Archbishop Oscar Cruz And Jueteng – Beyond Innuendos
15 years ago
Monday, September 8, 2008
Army rockets kill 3 children, 3 others in Maguindanao
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Sunday, September 7, 2008
MILF accepts disarmament policy but…
COTABATO CITY, Philippines -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, in pushing for a resumption of negotiations with the government in the face of new hitches on the issue of ancestral domain that led to a renewal of fighting in parts of Mindanao, on Saturday expressed support for the government's "DDR policy" but did so with some reservationsMalacañang has stated it will negotiate with the MILF only in the context of disarmament, demobilization, and rehabilitation, or DDR, and that it would also bring the affected communities into the peace process.
The government’s "shift in paradigm" and statements on DDR have alarmed peace groups, who fear an escalation of the fighting.
The MILF said it was willing to go back to the negotiating table but Malacañang should not be setting any pre-conditions.
"The disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation, or DDR, should be tackled as the last item in the stalled government and MILF peace negotiation, in case it resumes," said Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF political affairs chief.
Jaafar said the MILF central committee came up with this response to the government’s DDR demand during a recent meeting.
"For the MILF to lay down their arms, by force, as a precondition for the resumption of the talks would be construed as the government using its military might rather than the political approach that most civilized countries used," Jaafar said.
He said the MILF also preferred that the last letter in the initials DDR stood for "reintegration" instead of "rehabilitation."
In a five-point policy statement dubbed as the "MILF Declaration Manifest" that was officially released Friday, the rebel group described President Macapagal-Arroyo's DDR as "the new government road map to peace" that many countries used in resolving armed conflict with the underground.
Jaafar said they acknowledge that DDR "forms part of the comprehensive peace settlement, but it should be the last item in the talks."
"When the DDR is taken up ahead of the comprehensive peace settlement, it is interpreted to be a military approach. Not in the way of a political approach that President Arroyo promised in 2001 when she replaced the all-out war policy of President Joseph Estrada to the all-out peace policy," Jaafar said.
Meanwhile, an official of the International Committee of the Red Cross said Saturday admitted that the renewed conflict in Mindanao "has been extremely violent."
"Mindanao has suffered its worst fighting since 2003," Dominik Stillhart, ICRC deputy director for operations, told reporters here.
Stillhart flew in from Geneva recently as the ICRC stepped up assistance to displaced civilians, whose numbers, he said, could run up to half a million people.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council reported that the number of people displaced by recent rebel attacks and subsequent clashes with responding government forces has exceeded 200,000 individuals in Lanao Del Norte, North Cotabato, and Maguindanao.
"I visited evacuation sites and seeing the deteriorating situation of the IDPs (internally displaced people), we see it fitting to step up our aid," said Stillhart, who visited the village of Libungan Torreta in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato on Friday.
"We could see in their eyes that these people have been displaced many times over," Stillhart said.
Bai Fatima Sinsuat, the local Red Cross official, said the number of people working in the Red Cross relief operations center has increased as more evacuation areas needed assistance.
Perry Proellochs, in charge of ICRC relief operations for Central Mindanao, said the number of their field personnel has also ballooned to about 50 from only five or six before the armed conflict started in July.
"There were so many people that need humanitarian aid and that's our main concern, their health, hygiene, and food," he said.
Suara Bangsamoro, a militant Moro group, said the only way to prevent hostilities from spreading is to resume the peace negotiations. (By Charlie Señase, Edwin Fernandez, Jeoffrey Maitem; INQ.net)
The government’s "shift in paradigm" and statements on DDR have alarmed peace groups, who fear an escalation of the fighting.
The MILF said it was willing to go back to the negotiating table but Malacañang should not be setting any pre-conditions.
"The disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation, or DDR, should be tackled as the last item in the stalled government and MILF peace negotiation, in case it resumes," said Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF political affairs chief.
Jaafar said the MILF central committee came up with this response to the government’s DDR demand during a recent meeting.
