheaded by Guiabar Datu Kali alias Commander 511 and Commander Maxs4.

“The 601st brigade already launched combat operations in the area,” he said. “They have also requested for an air strike against the rebels.”

The MILF is starting to withdraw from the occupied communities, according to Col. Marlou Salazar, Army 601st Infantry Brigade commander.

This was the second time that barangays Midtungok and Kiadsam were occupied since the attacks in Cotabato and Lanao del Norte provinces last August. (By John Unson And James Mananghaya; Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

Six civilians killed as suspected Moro rebels attack village

2008-12-25T05:51:00.002+08:00

TACURONG CITY, Philippines--Six civilians were killed as suspected Moro rebels stormed a village in Senator Ninoy Aquino town in Sultan Kudarat on Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, 6th Division spokesperson, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone on Wednesday, that an undetermined number of Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels under the 104th Base Command fired rockets and high powered assorted weapons as they arrived in the village at around 2:30 p.m. Ando said another civilian was wounded.

"We have dispatched troops to the area to hunt down the attackers," Ando said.

Eid Kabalu, MILF civil military affairs chief, denied the military's accusation.

"There was no harassment that happened yesterday. The military is just preempting the situation in the area," Kabalu said on Wednesday.

"Apparently, the residents are apprehensive of possible attacks but I talked to our men on the ground and we found out there was no harassment," Kabalu said.

However, town municipal social welfare officer Edmund Corder said over 400 families left their homes in the village of Midtungo.

The military has been hunting MILF Commander Ameril Umbra Kato who was responsible for the series of attacks in the region.(By Jeoffrey Maitem; INQ.net)

UN food truck attacked in Lanao; 1 dead

2008-12-24T05:52:00.000+08:00

ILIGAN CITY – Unidentified gunmen ambushed a truck contracted by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to deliver food aid in Lanao del Sur Sunday, killing a driver’s aide.

In a press statement, WFP country director Stephen Anderson said the incident happened Sunday evening in Barangay Inoma in Calanogas town.

“WFP strongly deplores the senseless loss of life of an individual who was assisting in the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” Anderson said.

The truck was on its way back to WFP’s warehouse in Cotabato and was already empty when the incident occurred. Two other people in the vehicle were unhurt.

Anderson added that the WFP was working with all concerned government authorities in the investigation of the attack.

He noted that since 2006 when it started providing food support to people displaced by armed conflict in Mindanao, they have encountered “a minimum of security incidents.”

However, he acknowledged that “delivering emergency food assistance in a conflict zone is beset with risks” well known to them.

The agency has been providing food aid to evacuees of the recent skirmishes between government troops and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

WFP official Patricia Artadi-Facultad said the WFP has been told the area where the attack took place was prone to highway robberies.

She said that the truck was traveling alone without a Philippine military escort, as is standard procedure. She said it was the first time an aid worker contracted by the U.N. was killed in the country.

She said, however, that aid operations would continue despite the shooting.

WFP has been supplying tons of rice to about 300,000 Filipinos in Mindanao who fled their homes at the height of fighting in August, when Muslim rebels went on a bloody rampage in the Lanao communities to protest the scrapping of a preliminary peace deal.

The agreement to expand an existing Muslim autonomous region was nullified by the Supreme Court acting on a petition by Christian politicians.

The government has subsequently put peace talks on hold, although it recently indicated it was ready to restart negotiations.

The rebels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have been fighting for self-rule in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation’s south for decades.

The ambush was a robbery rather than the work of Muslim separatists, the regional military commander said Tuesday.

“There is no involvement by the MILF in the attack,” Colonel Rey Ardo, head of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade, told AFP.

“The motive was just plain robbery.”

Suspicion swiftly fell on the MILF which has been active in the area since August when the Supreme Court ruled against a peace proposal which would have given Muslims their own state.

Ardo said the area where the truck was driving was known to be inhabited by bandit groups who prey on vehicles, particularly those transporting food. (AP; AFP; Ryan D. Rosauro)

Hatton buildup for Pacman starts Feb. 1

2008-12-23T21:19:00.001+08:00

MANILA, Philippines. British brawler Ricky Hatton will put in close to 13 weeks of training for his May 2 showdown with Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas’ Thomas and Mack Center.

In an interview with www.boxingscene.com, Hatton said he will start working out with trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. on Feb. 1.

With the fight against Hatton close to being finalized, meanwhile, Pacquiao is reaping accolades following another banner year that was highlighted by a stunning eighth-round technical knockout victory over Oscar De La Hoya on Dec. 6.

Readers of the online edition of Ring Magazine, accessed through www.thering-online.com, voted Pacquiao’s pummeling of De La Hoya in their welterweight clash at the MGM Grand Arena as the Upset of the Year by giving him 68 percent of the votes.

Coming in a far second with 23 percent of the votes was 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins’ triumph over Kelly Pavlik, 26.

Reacting to the result of the poll, Ring Magazine associate editor Michael Rosenthal wrote: “Pacquiao was too small for De La Hoya. But never has a fighter prepared better or executed a game plan better than him (Pacquiao) that night. Simply put: He was magnificent.”

Steve Kim of www.maxboxing.com also selected Pacquiao as his Fighter of the Year and his American trainer, Freddie Roach, as Trainer of the Year.

Pacquiao became the first Asian to win titles in four divisions when he dethroned WBC lightweight champ David Diaz with a ninth-round knockout on June 28.

Hatton, who holds the IBO junior welterweight title, has reiterated his desire to fight Pacquiao.

“Manny has been at the top of my radar since he beat Oscar De La Hoya,” Hatton told Britain’s Sunday Mirror.

“I went in with the best fighter in the world in 2007 when I lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and I will do the same when I get in the ring with Manny. Every boxer wants to prove himself against the very best and that is what I have done again and again.” (By Cedelf P. Tupas;INQ.net)

Pres. Arroyo basks in at Pacquiao's b-day party

2008-12-18T04:29:00.001+08:00

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—(UPDATE) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reveled in a lavish birthday-cum-victory bash for hometown hero, Manny Pacquiao, that capped his December 7 sensational conquest of Oscar dela Hoya.

The party at the KCC Mall here, on Wednesday night, opened with booming music and a footage of a busy Pacquiao on the ring on two wide screens beside the stage, and a dance number by "bunny girls,'' setting a Las Vegas-like atmosphere.

After two women and a man in boxing gloves danced in silhouettes to the tune of "Para sa Yo,'' out came Pacquiao through a white box on the stage bedecked with big playing cards with his face on them, and huge differently colored dice.

Pacquiao, wearing a black suit and a blue tie, was ushered into a ring-like platform where he waited for his No. 1 fan. Arroyo, clad in a black pantsuit, arrived at around 7 p.m., sharing the limelight with the boxing hero, and hobnobbing with his guests, including trainer-coach Freddie Roach, and Top Rank boss Bob Arum.

She later sat at the table inside the ringed platform with Pacquiao, Arum, Roach, and Secretary Lito Atienza in the middle of over 100 candle-lit tables in the mall's packed convention hall.

There could have been no better way for her to cap a hectic day. Earlier in the day, she flew from Manila to visit Cotabato City, Sultan Kudarat and Maasim in Saranggani. Pacquiao personally invited Arroyo to his birthday party when he called on her in Malacañang upon his arrival from Las Vegas, Nevada last December 10.

The boxer's mother, Dionisia, later joined Pacquiao and his guests at the table, followed by his father Rosalio, and Deputy National Security Adviser Luis "Chavit'' Singson Jr. "This is not a surprise at all,'' fight promoter Wakee Salud said of the elder Pacquiao's presence at the party.

After his guests had settled on their seats, Pacquiao walked up the stage to blow the candles on his three-tiered brown birthday cake. As soft music played in the background, the more than 1,000 guests – the men in coat and tie or barong Tagalog, and the women in formal dresses, bantered over sumptuous food -- liver bacon pasta, steamed Lapu-lapu, prawns thermidor, chicken galantina and babyback ribs, beer and other drinks.

Pacquiao's pregnant wife, Jinkee, called from Las Vegas to greet him. (By TJ Burgonio;INQ.net)

Principal freed by kidnappers in Sulu

2008-12-17T05:54:00.001+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—A Sulu public school principal was released by his kidnappers Monday night without the payment of ransom, the police confirmed on Tuesday.

Pakkam Hashim, principal of the Kutah Sairap Elementary School, in the village of Wanni Pyanjihan in Parang town, Sulu, was freed on Monday at 7:15 p.m. in the Lanao Dacula village in the same town, said Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, police director of Sulu, on Tuesday afternoon.