"For the MILF to lay down their arms, by force, as a precondition for the resumption of the talks would be construed as the government using its military might rather than the political approach that most civilized countries used," Jaafar said.
He said the MILF also preferred that the last letter in the initials DDR stood for "reintegration" instead of "rehabilitation."
In a five-point policy statement dubbed as the "MILF Declaration Manifest" that was officially released Friday, the rebel group described President Macapagal-Arroyo's DDR as "the new government road map to peace" that many countries used in resolving armed conflict with the underground.
Jaafar said they acknowledge that DDR "forms part of the comprehensive peace settlement, but it should be the last item in the talks."
"When the DDR is taken up ahead of the comprehensive peace settlement, it is interpreted to be a military approach. Not in the way of a political approach that President Arroyo promised in 2001 when she replaced the all-out war policy of President Joseph Estrada to the all-out peace policy," Jaafar said.
Meanwhile, an official of the International Committee of the Red Cross said Saturday admitted that the renewed conflict in Mindanao "has been extremely violent."
"Mindanao has suffered its worst fighting since 2003," Dominik Stillhart, ICRC deputy director for operations, told reporters here.
Stillhart flew in from Geneva recently as the ICRC stepped up assistance to displaced civilians, whose numbers, he said, could run up to half a million people.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council reported that the number of people displaced by recent rebel attacks and subsequent clashes with responding government forces has exceeded 200,000 individuals in Lanao Del Norte, North Cotabato, and Maguindanao.
"I visited evacuation sites and seeing the deteriorating situation of the IDPs (internally displaced people), we see it fitting to step up our aid," said Stillhart, who visited the village of Libungan Torreta in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato on Friday.
"We could see in their eyes that these people have been displaced many times over," Stillhart said.
Bai Fatima Sinsuat, the local Red Cross official, said the number of people working in the Red Cross relief operations center has increased as more evacuation areas needed assistance.
Perry Proellochs, in charge of ICRC relief operations for Central Mindanao, said the number of their field personnel has also ballooned to about 50 from only five or six before the armed conflict started in July.
"There were so many people that need humanitarian aid and that's our main concern, their health, hygiene, and food," he said.
Suara Bangsamoro, a militant Moro group, said the only way to prevent hostilities from spreading is to resume the peace negotiations. (By Charlie Señase, Edwin Fernandez, Jeoffrey Maitem; INQ.net)
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Red Cross: 500,000 affected by worst fighting in 5 years
Fighting between Philippine government forces and Muslim insurgents has reached its worst point in five years, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Friday.
"Up to a half a million people have been affected by this armed conflict and many of them have been obliged to leave their homes," said Carla Haddad, a spokeswoman for International Committee of the Red Cross.
While some people are able to return home, others remain in evacuation centres as a result of the clashes, which "are the worst since 2003," Haddad said in Geneva, where the ICRC is headquartered.
The situation for people on southern Mindanao island will stay difficult for some time to come because of a breakdown in the peace process, she added.
The ICRC plans to provide medical assistance, food and shelter to 325,000 people on the island by year's end.
Fighting broke out between Philippine troops and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on August 10 after the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order against signing a peace agreement.
The 12,000-strong MILF has been fighting for a separate Islamic state since 1978. In 2003 it signed a ceasefire with Manila to open the way for peace talks.
More violence
Analysts fear that President Gloria Arroyo's 3 September decision to dissolve a negotiating panel seeking a political solution to the MILF's 30-year rebellion will trigger increased violence across the southern island of Mindanao.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said on 4 September that four weeks of fighting between government soldiers and MILF forces had displaced some 423,772 people. These people "are directly affected and needing assistance of any form. They either lost their houses, are displaced and/or lost their livelihoods."
Cases of acute respiratory and urinary tract infections have been reported by medical authorities in camps near Kolambugan, one of the towns in Lanao del Norte province raided by MILF forces. Classes remain suspended in many areas, with schools burned down by rebels and not yet repaired and others serving as temporary shelters, according to the NDCC.
MILF rebels, headed by Umbra Kato and Commandero Bravo, led their forces in a deadly rampage across several mostly Christian towns and villages in Lanao and other areas on southern Mindanao island in August. They claimed the attacks were in retaliation for a Supreme Court order freezing an MILF-government deal that would have given them control over an expanded autonomous region in the south.
The MILF rebels looted homes and businesses, burned down houses and left some 50 people dead. Calling the attacks treacherous and a violation of a 2003 ceasefire, Arroyo unleashed punitive strikes, including heavy artillery and air bombardments, killing more than 100 rebels in the past four weeks. The government military has also taken over 15 MILF camps.
Civilian casualties
Leila de Lima, head of the independent Human Rights Commission, told IRIN the number of civilian casualties appeared to be higher than reported by the military. She said independent monitors from her office had said that in one Lanao town, Poona Piagapo, 20 civilians were killed on 24 August although their deaths went unreported.
She said it was not clear whether they were killed deliberately by the MILF or were caught in the crossfire.
"Civilians are suffering immensely. Tens of thousands are internally displaced because of this war, dozens have been killed, hundreds of homes have been pillaged and razed, landmines have been utilised, shelters and rations are insufficient, children cannot go to school and sanitation is deplorable," De Lima said.
"Armed conflict is the worst environment for human rights. The human suffering involved here remains the unmistakable black mark that stains any incidence of armed conflict," De Lima said.
Humanitarian crisis
A report by the commission after visiting nine IDP camps in the area of Cotabato city this week stated that the national and local governments were overwhelmed by the humanitarian crisis, and blamed central government for a "lack of foresight" in emergency planning prior to ordering the massive military offensive.
The report, obtained by IRIN, said sanitation was deplorable, medical supplies were running low and overall planning for disaster management "appears disorganised". It said there were no regular food supplies, potable water was inadequate, and the number of social workers to help women and children appear to be lacking.
Under pressure to quell public outrage, Arroyo scrapped talks with the MILF and said any future negotiation should entail the MILF disarming first. The directive was a major departure from her policy of talking peace and aiming for a final settlement before her term ends in 2010.(Agence France-Presse and IRIN, a news service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
"Up to a half a million people have been affected by this armed conflict and many of them have been obliged to leave their homes," said Carla Haddad, a spokeswoman for International Committee of the Red Cross.
While some people are able to return home, others remain in evacuation centres as a result of the clashes, which "are the worst since 2003," Haddad said in Geneva, where the ICRC is headquartered.
The situation for people on southern Mindanao island will stay difficult for some time to come because of a breakdown in the peace process, she added.
The ICRC plans to provide medical assistance, food and shelter to 325,000 people on the island by year's end.
Fighting broke out between Philippine troops and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on August 10 after the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order against signing a peace agreement.
The 12,000-strong MILF has been fighting for a separate Islamic state since 1978. In 2003 it signed a ceasefire with Manila to open the way for peace talks.
More violence
Analysts fear that President Gloria Arroyo's 3 September decision to dissolve a negotiating panel seeking a political solution to the MILF's 30-year rebellion will trigger increased violence across the southern island of Mindanao.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said on 4 September that four weeks of fighting between government soldiers and MILF forces had displaced some 423,772 people. These people "are directly affected and needing assistance of any form. They either lost their houses, are displaced and/or lost their livelihoods."
Cases of acute respiratory and urinary tract infections have been reported by medical authorities in camps near Kolambugan, one of the towns in Lanao del Norte province raided by MILF forces. Classes remain suspended in many areas, with schools burned down by rebels and not yet repaired and others serving as temporary shelters, according to the NDCC.
MILF rebels, headed by Umbra Kato and Commandero Bravo, led their forces in a deadly rampage across several mostly Christian towns and villages in Lanao and other areas on southern Mindanao island in August. They claimed the attacks were in retaliation for a Supreme Court order freezing an MILF-government deal that would have given them control over an expanded autonomous region in the south.