Kasim said the police learned during their tactical interrogation of Hashim that no ransom was given to the kidnappers. "He (Hashim) was released through the intervention of community elders," Kasim told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Police were considering a group headed by a certain Gafur Jumdail as suspect in the kidnapping.

Police suspect that the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group is behind the rash of kidnappings in certain parts of Mindanao. (By Julie Alipala; INQ.net)

Snatched Chinese a ‘struggling trader’

2008-12-16T18:54:00.000+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—The Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu may be thinking it has netted a big fish.

But Chief Superintendent Bensali Jabarani, police chief for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said the Muslim extremists’ latest kidnap victim, Hili Wu alias Peter Go, "is not a rich man."

"He is simple businessman trying out his luck in Sulu," he said.

Senior Superintendent Jularisim Kasim, police chief for Sulu, said police recently discovered that the victim is not a Tausug-Chinese but a 19-year-old Chinese national from Fujian, China.

The victim was reported to have arrived in the island province in July 2007.

"The Wus have a business here. They own a store selling electrical items and appliances," Kasim said.

Hili's father, Jetli, manages the business.

Hili was snatched by at least five armed men in the village of Walled City in the capital town of Jolo last Saturday.

The kidnapping happened two days after Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro went to Sulu to visit government troops.

"President Arroyo gave an explicit instruction to get to the root of kidnapping activities, to flesh them and root them out and to protect the people so they can go on with their lives," Teodoro told soldiers during his visit.

A day after Teodoro's visit, Pakkam Hasim, principal of Kutah Sairap Elementary School, was abducted by three unidentified men in Wanni Piyanjihan village in Parang town.

Two days later, Hili Wu was abducted.

In Hasim's case, Jabarani said, the abduction might have something to do with family feud, police said. (By Julie Alipala; INQ.net)

Military hunting kidnappers of trader, school official

2008-12-16T06:51:00.000+08:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Government troops are tracking down two Abu Sayyaf groups which abducted separately a Chinese trader and a ranking public school official over the weekend in Sulu.

Lt. Esteffani A. Cacho, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command, said the bandits, led by Albader Parad, abducted Peter Go while he was opening a store in downtown Jolo on Sunday.

Ms. Cacho said the victim was the owner of Perlas Trading, which sells clothes, appliances and mechanical tools.

“Witnesses said that the victim was forcibly taken right in front of his store by five unidentified fully armed men in camouflage," she said.

Prior to the abduction of Mr. Go, the Abu Sayyaf led by another commander Gafur Jumdail seized Pakkam Hashim, principal of the Kutah Sairap Elementary School in Parang town on Friday.

Ms. Cacho said the military is focusing on the town of Indanan, citing ground reports.

The separate abductions occurred amid the directive of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, through Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr., to intensify operations against combined Abu Sayyaf and kidnap-for-ransom groups operating in the nearby island-province of Basilan.

Regional security officials have earlier noted an increase in abduction of civilians in the Sulu archipelago this year.

At present, bandits in Basilan are still holding Zamboangueño nursing student Joed Anthony Pilanga and nine-year-old April Nicole Raveche.

Most abductors were said to be minors and not selective of their victims said Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino.

In its continuing manhunt operation, the military has incurred heavy losses. Last week alone, at least five Marines were killed and 36 others wounded in Basilan and Sulu. — (BusinessWorld)

Pacquiao statue going up in GenSan

2008-12-14T06:03:00.000+08:00

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao's Canadian friend and adviser has agreed to chip in some money for the immediate completion of his life-size bronze statue, which the city government plans to erect.

Michael Koncz did not say how much he was willing to pitch in for the statue, which will be put up in front of the General Santos City Hall.

"I don't know the cost. I still have to talk to the mayor," he said here on Friday.

Koncz said Pacquiao deserves the statue because "he has done great honor and glory for his country."

"Manny has taken the gold out of the Golden Boy. And I think he deserves a statue just like Dela Hoya, who has a 14-foot bronze statue in Staples Center," Koncz said.

Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. said he was overjoyed at Koncz generosity.

Like the Canadian, Acharon said the statue was fitting because of the honor and prestige that Pacquiao has brought to the city and the country as a whole.

Pacquiao, sounding humble in a low tone, said he did not take away the gold from Dela Hoya. "Just the glitter," he said.

In a speech delivered during the grand welcome organized by the city government, Pacquiao reiterated that his victory against over Oscar dela Hoya was brought by prayers and support from his fans and associates.

Pacquiao also assured his thousands of fans here, who patiently waited for his arrival from Manila on Friday, that his next two fights will be equally exciting.

"After which, I will retire…. But not because of politics," he said. (By Aquiles Zonio; INQ.net)

All they want for Christmas are boots

2008-12-13T05:50:00.000+08:00

ISABELA CITY, Basilan -- Philippine Marines pursuing a band of kidnappers here since Nov. 28 know they will not be able to spend Christmas with their families. They’re not even hoping to do so now that they are inching closer to their quarry.

All they want for Christmas are new boots and uniforms to replace their worn-out ones.

Cpl. Joel Albances even showed to reporters a the two-inch wide gap in his shoes.

"Pag pinasok ito ng linta, patay tayo [If leeches crawl in, we’re dead]," he said in jest.

Turning more serious, Albances said the worn-out shoes have hindered the the soldiers’ mobility.

"It would be helpful if our combat shoes are not worn out. We can move quickly. Besides, our shoes help keep us warm during the night," he said.

Sgt. Moammar Tingcasan said they were not asking for additional salaries.

"New uniforms and new combat boots are enough for us," he said.

Cpl. Dansel John Palafox acknowledged soldiers in tattered uniforms are not a pretty sight, nevertheless they have to don old uniforms.

Col. Elmer Estilles, commander of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 8, said he pitied his soldiers because they do need new boots and uniforms.

Estrilles said when Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro came over on Thursday, he also requested that their small wish be granted.

Philippine Marine Corps commandant Lt. Gen. Ben Dolorfino said they were now working on the procurement of two pairs of new battle dress uniforms and a pair of combat boots for each of the Marines.

He said P36 million has been set aside for the procurement. )Julie Alipala; INQ.net)

Arroyo cancels Mindanao visit

2008-12-12T11:05:00.000+08:00

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cancelled her trip to Shariff Kabunsuan province on Friday, when groups opposed to Charter change are expected to mount a huge protest.

Malacanang said Arroyo called off the trip not because of the protest but to prepare for her trip to Qatar on Saturday.

"The trip did not push through due to the Middle East trip tomorrow [Saturday]. The President has to prepare for events in the host country," Presidential Security Group (PSG) chief Brigadier General Celedonio Boquiren said in a statement released through Press Undersecretary Jose Capadocia.

Arroyo was expected at the Tapayan Elementary School in Sultan Mastura at 11:20 a.m. It was her only official schedule that was open for media coverage for the day.
On Friday afternoon, activist organizations, civil society groups, and religious organizations will mount a march in the Makati City financial district to denounce efforts by Arroyo's allies at the House of Representatives to amend the 1987 Constitution, which they said could extend her term beyond 2010.

On Thursday morning, a roadside bomb exploded in Datu Odin Sinsuat town, where the Shariff Kabunsuan airport is located. There were no casualties. (Joel Quinto; INQ.net)

What else do they say after the Pacman-Golden Boy encounter

2008-12-11T05:12:00.003+08:00

Before I take you to what other good people say about the recently concluded Pacquiao-Dela Hoya fight, here are the top ten observations first:

• 1. Indications are that the pay-per-view result will be around 1.5 million buys, which is a phenomenal number. It’s a tribute not only to De La Hoya’s ability to sell, but it points out the widespread popularity that Pacquiao has obtained. This guy isn’t popular just among his countrymen in the Philippines.

• 2. If Floyd Mayweather Jr. comes out of retirement to fight Pacquiao next year, he won’t find the going as easy as he may think. Mayweather is outstanding, but so, too, is Pacquiao.

• 3. De La Hoya trainer Nacho Beristain should have stopped the fight at the end of the sixth round. He let the Golden Boy take far too much unneeded punishment. And though Beristain later said he stopped the bout, it was clear De La Hoya himself did it.

• 4. De La Hoya would be foolish to consider another fight, even a so-called farewell fight against an easy opponent. His health isn’t worth it. He looked mediocre against Steve Forbes in May and worse against Pacquiao on Saturday. Boxing is far too dangerous of a sport for someone who has clearly reached the end of the line, as De La Hoya has.

• 5. Former world champion Alexis Arguello was certainly prescient in May, when after De La Hoya’s one-sided (on the scorecard) win over Forbes, he told me in a private interview, “That was a big, significant drop.”

• 6. It was hard to believe Pacquiao is the same guy I watched lose in the same ring back in 2005 to Erik Morales. The work trainer Freddie Roach has done with him is beyond incredible.