The MILF rebels looted homes and businesses, burned down houses and left some 50 people dead. Calling the attacks treacherous and a violation of a 2003 ceasefire, Arroyo unleashed punitive strikes, including heavy artillery and air bombardments, killing more than 100 rebels in the past four weeks. The government military has also taken over 15 MILF camps.
Civilian casualties
Leila de Lima, head of the independent Human Rights Commission, told IRIN the number of civilian casualties appeared to be higher than reported by the military. She said independent monitors from her office had said that in one Lanao town, Poona Piagapo, 20 civilians were killed on 24 August although their deaths went unreported.
She said it was not clear whether they were killed deliberately by the MILF or were caught in the crossfire.
"Civilians are suffering immensely. Tens of thousands are internally displaced because of this war, dozens have been killed, hundreds of homes have been pillaged and razed, landmines have been utilised, shelters and rations are insufficient, children cannot go to school and sanitation is deplorable," De Lima said.
"Armed conflict is the worst environment for human rights. The human suffering involved here remains the unmistakable black mark that stains any incidence of armed conflict," De Lima said.
Humanitarian crisis
A report by the commission after visiting nine IDP camps in the area of Cotabato city this week stated that the national and local governments were overwhelmed by the humanitarian crisis, and blamed central government for a "lack of foresight" in emergency planning prior to ordering the massive military offensive.
The report, obtained by IRIN, said sanitation was deplorable, medical supplies were running low and overall planning for disaster management "appears disorganised". It said there were no regular food supplies, potable water was inadequate, and the number of social workers to help women and children appear to be lacking.
Under pressure to quell public outrage, Arroyo scrapped talks with the MILF and said any future negotiation should entail the MILF disarming first. The directive was a major departure from her policy of talking peace and aiming for a final settlement before her term ends in 2010.(Agence France-Presse and IRIN, a news service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs)
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Arroyo scraps peace panel
Says she won’t sign MOA at gunpoint
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ended 11 years of peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), dissolving the government panel of negotiators and declaring that her administration cannot be forced to sign a deal on an expanded Bangsamoro homeland at gunpoint.
This was announced Wednesday by Press Secretary Jesus Dureza a day after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stressed that the MILF had become “irrelevant” after it refused to surrender commanders blamed for sacking towns in Mindanao and slaughtering scores of civilians.
Teodoro said that dialogues with armed groups, including the communist-led New People’s Army, would henceforth be based on demobilization, disarmament and rehabilitation (DDR) as the President had previously outlined.
“There are no more talks,” Dureza told Reuters news agency. “We’re dissolving the peace panel. You don’t need it when you’re ending talks with an armed group. We’ll start consulting with the people on the ground and find out how we can resolve the Muslim problem.”
Ms Arroyo reiterated in a statement that her administration would not sign the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain “in light of recent violent incidents committed by lawless violent groups.”
“Our commitment is to peace, the constitutional process and rule of law. There will be no peace gained through violence, no peace agreement will be reached through intimidation or the barrel of the gun,” she said.
Off to Kuala Lumpur
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita later announced that Presidential Peace Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales would be dispatched to Kuala Lumpur to explain Ms Arroyo’s position to Malaysian officials who brokered the deal.
Ermita insisted that the administration had not totally abandoned the peace process, that a new panel could be formed in the future and that the two sides could resume talks.
“The peace process is still on,” he said, pointing out the 2003 ceasefire mechanism and the international monitoring team remain in place.
Explaining at a forum Ms Arroyo’s latest pronouncement, Esperon said that because of the focus on grass-roots dialogue, the disbanded panel “may not find themselves suited in the new paradigm” created by the resurgence of MILF violence.
Esperon said he was not giving up on peace but that “there must be an effort from the MILF to cooperate with our authorities.”
Harakiri suggested
The disbanding of the peace panel was hailed in the Senate and said Esperon should be fired.
Sen. Francis Escudero said the President has no choice but to sack her peace adviser whom he said was a “paradox to peace process because all throughout his military life was devoted to searching and destroying the enemies.”
“Government incompetence killed the peace negotiations and so these people have to go and go quickly,” said Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan. “They should take the cue from the Japanese and resign or commit harakiri.”
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said that Esperon has no experience in negotiations and that a peace panel requires people “who know their jobs and who would not be taken for a fool.”
Senate President Manuel Villar said someone should be held accountable for the turnout of the peace deal that caused the escalation of atrocities in Mindanao.
In the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker Simeon Datumanong of Maguindanao said he hoped the dissolution of the peace panel did not mean abandonment of the peace process “because it can mean all-out war.”
Added Rep. Didagen Dilangalen, also of Maguindanao: “The government is marginalizing the MILF. The MILF no longer represents the Moro people.”
Awaiting official notice
MILF leaders said they would await an official communication from the Philippine government through the Malaysian secretariat.
“Unless they formally notify Malaysia, our position is that these statements coming out of newspapers and the broadcast media remain as informal statements,” said Eid Kabalu, MILF civil-military affairs chief.
“Peace panels are not permanent. They can be dissolved and reconstituted,” Kabalu said, holding out hopes that negotiations could resume.
Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF chief negotiator, repeated an earlier position that the MOA initialed in July in Malaysia was “a done deal.”
“We hold on to it for they have initialed the document,” Iqbal said.
Double-edged sword
MILF leaders have acknowledged that its field commanders—Ameril Ombra Kato and Abdulla Macapaar—had gone on a warpath, disgruntled at the government’s failure to sign the MOA on Aug. 5 in Malaysia.
The Supreme Court halted the deal after local officials in Mindanao protested the inclusion of areas under their jurisdiction in the expanded Moro homeland and warned that the MOA would lead to the dismemberment of the Philippine republic.
The government has mounted a massive operation to hunt Kato and Macapaar, offering a P10-million reward for their capture for igniting violence that has killed at least 62 civilians and displaced close to 500,000 people, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Center. The military said 17 soldiers had died in the fighting. The MILF confirmed seven deaths.
The government has been in on-off talks with the MILF since 1997 to end a conflict that has killed 120,000 people and displaced 2 million in the south. From 2001, Malaysia has been brokering the peace talks, held in secrecy, and last month agreed to keep its 12 unarmed troops on Mindanao for another three months to help monitor the truce agreement since July 2003.
The MILF, with a 12,000-strong armed force, was formed in 1976 by Hashim Salamat, who refused to honor a peace accord that Nur Misuari’s Moro National Liberation Front forged with the government in 1996. Salamat rejected Misuari’s bid for more autonomy for the Moro homeland and sought independence instead.
Renato Reyes, secretary general of the leftist Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, said the President’s move was a “dangerous double-bladed sword” meant to appease critics of the MOA and close the door to serious peace negotiations.
He said that disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation (DDR) as a framework for peace talks was “doomed to fail.”
“The Arroyo government wants its foes to surrender even without the government addressing the fundamental causes of armed conflict. This formula has been imposed on the National Democratic Front in the past and has in fact become a hindrance to the advancement of the peace talks,” Reyes explained.
Local leaders’ involvement
In General Santos City, Mayor Pedro Acharon welcomed the government move to dissolve the peace panel.
“Local leaders must not only be consulted, but they must also be actively involved in the process so we can come up with a just, credible and lasting solution to the Mindanao problem,” Acharon said.
Amirah Ali Lidasan, national president of Suara Bangsamoro, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the scrapping of the government team indicated that it was never serious in forging peace with the MILF.
Lidasan accused Ms Arroyo of using the MOA “for her personal interest,” pointing out her earlier plan to submit the deal to a constituent assembly that critics said was aimed at prolonging her term beyond 2010. (With reports from Christine O. Avendaño, Jerome Aning, Beverly T. Natividad, Alcuin Papa, Norman Bordadora, Gil C. Cabacungan Jr., TJ Burgonio in Manila; and Jeoffrey Maitem, Edwin O. Fernandez, Aquiles Z. Zonio, and Ed General, Inquirer Mindanao; and Reuters)
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ended 11 years of peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), dissolving the government panel of negotiators and declaring that her administration cannot be forced to sign a deal on an expanded Bangsamoro homeland at gunpoint.