• 7. Ricky Hatton is Pacquiao’s likely next opponent. And he’s going to learn very quickly that, “There’s only one Manny Pacquiao.”

• 8. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer and attorney Stephen Espinoza were way out of line Friday when they threatened to pull the credentials of journalists who were listening in during a dispute with the Nevada Athletic Commission over the way De La Hoya’s hands were wrapped. The meeting was held in the media center; if they wanted privacy, there were many places they could have gone that were off-limits to the media and they wouldn’t have looked like bullies. Schaefer was also wrong for telling a Los Angeles Times reporter that if the reporter kept asking questions about undercard fighter Victor Ortiz’s bankruptcy, which led to his signing with Golden Boy, he would get very angry. The crumbling (and toothless) Boxing Writers Association of America should take the matter up, but you can guarantee that won’t occur.

• 9. Saturday’s undercard was so bad, it rivals the Nov. 8 one underneath the Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones Jr. fight in New York as the worst of the year. No matter how good a main event is, the public deserves more than that dreck. And the non-televised fights were about as one-sided.

• 10. One of the shocks of the post-fight Saturday was that no one from HBO felt it necessary to speak publicly. You can rest assured that if De La Hoya had won, one of the many vice presidents in attendance would have been at the microphone speaking.

And with that, it’s time to address your questions and concerns in this week’s reader mailbag. My answers are in italics.

Manny’s future

There can be no more questions on who is the pound-for-pound king right now, but what are the possible fights in Pacquiao’s future? They say Hatton may be next, or maybe be a third war with Juan Manuel Marquez, but what other options are there? Mayweather may come out of retirement, but by the way Floyd ducked decent competition before, I don’t think he will risk his unbeaten record against Pacquiao.

Maide Evangelista, Philippines

Pacquiao convinced me beyond any doubt that he is the No. 1 boxer in the world. Unless Mayweather comes out of retirement – which I’d expect, given the financial bonanza he’d reap from such a bout – Pacquiao plans to fight at 140. There are a ton of great fights for him there, including Hatton and Marquez. But he’ll be able to pick and choose bouts from 135 through 147, opening a lot of possibilities for him. Another guy to watch as a future opponent is Edwin Valero, who is reported to be making great progress working with trainer Kenny Adams.

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Eat your words

You’re one of those who branded the De La Hoya-Pacquiao fight as a money-making farce. Care to comment on that now?

Joel Soliman, Philippines

Clearly, my prediction was way off base, but I didn’t believe Oscar would be so far gone. That’s not to take anything away from Pacquiao, but the big issue in my eyes prior to the fight wasn’t answered. I didn’t know how well Pacquiao could handle a punch from a big man and hard puncher like De La Hoya, but De La Hoya never landed one. But Pacquiao’s footwork and movement were much improved and contributed to the problems De La Hoya experienced.

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Manny and money

If Pacquiao and Hatton fight next year, I think it will be a fight of the year candidate, with Pacquiao stopping Hatton late. The thing that bothers me most is, I think Pacquiao has a much better chance against Mayweather than most of us think. I just finished watching the Mayweather-Zab Judah (southpaw with speed and power like Pacman, but Judah doesn’t have the heart) fight. I think Pacquiao stands a chance of beating and outboxing Floyd. I also watched Mayweather-Hatton and Pacquiao-Marquez II. I think a Mayweather-Pacquiao would bring out the best in each man and give us one hell of a fight for sure. What do you think?

Mel Donaldson. New York

I agree completely. I’m not ready to pick Pacquiao over Mayweather yet, but it would be a dogfight and I can’t imagine having said that a year ago. Your analysis in all regards is spot on, Mel.

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Horrible undercard

Golden Boy Promotions should offer whoever bought the fight on Saturday a refund. Not only did we see Oscar do his best impression of a punching bag, but the rest of the card was horrible. The Juan Manuel Lopez-Sergio Medina fight was even worse. Medina wanted no part of Lopez and should not have even shown up. Golden Boy Promotions will never get $54.95 out of me again.

Thomas Garcia; Culver City, Calif.

Amen.

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Another unhappy customer

I think Golden Boy Promotions has been doing this for too long. They are all about showing off their fighters rather than putting on a good show. The only thing worth $55 was the significance of what happened in the main event. Other than that, this was the most disappointing card I’ve ever paid for. Do you see Golden Boy continuing to put on these extreme mismatch cards? If they do, I will not be paying for them.

Jesse Guerrero, Dallas

Unfortunately, Jesse, I think you’ll continue to see these kinds of cards, where they save as much money as they can on the undercard. Given the enormous numbers they’ve done on pay-per-view in this fight, they have no reason to change. They’ll only do so when the fans make their feelings known en masse. Fortunately, I think there will be far fewer pay-per-view shows in 2009.

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Safety first

Prior to the Pacquiao-De La Hoya fight, I wrote you stating that the only reason why Oscar was taking this fight was because it was a big money bout and that I believed that in his opinion, he saw it as a fairly safe fight. He thought he was simply too big for Manny, as did most of the boxing public. I also stated that when it was all said and done that Manny Pacquiao would not only win, but win by way of sensational knock out. De La Hoya has made a career of taking fairly safe fights against either smaller or shot opponents because of the huge paydays. Genaro Hernandez, Fernando Vargas and Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. come to mind. When he did step up his quality of opposition, as in Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey and Shane Mosley, he either lost or won by controversial decision. Manny has done the complete opposite and it has benefitted him greatly. He has fought the best possible opposition and, with the exception of the first Erik Morales fight, not stumbled. My opinion is Manny Pacquiao is one of the greatest fighters ever, pound-for-pound, but Oscar De La Hoya is not even close. What do you think?

Joseph Furr Stanley, N.C.

I agree with a lot of your statement. I think when Pacquiao’s done, he has a chance to be remembered as a Top 100 pound-for-pound fighter. As I said in last week’s mailbag, I don’t believe De La Hoya is there. De La Hoya did have clear victories over excellent fighters in their primes (Rafael Ruelas, Ike Quartey and Vargas), but your point about many of his opponents is well taken.

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Manny as a welterweight

Manny looked very impressive at welterweight, carrying over his speed and power. This just makes me more impressed with him and Juan Manuel Marquez. I thought Marquez won the rematch with Pacquiao and I believe 80 percent of the people watching felt Marquez won, also. After Manny’s performance, Marquez’s stock must rise as well. And my other thought and question for you is how would Pacman fare against Miguel Cotto or Antonio Margarito? I would say that Pacman would lose easily because his performance looks better because Oscar was a shot fighter.

Chris C. Waterville, Maine

I just don’t see Pacquiao ever facing Margarito or Cotto, because of the size/strength factor. And I agree with your assessment that Oscar was shot. That’s not to say that Manny wouldn’t have won regardless, but Oscar made it easier for him. Of course, Marquez’s stock rises in this scenario and that will only increase interest in a third fight between them.

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What caused Oscar’s slip?

I was lucky enough to watch the De La Hoya-Pacquiao fight Saturday and I felt that Oscar looked terrible. He spent a lot of time just standing there. I have never been his biggest fan, but I saw him fight Mayweather and I thought he looked pretty good in that one. What happened in the last 19 months? I didn’t see the Forbes fight, but it really seems that Oscar has lost it. Was it Pacquiao’s style that made him look so bad, or is it over for Oscar?

Josh Pittsburgh

There is an old saying in boxing that sometimes a fighter gets old overnight. We saw that with De La Hoya, though there were plenty of signs of his decline in the Forbes fight, which I noted in my column after that bout. Saturday’s result was a combination of Pacquiao being outstanding and De La Hoya having nothing left.

5 soldiers slain in Basilan encounter

2008-12-08T11:03:00.001+08:00

ZAMBOANGA, Philippines -- Five soldiers were killed and 24 wounded in running battles with Al Qaeda-linked militants in the southern Philippines, the military said Monday.

Troops launched attacks against Abu Sayyaf militants on the southern islands of Basilan and Jolo Sunday and fighting was continuing early Monday, said Lieutenant Stephanie Cacho.

Cacho initially said 24 soldiers were killed but the military later rectified the toll to five dead and 24 wounded, citing confused reports from the field.

"There is still sporadic fighting today [Monday]," Cacho, a spokeswoman for the military's Western Mindanao command, told Agence France-Presse.

She said fighting on Basilan was concentrated in its interior jungle area where Muslim militants also beheaded 14 Marines in July last year.

"This operation is part of our campaign to flush out the Abu Sayyaf which is responsible for a series of kidnappings," Cacho said.