This was announced Wednesday by Press Secretary Jesus Dureza a day after Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro stressed that the MILF had become “irrelevant” after it refused to surrender commanders blamed for sacking towns in Mindanao and slaughtering scores of civilians.
Teodoro said that dialogues with armed groups, including the communist-led New People’s Army, would henceforth be based on demobilization, disarmament and rehabilitation (DDR) as the President had previously outlined.
“There are no more talks,” Dureza told Reuters news agency. “We’re dissolving the peace panel. You don’t need it when you’re ending talks with an armed group. We’ll start consulting with the people on the ground and find out how we can resolve the Muslim problem.”
Ms Arroyo reiterated in a statement that her administration would not sign the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain “in light of recent violent incidents committed by lawless violent groups.”
“Our commitment is to peace, the constitutional process and rule of law. There will be no peace gained through violence, no peace agreement will be reached through intimidation or the barrel of the gun,” she said.
Off to Kuala Lumpur
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita later announced that Presidential Peace Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales would be dispatched to Kuala Lumpur to explain Ms Arroyo’s position to Malaysian officials who brokered the deal.
Ermita insisted that the administration had not totally abandoned the peace process, that a new panel could be formed in the future and that the two sides could resume talks.
“The peace process is still on,” he said, pointing out the 2003 ceasefire mechanism and the international monitoring team remain in place.
Explaining at a forum Ms Arroyo’s latest pronouncement, Esperon said that because of the focus on grass-roots dialogue, the disbanded panel “may not find themselves suited in the new paradigm” created by the resurgence of MILF violence.
Esperon said he was not giving up on peace but that “there must be an effort from the MILF to cooperate with our authorities.”
Harakiri suggested
The disbanding of the peace panel was hailed in the Senate and said Esperon should be fired.
Sen. Francis Escudero said the President has no choice but to sack her peace adviser whom he said was a “paradox to peace process because all throughout his military life was devoted to searching and destroying the enemies.”
“Government incompetence killed the peace negotiations and so these people have to go and go quickly,” said Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan. “They should take the cue from the Japanese and resign or commit harakiri.”
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said that Esperon has no experience in negotiations and that a peace panel requires people “who know their jobs and who would not be taken for a fool.”
Senate President Manuel Villar said someone should be held accountable for the turnout of the peace deal that caused the escalation of atrocities in Mindanao.
In the House of Representatives, Deputy Speaker Simeon Datumanong of Maguindanao said he hoped the dissolution of the peace panel did not mean abandonment of the peace process “because it can mean all-out war.”
Added Rep. Didagen Dilangalen, also of Maguindanao: “The government is marginalizing the MILF. The MILF no longer represents the Moro people.”
Awaiting official notice
MILF leaders said they would await an official communication from the Philippine government through the Malaysian secretariat.
“Unless they formally notify Malaysia, our position is that these statements coming out of newspapers and the broadcast media remain as informal statements,” said Eid Kabalu, MILF civil-military affairs chief.
“Peace panels are not permanent. They can be dissolved and reconstituted,” Kabalu said, holding out hopes that negotiations could resume.
Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF chief negotiator, repeated an earlier position that the MOA initialed in July in Malaysia was “a done deal.”
“We hold on to it for they have initialed the document,” Iqbal said.
Double-edged sword
MILF leaders have acknowledged that its field commanders—Ameril Ombra Kato and Abdulla Macapaar—had gone on a warpath, disgruntled at the government’s failure to sign the MOA on Aug. 5 in Malaysia.
The Supreme Court halted the deal after local officials in Mindanao protested the inclusion of areas under their jurisdiction in the expanded Moro homeland and warned that the MOA would lead to the dismemberment of the Philippine republic.