The Abu Sayyaf is a small group of Islamic militants blamed for a string of high-profile kidnappings and attacks, including the 2004 firebombing of a ferry in Manila Bay that left more than 100 dead. (Agence France Presse)

Pacquiao wins in eighth round over De La Hoya

2008-12-07T18:46:00.002+08:00

LAS VEGAS (AP)—The end for Oscar De La Hoya on this night came as he sat in the corner after the eighth round, his left eye swollen shut and his face bruised by punches Manny Pacquiao seemed able to land almost at will.

The decision to call it a night was easy. The decision to call it a career may be a lot tougher.

“My heart still wants to fight, that’s for sure,” De La Hoya said. “But when your physical doesn’t respond, what can you do? I have to be smart and make sure I think about my future plans.”
Pacquiao gave De La Hoya a lot to think about by beating and battering him around the ring for eight rounds Saturday night before De La Hoya declined to answer the bell for the ninth round. The domination was shocking enough, but the fact that it came at the hands of a fighter who just nine months earlier had been fighting at 129 pounds had to be even more troubling for De La Hoya and his legions of fans.

De La Hoya absorbed such a beating that he was taken to a hospital afterwards for what was described as a precautionary examination. The most popular fighter of his generation won just one round on one ringside scorecard and none on the other two against a smaller opponent who fought bigger than him from the opening bell on.

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“We knew we had him after the first round,” Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach said. “He had no legs, he was hesitant and he was shot.”

Roach trained De La Hoya in his last big fight a year ago and said then that De La Hoya simply couldn’t throw punches when he needed to anymore. That was magnified even more against Pacquiao, who not only was as elusive as Floyd Mayweather Jr. but threw punches back that kept De La Hoya off pace.

“Freddie, you’re right,” De La Hoya told the trainer after the fight. “I just don’t have it anymore.”

If De La Hoya’s career is over, it will be the end of a remarkable story that began when he won the Olympic gold medal in Barcelona in 1992 and went on to become the biggest box office attraction in the sport. But while he sold tickets, De La Hoya hadn’t won a big fight in six years, and there were whispers long before the fight that he had nothing left.

He certainly had nothing against Pacquiao, who fought a lot bigger than he looked and who proved that speed was a lot more important than size against a fighter who at the age of 35 has seen his better days.

“That’s what we were focused on every day in the gym, speed, speed would be the key to this fight,” Pacquiao said. “I trained hard for this fight, and that’s why I deserve tonight.”

De La Hoya’s left eye was swollen shut as he sat on his stool after the eighth round and the ring doctor, referee and his cornermen discussed his condition. De La Hoya offered no complaints when his corner decided he had enough, getting up from his stool and walking to the center of the ring to congratulate the victor.

“You’re still my idol,” Pacquiao told him.

“No, you’re my idol,” De La Hoya said.

It was lopsided from the beginning, with Pacquiao landing punch after punch while De La Hoya chased after him, trying to catch him with a big blow. Pacquiao was winning big even before the seventh round, when he was pounding De La Hoya against the ropes in his corner and catching him with huge shots that knocked him across the ring.

De La Hoya remained upright, but with one eye closed and his reflexes seemingly gone there was no chance he was going to land the big punches he would have needed to turn the fight around. Ringside statistics showed Pacquiao landed 45 power punches in the seventh round to just four for De La Hoya. (By TIM DAHLBERG, AP)

Pacquiao: ‘Time to make history’

2008-12-07T05:29:00.003+08:00

Pacquiao 3 lb lighter than Hoya

LAS VEGAS—With a smile on his face and a snarl in his voice, Manny Pacquiao shrugged off a weighty issue as he tries to overcome the biggest challenge in his career both for the glory of a nation and for his own share of boxing greatness.

The Filipino icon battles his sport’s acknowledged Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya, in an intriguing welterweight battle Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the MGM Grand’s Garden Arena here, in a fight dubbed the “Dream Match.” Some call it a mismatch.

“I’m ready to fight,” Pacquiao told journalists Friday night. “It’s time to make history.”

The 29-year-old brawler tipped the scales at 142 pounds Friday in a festive official weigh-in at the packed Garden Arena. The moment the number was called out, trainer Freddie Roach quickly approached the scale to check if he heard it correctly. Everybody sensed something was wrong.

“I was surprised at my weight,” Pacquiao said later that evening inside his cushy 61st floor suite at Mandalay Bay. “Before I went to the weigh-in, I checked my weight and came in at 146 lb.”

That the 5-foot-10 De La Hoya made it at 145 lb, two under the stipulated welterweight limit of 147 lb, drew even more questions.

“When I got to the venue, in less than an hour, I weighed 142 lb. In less than an hour I lost 4 lb and I did not even do anything. I don’t want to insinuate anything, but I lost 4 lb in less than an hour without doing anything,” Pacquiao said.

Not that Pacquiao wants a full-blown inquiry into the matter.

“Ako pa? Kilala niyo ako, hindi ako basta-basta nasisindak,” exclaimed Pacquiao. “Kung gusto nila, magsuntukan na kami ngayon, kahit wala pang gloves (You know me. I don’t get scared easily. If they want, we can fight now, even with the gloves off).

De La Hoya ploy?

People may easily register different weights in different scales, but the difference is rarely as pronounced as 4 lb. Pacquiao feels that De La Hoya may have rigged his way out of a $6-million penalty for being overweight.

As stipulated in the fight contract, any fighter who weighs over 147 lb will pay $3 million per excess pound. That clause was inserted into the contract as a safety measure by Roach to prevent De La Hoya from coming in too big and create an even bigger mismatch between the two fighters.

De La Hoya, who has been in seclusion since reaching this gambling haven Monday night except for a few official public appearances, could not be reached for comment as his team immediately whisked him out of the venue after a couple of short television interviews.

Prior to the weigh-in, though, De La Hoya said that he “feels great” at the lower weight.

“I feel energetic,” he said. “I feel happy. I feel like I have a little bounce. I’m taking care of myself, to make sure that I keep the speed, because the power is already there.”

Pacquiao added there was no way the official scale and his own machine could have produced separate results because they were both on the mark just the day before.

4 pounds off Hoya

“After I trained, I checked my weight and came in at 146. I ate a little and the next morning, I checked my weight again and came in at 146. All of a sudden, the official scale and my scale were off by 4 lb. Take those 4 lb and that means Oscar is 149.”

As dangerous as the prospect of fighting a guy 2 lb heavier than he should be is, Pacquiao remains unperturbed. In fact, he relished the challenge and—a day after being referred to as King Kong by De La Hoya—cooked up his own metaphor for the match.

“It’s David vs Goliath,” Pacquiao said, laughing.

But this David is expected to have a tougher time against Goliath.

Pacquiao, the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer, sports a 47-3-2 record spiked with 35 knockouts. He battles the Golden Boy (29-5, 30 KOs) in a fight people say he cannot win. Even the betting odds, which was slowly moving to an even line on fight night, suddenly turned against him after he registered 142 on the scales.

Pacquiao is now a plus 160 underdog and De La Hoya a minus 190 favorite for the match. That means that a $100 bet on the Filipino will win an additional $160, while one has to bet $190 on De La Hoya to win another $100. Before the weigh-in, De La Hoya was a minus 155 favorite and Pacquiao just a plus 125 underdog.

Power punches but ...

Emanuel Steward, who once trained De La Hoya, praised Pacquiao’s ability to unload power punches in volumes from the first to the last round, but he still favored the Golden Boy to win this one.

“The odds would have to favor Oscar because he’s the bigger man and he’s not slow,” Steward said.

Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins was even more brutally honest.

“This is one of the greatest fights ever and Oscar’s going to knock Manny out in the seventh or eighth round,” said the 43-year-old Hopkins, who is coming off an impressive victory over Kenny “The Ghost” Pavlik.

Steward says Pacquiao’s relentlessness and De La Hoya’s penchant for losing steam in the later rounds may be the only way that the outcome could be reversed.

“He (Manny) punches with full power from first round to 12th round. Most big punchers like Mike Tyson get tired after the first few rounds. Manny’s going to be punching at full speed and if Oscar tires like he does in all of his big fights, Manny could knock him out.”

The legendary trainer also warned De La Hoya that an inspired Pacquiao might just find a way to pull off an upset.

Whole country behind him

“I’ve never known any fighter in my life that has a whole country behind him,” Steward said. “Julio Cesar Chavez was like that in Mexico, but nothing like Manny. He’s motivated because he feels like he’s not fighting for himself, he’s fighting for a lot of people.”

“It’s not just all of the Philippines, but all of Asia depending on this one little fellow.”

And more than that, Pacquiao is fighting for his spot alongside the greats of the game.

“If I beat Oscar, I will be known not only in the Philippines but in the whole world,” Pacquiao had said. “People are going to be talking about this fight for the next 50 years. This is going to be part of boxing history.”