The government has mounted a massive operation to hunt Kato and Macapaar, offering a P10-million reward for their capture for igniting violence that has killed at least 62 civilians and displaced close to 500,000 people, according to the National Disaster Coordinating Center. The military said 17 soldiers had died in the fighting. The MILF confirmed seven deaths.
The government has been in on-off talks with the MILF since 1997 to end a conflict that has killed 120,000 people and displaced 2 million in the south. From 2001, Malaysia has been brokering the peace talks, held in secrecy, and last month agreed to keep its 12 unarmed troops on Mindanao for another three months to help monitor the truce agreement since July 2003.
The MILF, with a 12,000-strong armed force, was formed in 1976 by Hashim Salamat, who refused to honor a peace accord that Nur Misuari’s Moro National Liberation Front forged with the government in 1996. Salamat rejected Misuari’s bid for more autonomy for the Moro homeland and sought independence instead.
Renato Reyes, secretary general of the leftist Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, said the President’s move was a “dangerous double-bladed sword” meant to appease critics of the MOA and close the door to serious peace negotiations.
He said that disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation (DDR) as a framework for peace talks was “doomed to fail.”
“The Arroyo government wants its foes to surrender even without the government addressing the fundamental causes of armed conflict. This formula has been imposed on the National Democratic Front in the past and has in fact become a hindrance to the advancement of the peace talks,” Reyes explained.
Local leaders’ involvement
In General Santos City, Mayor Pedro Acharon welcomed the government move to dissolve the peace panel.
“Local leaders must not only be consulted, but they must also be actively involved in the process so we can come up with a just, credible and lasting solution to the Mindanao problem,” Acharon said.
Amirah Ali Lidasan, national president of Suara Bangsamoro, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the scrapping of the government team indicated that it was never serious in forging peace with the MILF.
Lidasan accused Ms Arroyo of using the MOA “for her personal interest,” pointing out her earlier plan to submit the deal to a constituent assembly that critics said was aimed at prolonging her term beyond 2010. (With reports from Christine O. Avendaño, Jerome Aning, Beverly T. Natividad, Alcuin Papa, Norman Bordadora, Gil C. Cabacungan Jr., TJ Burgonio in Manila; and Jeoffrey Maitem, Edwin O. Fernandez, Aquiles Z. Zonio, and Ed General, Inquirer Mindanao; and Reuters)
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Arroyo orders new panel for MILF peace talks
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Sec. Teodoro: MILF now irrelevant, no peace talks
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. Tuesday ruled out the resumption of peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, saying that the MILF had become “irrelevant” after it refused to surrender its commanders blamed for attacking civilians.
Emerging from a Cabinet security cluster meeting at the Nueva Ecija convention center here, Teodoro said that disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation (DDR) would be the basis for any dialogue for peace as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had enunciated in a speech on Aug. 22.
Ms Arroyo announced the DDR policy after MILF field commanders Ameril Ombra Kato and Abdulla Macapaar, disgruntled at the cancellation of the Aug. 5 signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on an expanded Bangsamoro homeland, rampaged in Mindanao, slaughtering scores of civilians.
The government went on a counter-offensive, offering a P10-million reward for the capture of the two commanders and demanding that the MILF leadership surrender them. MILF officials rejected the demand, saying mechanisms exist in the 2003 ceasefire agreement between the government and the rebel group and that the front will deal with Kato and Macapaar.
“By saying such a thing, the MILF makes itself more irrelevant because its credibility once again is put to the test—because of its refusal to condemn the atrocities committed by some of its members.”
Besides the demand to surrender Kato and Macapaar, Malacañang added another precondition to the resumption of stalled peace talks—the disarmament of the 12,000-strong MILF force. Kato and Macapaar, also known as Commander Bravo, lead about 500-1,000 MILF fighters.
Objective is disarmament
“That is the objective of all peace talks—disarmament—not just for MILF but for all armed groups,” he said.
Teodoro lamented that about 300,000 people had been displaced by the fighting in Mindanao.