Revelation

Pacquiao should also get a boost from a revelation by a former De La Hoya sparring partner that all the hype about how hard the Golden Boy trained for the fight is plain rubbish.

“Oscar doesn’t like to work out,” said super featherweight knockout artist Edwin Valero. The Venezuelan said he saw clips of Pacquiao in training and compared it to his experience with De La Hoya and from that predicted the Filipino to knock out his bigger rival.

“Oscar doesn’t like to run,” added the 27-year-old Valero. “Pacquiao is going to knock Oscar out.”

Whatever happens, Pacquiao is assured of his biggest windfall ever.

The four-division champion and current WBC lightweight king is expected to earn close to $15 million for this fight, which includes a guaranteed purse—reportedly $6 million—and his share of the pay-per-view pie.

No. 2 bestseller

The fight already is No. 2 on the Nevada bestseller list, second only to the De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather blockbuster last year in terms of ticket sales. Experts said it took an economic turmoil in the US to prevent the “Dream Match” from being No. 1.

The official weigh-in was hosted by comedian George Lopez, who made a normally routine affair into a lively one, engaging the crowd and cracking one-liners that scored a knockout with his audience.

“This is one of the greatest fights in boxing so if you can’t watch it live, get it on pay-per-view. That’s where OJ is going to watch it for the next 15 years to life.” Lopez said, referring to disgraced football star OJ Simpson, who was sentenced to prison earlier that day.

“If you’re white, don’t forget to get this fight on pay-per-view. If you’re Latino, you can just, you know, connect the cables or whatever,” added Lopez, who is of Mexican descent.

Also present during the weigh-in were Top Rank chief Bob Arum and Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer, announcer Michael Buffer and boxers Hopkins, Shane Mosely, Ricky Hatton and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Something wrong

Arum, who is co-promoting the fight with the Golden Boy promotions, said he sensed something wrong with the way De La Hoya looked.

“I don’t know if it’s wishful thinking or if I’m seeing things that I shouldn’t be seeing, but Oscar looked drawn,” Arum said. “If Oscar comes in more than 155 lb, he’s going to be dead because he will be putting too much weight and that makes him vulnerable to body shots.”

An hour before the fight, there were already close to 3,000 fans, boisterously cheering for their boxers and waving the national flag of the Philippines and Mexico.

Half an hour before the weigh-in started, there were no more seats available.
(By Francis Ochoa)

Tyson backs Pacquiao

2008-12-06T06:44:00.002+08:00

Manny still underdog but betting odds closing

LAS VEGAS—As if words were not enough to drive his point across, former undisputed heavyweight champion “Iron” Mike Tyson stepped back, bobbed, weaved and then ducked a phantom left hook.

This is how you do it against Oscar De La Hoya, Tyson told Manny Pacquiao’s assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez.

With Pacquiao still the underdog in his “Dream Match” with Oscar De La Hoya, Tyson dropped by the IBA Gym here Thursday to catch the Filipino’s last training session before the fight on Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

Although on the short end of betting with less than 48 hours left before the fight, the odds against the man whom De La Hoya alluded to as King Kong continued to slip with the influx of Filipino bettors who are wagering on Pacquiao.

The greatest plunge in the odds was on the probability of Pacquiao knocking out De La Hoya. That proposition opened at 13-2, before slipping to 9-2. In less than 24 hours, that moved to 3-2 as people started putting faith in the Pacman’s punching power.

For most of his stay in the gym, Tyson, garbed in a pink shirt and dark gray slacks, kept to himself in one corner, standing up only when Pacquiao climbed the ring to begin his workout.

“He (Tyson) said Manny must keep moving the head,” Fernandez said.

Tyson also noted that De La Hoya’s background as an amateur fighter makes him a deadly tactician.

“He wants Manny to move in and not to back away too far because that’s where Oscar’s jab-straight-hook (combination) comes to play,” Fernandez said.

Keep attacking body

He also quoted Tyson as saying it would be best for the Filipino ring hero to keep attacking De La Hoya’s body because sooner or later the Golden Boy’s guard would start to lower.

“It was nice for Mike Tyson to come,” said trainer Freddie Roach, who once handled the boxer formerly known as “the baddest man on the planet.”

“Mike gave me a little advice,” Roach added. “He said be careful with moving back in straight lines because Oscar has a long reach. Sensible stuff. He wants Manny to make sure he doesn’t come in with the head first, but instead come in behind his punches.”

Free tickets for Tyson

The 42-year-old disgraced heavyweight champion stayed for nearly the entire time Pacquiao worked out, following the Filipino’s every move as he skipped rope, worked the mitts, hit the double end or pounded the speed ball.

He left just as Pacquiao was about to wrap up his final workout. Roach said Tyson still had no tickets to the fight but Pacquiao took care of that, providing four tickets to the man who was once the youngest heavyweight champion of the world.

Pacquiao, the reigning World Boxing Council lightweight champion, is expected to do walks and stretches on Friday and on the morning of the fight. The official weigh-in is on Friday at the MGM Grand.

Pacquiao, according to Roach, now weighs 146 pounds. He will have breakfast and a short walk in the hallway outside his suite at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay before proceeding to the weigh-in.

“We’ll have it in at 146 or 147,” Roach said. “We’ll have breakfast and then we’ll check his weight. That’s about it.”

Training in secrecy

“We’re good, we’re happy,” the two-time Trainer of the Year added. “We have nothing to worry about. We’re well prepared and we have nothing more to do.”

Pacquiao made the most of his final workout, going four rounds with the mitts with Roach. He also shadow-boxed with intensity, worked the double end and the speed ball before skipping rope and doing crunches to wrap things up.

Several times, his trainers had to restrain Pacquiao as he kept shouting “one more” at the end of every workout.

De La Hoya, meanwhile, continued to train in seclusion. He is also expected to easily make the weight after undergoing a training regimen that was aimed to retain his strength at a lighter weight.

For the past months, he trained at 145 lb and flew into this ritzy gambling city at 143.8 lb, according to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer.

Odds-wise, De La Hoya is now just a minus 155 favorite and Pacquiao a plus 125 underdog. That means, a bet of $155 on a De La Hoya win will earn only $100, while a wager of $100 on a Pacquiao victory will win $125.

Scribes pick De La Hoya

Among serious boxing writers, however, De La Hoya continues to be the overwhelming favorite. An Internet site polled 17 of its scribes and 13 picked De La Hoya to win.

However, almost all of those who picked De La Hoya said that Pacquiao stood to be the big winner whether or not De La Hoya defeated him. A De La Hoya victory would only make the Golden Boy look like a bully, the poll said, while a Pacquiao victory would cement the Filipino’s claim to the mythical pound-for-pound throne.

Roach admits he was skeptical of the whole idea of a De La Hoya-Pacquiao match at first.

“I honestly never thought it was possible,” he said. “But then I saw Oscar with small guys and southpaws. He has trouble with both. So I pushed for it hard.

“It’s basically because of what it will do for Manny’s life. It’s the icing on the cake. It makes him a superstar.”

Said Pacquiao: “This is the most important fight of my life.”

Power is gone

Results have been mixed for fighters who jump up in weight. It turned out badly for Kelly Pavlik recently, but Roy Jones Jr., who started his career at middleweight, made a jump to defeat World Boxing Association heavyweight champ John Ruiz.

Like Roach, Pacquiao believes his speed will help him overcome De la Hoya’s 4-inch height advantage.

“He’s getting slow and the power is not there any more,” Pacquiao said of De la Hoya.

And there is the question of whether coming down in weight will adversely affect De la Hoya.

In his last six fights, De la Hoya has a record of 3-3 and he has looked drained in the latter stages of each fight, absorbing myriad blows in the final rounds.

De La Hoya’s weaknesses

Some pundits have predicted his effort to make the 147 weight will exacerbate the problem, although his trainer for this bout, Mexico’s Ignacio “Nacho” Beristain, says they have adjusted his training regimen to prevent a late-fight letdown.

“It’s obvious that Oscar can’t be the same fighter at 35 that he was at 20, but his preparation remained almost the same,” Beristain told Agence France-Presse.

“Now we have corrected that error. We put more emphasis on physical conditioning so he can go the distance if necessary.”

Certainly, Pacquiao’s famously aggressive style will offer De la Hoya no respite.

Roach believes the American has weaknesses Pacquiao can exploit.

“I’m not saying we’re not going to knock him out,” Roach said. “If it happens, fine. We’ll take it. What we’re going to do is break him down round by round,” Roach said.

“We’re working on staying away from the jab and the left hook. The hook is a power shot. But Oscar makes a mistake with his jab. I’m not saying what it is, but I’ve seen it.” (By Francis Ochoa with reports from AFP)

Manny vs Oscar: Dream fight or nightmare

2008-12-05T17:45:00.000+08:00

LAS VEGAS -- Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao faces the biggest challenge of his career Saturday when he takes on Oscar de la Hoya in what could be a career-defining bout.

The bout between the Mexican-American "Golden Boy" and Pacquiao, who is reckoned to be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now, has been dubbed the "Dream Match."

But given the disparity in the foes' natural weights, some have speculated it could turn into a nightmare of a mismatch.

Pacquiao began fighting professionally at 106 pounds, and has fought just once at lightweight -- weighing in at 134.5 pounds when he wrested the World Boxing Council lightweight crown from David Diaz on June 28.

He'll take on De la Hoya at the MGM Grand on Saturday at a compromise welterweight limit of 147 pounds -- which will be the lightest De la Hoya has been since his 2001 victory over Arturo Gatti.

"I feel very comfortable at this 147-pound weight right now," said Pacquiao, who nonetheless has made it plain he plans to go back to lightweight after the fight. "I've fought larger guys before. It's not a problem."

Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, admits he was skeptical of the whole idea at first.

"I honestly never thought it was possible," he said. “But then I saw Oscar with small guys and southpaws. He has trouble with both. So I pushed for it hard.”

"It's basically because of what it will do for Manny's life. It's the icing on the cake. It makes him a superstar," he said.

A hero in his homeland, Pacquiao stands to collect his biggest purse and make his biggest international impact in Saturday's fight, regardless of its non-title status.

"If I win this fight, I will have achieved my dream and mission in boxing, to put my name in boxing history after all these years," said Pacquiao, who brings a 47-3 record with two drawn and 35 knockouts to the bout. "This is the most important fight of my life."

Results have been mixed for fighters who jump up in weight. It turned out badly for Kelly Pavlik recently, but Roy Jones Jr., who started his career at middleweight, made a jump to defeat World Boxing Association heavyweight champ John Ruiz.

Like Roach, Pacquiao believes his speed will help him overcome De la Hoya's four-inch height advantage.

"He's getting slow and the power is not there any more," Pacquiao said of De la Hoya, who has won world titles in six different weight classes. "I think I'm faster than him."

And there is the question of whether coming down in weight will adversely affect De la Hoya.

In his last six fights, De la Hoya has a record of 3-3 and he has looked drained in the latter stages of each fight, absorbing myriad blows in the final rounds.

Some pundits have predicted his effort to make the 147 weight will exacerbate the problem, although his trainer for this bout, Mexico's Ignacio "Nacho" Beristain, says they have adjusted his training regimen to prevent a late-fight let-down.

"It's obvious that Oscar can't be the same fighter at 35 that he was at 20, but his preparation remained almost the same," Beristain told Agence France-Presse.

"Now we have corrected that error. We put more emphasis on physical conditioning so he can go the distance if necessary," he said.

Certainly Pacquiao's famously aggressive style will offer De la Hoya no respite.

Roach, who trained De la Hoya for his unsuccessful super welterweight clash with Floyd Mayweather in 2007, believes the American has weaknesses Pacquiao can exploit.

"I'm not saying we're not going to knock him out," Roach said. "If it happens, fine. We'll take it. What we're going to do is break him down round by round," Roach said.

"We're working on staying away from the jab and the left hook. The hook is a power shot. But Oscar makes a mistake with his jab. I'm not saying what it is, but I've seen it," said Roach.

De La Hoya has acknowledged Roach may have valuable insight into his style.

"It concerns me quite a bit actually," De La Hoya said. "He trained for Mayweather and although Mayweather and Pacquiao have different styles, he knows how I train."

As if the imponderables in the ring weren't enough, the match-up includes a tinge of personal animosity.

That stems from a seven-fight deal worth at last $35 million that Pacquiao signed with de la Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions in September of 2006, only to return bonus money two months later and stay with promoter Bob Arum.

"We signed the deal and he turned his back on me and he's going to have to pay on December 6," he said.(Agence France-Presse)

A fight for the Oscar (award) in boxing!

2008-12-05T05:45:00.003+08:00

“I prepared for King Kong,” De La Hoya told reporters on Wednesday, adding his fight with the Filipino was the kind likely to end in a knockout.

Fight time is around 9 p.m. Saturday Las Vegas time, or about 1 p.m. Sunday in Manila. (For pre-fight updates and coverage of the fight, please go to www.inquirer.net)
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Pacquiao is hardly King Kong, though De La Hoya would be wise to beware of a fighter who has won titles in four weight divisions and is heralded by many as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Though he started his boxing career at 106 pounds (48 kg) and has never fought above 135 pounds (61 kg), Pacquiao is the kind of nonstop puncher who can make an aging fighter look bad.

And that pretty much is the selling point for a fight that seemed odd when it was first made but now looks like an increasingly intriguing match-up of two men who have been in their share of big fights.

“We can either box, we can either brawl or we can even counterpunch him,” De La Hoya said.

“I would be disappointed if I don’t stop him because this type of fight calls for a knockout,” the 35-year-old, six-division champion and former Olympic gold medalist added.

“[In] this type of fight, you get two fighters who are going to fight. If Manny Pacquiao hits me with a good shot, hey, let’s fight. I’m going to bite into my mouthpiece and let’s fight.”

De La Hoya even made a play on his own name during an interview following their final pre-fight press conference, which lasted close to two hours.

“When you want to win an Oscar (award), you’ll do anything you can to win an Oscar,” De La Hoya said. “That’s what they’ve done. They jumped up two weight classes and they’re looking for that Oscar.”

And it will be an Oscar ready to do everything he can to win a fight where he has everything to lose that will confront Pacquiao in the ring, De La Hoya vowed.

A place in history

“This is going to be boxing history,” the Pacman countered. “Fifty years from now, people will still remember this fight.”

Pacquiao continues to train without the nuisance of trying to make the weight. With the fight pegged at the welterweight limit of 147 pounds (67 kg), Asia’s only four-division champ hasn’t found any need to cut down on food.

Two days before the weigh-in, the 29-year-old Gen. Santos City native reportedly tipped the scales at 145 pounds, with De La Hoya at an even lighter 143.8.

“It doesn’t matter, fighting at 147,” said Pacquiao, currently a +135 underdog in the match. “It’s not a big (issue) because I fight a lot of bigger fighters in sparring.”

Odds of +135 underdog mean your bet of $100 on Pacquiao would bring you $135 if he won.

Odds won’t matter

Making this special for Pacquiao is the fact that this match “will make my name known not only in the Philippines but in the whole world.”

Pacquiao said he was drawing a lot of motivation from the fact that De La Hoya continued to be a -165 favorite for the fight—meaning a bet of $165 bet on De La Hoya would win you only $100 if the American won.

Pacquiao reminded reporters that bigger odds—4-1 to be exact—were against him in his 2003 fight against Marco Antonio Barrera, the Mexican legend that Pacquiao forced to quit after 11 brutal rounds in San Antonio, Texas.

“I always believe in myself,” Pacquiao said.

De La Hoya claims he has been down to around 147 pounds for weeks, and one look at him in a track suit seemed to back that up.

The same can’t be said about Pacquiao, but his job in the weeks preparing for the fight wasn’t to diet but to eat as much as he possibly could.

One fighter has been starving himself, while the other has been gorging. That’s the only way the two could get close enough in weight to allow them to meet at the 147-pound limit in a bout that will bring them millions even with a souring economy.

$100-million purse

The “Dream Match” is expected to generate a purse of $100 million to be divided between the two fighters, with the “Golden Boy” taking in the lion’s share at 60 percent, according to Agence France-Presse.

De La Hoya towered over Pacquiao when the two met during the press conference. But the bout could hasten De La Hoya’s exit from the ring if he has misjudged his opponent.

Pay-per-view

Some oddsmakers give Pacquiao a chance, making him an 8-5 underdog in a fight that both he and De La Hoya have relentlessly promoted from their first press conference a few months ago at the base of the Statue of Liberty.

The promotion continued unabated at the final press conference, but there are questions over how well the fight will do with a $55 pay-per-view price tag in the United States at a time people are watching their money carefully.

De La Hoya is co-promoting the fight through his own company and spent much of his time at the podium at the MGM Grand hotel-casino reminding people that they could get up to $50 in rebates on the fight if they buy the right kind of beer, tequila and soda. Just to make sure he covered all bases, he repeated the message in Spanish.

De La Hoya, who hasn’t won a significant fight in six years, sounded like he was preparing for the kind of all-out brawl boxing fans would pay good money to see.

But Freddie Roach doesn’t buy it. The man who was in De La Hoya’s corner in his last big fight a year ago against Floyd Mayweather Jr. said after that fight that De La Hoya couldn’t pull the trigger on his punches anymore.

Pacquiao’s dream

Roach is Pacquiao’s trainer and he pushed for this fight, certain that even an undersized Pacquiao has plenty to handle De La Hoya.

“He’s so tight,” Roach said. “I’ve never seen a fighter who is so experienced so tight before a fight.”

While De La Hoya says he has nothing to gain by beating Pacquiao because of the size difference, a win would help turn around a career that has been stuck in mediocrity since he stopped Fernando Vargas at 154 pounds (70 kg) in 2002.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, is already a national hero in the Philippines, where the entire nation pauses to watch his fights, and widely considered one of the best active fighters around.

But this would be a breakthrough win in his first megafight, and he has the added bonus of perhaps being the fighter who finally sent De La Hoya into retirement.

“If you sacrifice and dream about a fight, you can win,” Pacquiao said. “It’s hard to explain how happy I am right now.”

Focused, prepared

Pacquiao said he was “ready and excited” going into the fight.

“I am prepared ... This will be a good fight,” Pacquiao told a Manila radio. “I am focused on the fight. I am ready, I am excited.”

With a 47-3 record, with two drawn and 35 knockouts, Pacquiao is the current World Boxing Council lightweight champion after knocking out David Diaz in June.

De la Hoya, who has won world titles in six different weight classes, has not fought as a 147-pounder in seven years. He brings to the ring a 39-5 record, with 30 knockouts. (Reports from AP and AFP)

JI Suspect Nabbed in Shariff Kabunsuan

2008-12-04T04:30:00.001+08:00

Cotabato City, Philippines. -- Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Jesus Verzosa called for “heightened vigilance” following the arrest of a suspected member of the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network on Tuesday.

In a statement Wednesday, Verzosa said security forces in Mindanao should stay alert against “other similar attempts to disturb the peace in Mindanao.”

Police arrested Muhammad Alpariz, a Bangladeshi, at around 3 p.m. Tuesday in Shariff Kabunsuan province.

The arrest stemmed from a search warrant issued by Judge Isaac Robillo of Davao City Regional Trial Court (RTC) branch 13.

Authorities said they recovered are several improvised explosive devices and bomb-making paraphernalia from the suspect, who is still undergoing interrogation.
(By Abigail Kwok; INQ.net)

Its MOA-AD or nothing -- MILF

2008-12-03T09:17:00.002+08:00

PIKIT, NORTH COTABATO, Philippines—“It’s MOA-AD or nothing,” the chief peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said Tuesday in reaction to the government’s reconstitution of its peace panel.

Mohagher Iqbal said the MILF welcomed the appointment by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of Foreign Undersecretary Rafael Seguis as chair of the government panel, “but still it’s not enough.”

“It’s a good step toward the peace process,” he said by phone, but adding that what was needed to kick-start the negotiations was for the government to honor the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD).

The government reneged on a commitment to sign the MOA-AD on Aug. 5 as a prelude to opening formal peace negotiations with the MILF, after numerous stakeholders in Mindanao and elsewhere raised a hue and cry about not being consulted on the deal that would have granted the Moro people a virtually independent state.

The Supreme Court later struck down the MOA-AD as unconstitutional.

Since then, Malacañang has said any peace negotiations would be based on agreements that would not violate the Constitution.

Iqbal, however, said the MILF was holding the government to the MOA-AD, and if the government insisted on bringing up new talking points, the MILF would not return to the table.

“How can we resume the talks? Do we have something to talk about? We will only return to the negotiating table if we will both sign the memorandum on ancestral domain,” he said.

Since the talks hit a snag, fighting between the military and MILF forces have broken out in several areas.

Seguis, a veteran diplomat who gained prominence after negotiating the release of two Filipinos held hostage by insurgents in Iraq, said in a statement: “This is a tremendous challenge and opportunity which I humbly accept knowing fully well the difficult road that lies ahead.”

He said his appointment was “the first step in preparation for the resumption of talks.”

The government will complete reconstituting its negotiating panel by Dec. 15 in an effort to revive negotiations with the MILF hopefully before Christmas, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters.

“We may be resuming the talks toward the second or third week of December,” said Ermita.

Seguis, a former ambassador to several Muslim countries, including Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, replaced retired Gen. Hermogenes Esperon.

President Arroyo has faced growing international calls to resume peace talks with the MILF to end the fighting that broke out in August, killing scores of people on both sides and displacing more than 500,000 residents of southern Mindanao.

Several countries, including the United States and Great Britain, have urged the President to find ways to resume talks with the rebels to ease the plight of the displaced villagers. (By Jeoffrey Maitem, Julie Alipala, Richel Umel. With reports from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse)

DSWD: 6,000 evacuee families return home

2008-12-02T20:58:00.000+08:00

Around 6,000 families displaced by the armed conflict in several areas of Mindanao have returned home as the situation begins to normalize, Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said Tuesday.

“We hope that the situation will continue to improve,” Cabral said during an interview after speaking at the 3rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) forum at the Manila Hotel, which her agency hosted, Tuesday morning.

The forum brought together social welfare departments and NGOs from Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Myanmar and Vietnam. There was also a representative from the politically unstable Thailand.

Cabral said the number of families in evacuation centers monitored by the Department of Social Welfare and Development had gone down from the original 18,000 to 12,000 as of last week.

Still, Cabral said: “Our relief operations continue.”

The DSWD is not only providing basic goods but also toys for children in Mindanao this Christmas. Cabral said the DSWD has partnered with two foundations to collect toys in Metro Manila.

“What we want is to see how the governments and NGOs can work together for better and faster delivery of social services in each respective country,” Cabral said of the forum’s purpose.

She said the forum aims to put together a “consortium” of neighboring countries to provide each other examples of excellent social welfare practices to learn from.

For instance, she said the country can learn from the welfare programs for the elderly of Singapore. She admitted that the Philippines has not paid much attention to taking care of the elderly.

“We can always learn from the experiences of others,” Cabral said.

However, she said the Philippines has strong programs for the protection of children and for providing livelihood support, which representatives from Indonesia and Nepal have already learned from.

“In the Philippines, the collaboration between the government and the NGOs is quite effective and close. The government recognizes that NGOs are effective social service partners,” Cabral also said.(By Edson C. Tandoc Jr.
; INQ.net)

MILF finishes probe on 2 field commanders

2008-11-25T05:43:00.000+08:00

COTABATO CITY – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has completed its investigation on the role of two of its field commanders in the armed skirmishes in Mindanao in August.

Muhammad Ameen, MILF secretariat head, said the MILF investigation on the acts of Commanders Ameril Ombra Kato and Abdulla Macapaar alias “Bravo” had been completed but the MILF would not make it public.

“The investigation reports are classified in nature and for internal use or guide of the MILF in its continuing effort to strengthen or consolidate itself, including the institution of punishment for erring commanders or members,” Ameen said.

MILF chair Ebrahim Murad said in a news conference in September that the MILF field commanders would be punished if found to have violated MILF policies.

“Definitely, sanctions await anybody in the organization who violated our policies, whatever it would be, that is something internal in our organization,” Murad said, adding that the MILF has a justice system where everybody gets justice.

Two probe teams were created by the MILF to investigate the incidents in Lanao del Norte and in Maguindanao and North Cotabato. The two separate findings had been forwarded to the MILF central committee for action.

“It will never be made public,” Murad then said.

Both reports, aside from the narratives of events and interviews with respondents, also contained findings and recommendations, Ameen said.

Col. Julieto Ando, 6th Infantry Division spokesperson, said the MILF’s completion of its investigation on its erring field commanders and the decision not to make public its findings have no bearing on the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“That is a whitewash. If there’s investigation, the result should be made public because the field commanders committed sins,” Ando said.

He said the AFP’s mandate is to bring before the bar of justice MILF field commanders who torched houses and killed civilians in North Cotabato.

“Results or no results of MILF probe, the manhunt against Kato and “Bravo” continues until the two commanders and their men are neutralized,” Ando said.(By Edwin Fernandez;INQ.net)

Road to be built in Lanao conflict areas

2008-11-24T05:58:00.000+08:00

Residents in conflict-ridden towns in Lanao del Norte may soon enjoy some basic government services that never reached them before and a robust livelihood with the scheduled construction of a 27-kilometer road courtesy of the US military.

The road will stretch through three towns -- which used to be havens of wanted Moro rebel commander Abdullah Macapaar alias Bravo -- Kauswagan, Matunggao and Poona Piagapo, said Army 104th Brigade Commander Col. Benito de Leon.

Three months ago, renegade Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters attacked several coastal towns in the province, including Kauswagan, where many civilians were killed and families displaced.

De Leon learned from US Army Captain Christian Knutzen, who met with Lanao del Norte Gov. Mohammad Khalid Dimaporo, that the road project has already been given the green light by the US government.

The survey prior to the implementation of the road project would take place "within a few days," according to the US captain.

Knutzen is part of the US military stationed in the province in line with the Philippine-US Visiting Forces Agreement to carry out civil-military activities in support of the local military.

"This will significantly address the security issues in these towns because the military and the police would be able to patrol the areas easily while government services will flow in with a paved road," De Leon told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone on Sunday.

In the meantime, residents and even soldiers watching over these towns have been trekking craggy pathways, which the colonel described as "worse than a carabao road" to reach their destinations.

Vehicles and trucks traveling through may run the risk of getting damaged along the way, he added. The easy way to these towns was via a chopper, he also pointed out.

In the absence of concrete roads, the towns -- mostly in the hinterland -- became hotbeds for Moro rebels, who "harped" on nothing but the government's shortcomings, said De Leon.

"Since the towns were isolated, residents became exposed to what Bravo was saying against the government," he said.

Poona Piagapo was the seat of Bravo's turf, Camp Bilal, which he previously controlled. The camp was earlier allowed as an area of temporary stay for Bravo's group while the peace negotiations between the government and the MILF was ongoing.

But he was barred from the site following his raid of Kolambugan and Kauswagan towns on August 18.

The US military also agreed to help the Armed Forces of the Philippines build a military camp in Poona Piagapo to secure residents frequently distressed over the ongoing clashes between the government and the MILF troops.

"We are optimistic that the planned development of the area will address the security issues associated with its inaccessibility, and will eventually usher in economic activity to benefit the locals," added De Leon.(By Jocelyn Uy; INQ.net)

US envoy calls for ceasefire in Mindanao

2008-11-23T12:21:00.000+08:00

DATU ODIN SINSUAT, Shariff Kabunsuan -- United States Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney has warned of more displacements in Maguindanao and other parts of Mindanao unless the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front declare a ceasefire.

Earlier, Alistair MacDonald, European ambassador to the Philippines, also made a similar call.

MacDonald said the EU was worried about the future of its humanitarian and socio-economic projects in Mindanao because of the resumption of hostilities between government forces and MILF guerrillas.

Figures on the number of people in evacuation centers here and in Maguindanao vary, depending on the source.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said the number has risen to 66,000 people due to the skirmishes while government agencies reported the figure to be between 25,000 and 35,000 individuals.

Kenney said during a visit to evacuation centers here on Friday that unless the guns on both sides were silenced, "the more you'll see people like this."

The government has said the military will pursue “rogue” MILF rebels, led by Ombra Kato, until they are captured or killed. Kato was being blamed for attacks in North Cotabato and Sarangani that killed more than a dozen people in August.

Kenney said fighting will not resolve any problem and called on the government and the MILF to return to the negotiating table.

"You know that peace is the better solution for the problem," she said, adding that the violence was forcing people out of their homes.

"There are so many people you see no longer in their homes," she said.

Kenney said only a ceasefire can help displaced residents rebuild their lives.

"I ask both parties to find their way to declare a ceasefire so that people can return home…communities can again be reunited and life can go on peacefully," she said after seeing evacuees living in crammed school buildings here.

Kenney said the US was so saddened at the plight of the evacuees that it will provide about $2.5 million in assistance to them.

"This assistance is new and is intended for relief and rehabilitation," Kenney said.

She said the assistance will include programs for the rehabilitation of war-torn communities.

"Everything we do is always for the people -- that matters most," she said.

"My thoughts are with those who have been displaced by the fighting, people whose lives have been lost and disrupted. Working together, we can help Mindanao move toward peace and prosperity so people may have the future they deserve," she added.

Stephen Anderson, United Nations World Food Programme country director, who came with Kenney, said the recent support offered by the US included about 1,480 metric tons of rice expected to arrive in February.

Reacting to Kenney's call, MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said the problem lay with the Manila government and not with the MILF.

"The best thing to do is for the government to stop bombing us, allow the Malaysian-led peace monitors to conduct a probe (of the North Cotabato and other skirmishes). If the government will declare a ceasefire, we will do the same," Iqbal said.

5 killed in Lanao Norte ambush--police

2008-11-03T13:24:00.001+08:00

Five people were killed, including two children, when still unidentified men shot their vehicle in the province of Lanao del Norte Sunday afternoon, a police official said on Monday.

Chief Superintendent Danilo Empedrad, director for administration of Lanao del Norte police, said the victims were on board a passenger truck on their way home from a picnic and traversing Barangay (village) Lumbac in the municipality of Magsaysay shortly before 5 p.m. when a still unidentified number of suspects fired at them.

Killed on the spot were Mohaimen Mamao, 20, Cairoden Guinal, 20, Musa Omar, 50, Paypay Buanding, 5, and Sainoden Acamping, 9, Empedrad said.

The incident also left 11 others wounded, namely: Diamon Buanding, 18; Jenny Acampong, 16; Sulaiman Abas, 11; Minsuari Buanding, 36; Maluba Guinal Bucay, 20; Hidaya Guinal Bucay, 1; Haslil Macaangga Bucay, 37; Modiahid Guinal Bucay, 3; Waway Omar, 13; Abar Solaiman, 10; and, Amerodin Guinal, 27.

The wounded victims were rushed to the nearest hospital for treatment, Empedrad said.

Police are now conducting follow-up investigations on the incident to identify the suspects and determine the motive behind the killings, he added.(Abigail Kwok; INQ.net)

Moro groups seek UN intervention

2008-10-29T13:01:00.001+08:00

COTABATO CITY—Moro civil society organizations (CSOs) have asked the United Nations to take an active role in the peace negotiations between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) should talks resume.

Both the government and the MILF have said they are willing to resume negotiations on certain conditions.

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo wants the rebel group to surrender rogue commanders Ameril Ombra Kato and Abdullah Macapaar, alias Bravo, said to be responsible for the violence in North Cotabato, Sarangani and Lanao del Norte. The MILF wants the talks to center on the memorandum on agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD), which the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional.

“Toward our collective end of addressing the conflict in the Southern Philippines, we earnestly appeal to the Office of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon for its continuing support to the civil society’s efforts at peace-building, conflict prevention and transformation,” said the letter, faxed on Oct. 23, to UN headquarters in New York.

The CSOs said the appeal was the result of consultations held in Davao City and General Santos City. They noted the military’s punitive actions against Kato and Bravo had displaced more than 600,000 people.

“It is on this premise and, above all, the suffering of the people in this part of the world that we are appealing to the Office of the UN Secretary General to effect, at the soonest possible time, the intervention of the UN Department of Political Affairs as the most valuable contribution of the international community to our people’s age-old aspiration for a peace settlement in the Southern Philippines,” said the letter, which was signed by representatives of some 50 CSOs.

Guiamel Alim, chair of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society Organizations, said the people had the right to seek UN intervention under the international body’s mandate of partnership with civil societies in their common quest for world peace.

Alim said they would also welcome other peace-related undertakings by international agencies, including the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), European Union, Australian Aid, Local Governance Support Program in the ARMM under the Canadian International Development Agency, and the UN Act for Peace. (Nash B. Maulana, Inq.net)

Nur sees MILF leaders’ return to MNLF

2008-10-28T10:57:00.000+08:00

MATI CITY—Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Chair Nur Misuari on Saturday said a number of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders, dismayed by the Supreme Court’s trashing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA) with the government, had signified their intention to rejoin his group.

The MILF was born of the MNLF in the 1980s when several leaders, disgruntled with Misuari, left his side.

“There’s a lot of them (MILF leaders), even the big players, and before you know it, they will all be back in the fold of the MNLF,” said Misuari, after his meeting with Mati Mayor Michelle Rabat.

MILF civil-military affairs chief Eid Kabalu, however, belied Misuari’s claim.

Kabalu said the MILF was intact and no one was defecting to any group, including the MNLF.

Misuari said those who wanted to change sides had realized the peace agreement the MNLF signed with the government in 1996 was the best option for resolving the Moro problem.

The peace pact between the government and MNLF paved the way for a plebiscite that voted to create the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao comprised of five provinces – Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur – and the cities of Marawi and Isabela.

A sixth province, Shariff Kabunsuan, was carved from Maguindanao and became part of the ARMM, but the legality of its creation has been placed in doubt.

“They began to realize the MNLF formula was the best under the present circumstances,” said Misuari. He, however, did not identify the MILF leaders who wanted to rejoin his group.

He would only say they would soon be formally readmitted to the MNLF. (Dennis Jay Santos, Inq.net)