Over the past month, authorities said at least 70 civilians had been killed in the surge of violence. The military said 17 soldiers and militiamen died in the fighting. The military also said the MILF toll was 125, but the rebels confirmed only seven deaths.
Teodoro said the government was not cowed by MILF’s ability to launch more attacks.
Parameters have changed
“To me, the way they try to increase their leverage is by puffing themselves up once again, by being more intransigent, and I think they should wake up to the call of the times that this doesn’t work with the Filipino people anymore,” Teodoro said.
“It’s a counterproductive tactic,” he said. “Perhaps a bit of humility, a bit of placing their feet on the floor, a bit of acceptance of reality that arrogance does not bring you anywhere. A heady dose of that should serve a better purpose than puffing yourself up.”
The MILF central committee has not contacted the government, the defense secretary said, and that the only information the government gets are news reports that the signing of the MOA is a “sine qua non” for the MILF to resume negotiations.
“All options for dialogue shall still be used. But the parameters for the dialogue necessarily have changed,” Teodoro said. “They should look for ways to start renegotiation or whatever.”
The Supreme Court put the brakes on the signing of the MOA following protests by local Mindanao executives and claims that it contravenes the Constitution. Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera has told the court the administration will no longer sign the MOA.
Teodoro said the government was not worried that Malacañang’s decision was being interpreted by the MILF as tantamount to a declaration of war.
Door not totally closed
“Don’t take the words of MILF seriously. We have law enforcement (operation) that is continuing. The more they talk like that, their credibility is eroding. They should not only approach the government, but show good faith.
“We don’t tolerate such activities, but we just want to show them—those of them who are reasonable—we can’t totally close the door to everybody,” he said, but added that they must “do some adherence for peace.”
So far, a lot of areas have been cleared of MILF forces, Teodoro said. “So that’s a major headway. And they can’t form in large formations anymore. They can only do small groupings in the area,” he said.
“Naturally the operations will be tailored to afford greatest respect to the communities that are involved to afford them the chance to observe Ramadan in a peaceful way,” he said. But he stressed that law enforcement operations will still continue against Kato and Macapaar.
Bombing raids eased
“Because that is non-negotiable, non-bargaining point between the MILF and the government,” he said. “It’s to enforce justice in the community.”
Gen. Alexander Yano, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Tuesday elaborated on his directive to troops to make “tactical adjustments” on operations against Kato and Macapaar during the Muslim fasting month
“Tactically, artillery and air strikes will be minimized as much as practicable,” Yano said. However, he said field commanders “are not prevented to proportionately employ such firepower when extremely necessary in addressing imminent threats.”
AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said that artillery and air strikes may not be necessary now. He said the forces of Kato and Macapaar had broken down into small groups after the military overran MILF encampments and villages in Lanao del Norte and Maguindanao.
The Philippine Air Force also has been directed to ease bombing raids during Ramadan, according to PAF information chief Maj. Gerardo Zamudio Jr.
Emerging from a Cabinet security cluster meeting at the Nueva Ecija convention center here, Teodoro said that disarmament, demobilization and rehabilitation (DDR) would be the basis for any dialogue for peace as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had enunciated in a speech on Aug. 22.
Ms Arroyo announced the DDR policy after MILF field commanders Ameril Ombra Kato and Abdulla Macapaar, disgruntled at the cancellation of the Aug. 5 signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) on an expanded Bangsamoro homeland, rampaged in Mindanao, slaughtering scores of civilians.
The government went on a counter-offensive, offering a P10-million reward for the capture of the two commanders and demanding that the MILF leadership surrender them. MILF officials rejected the demand, saying mechanisms exist in the 2003 ceasefire agreement between the government and the rebel group and that the front will deal with Kato and Macapaar.
“By saying such a thing, the MILF makes itself more irrelevant because its credibility once again is put to the test—because of its refusal to condemn the atrocities committed by some of its members.”
Besides the demand to surrender Kato and Macapaar, Malacañang added another precondition to the resumption of stalled peace talks—the disarmament of the 12,000-strong MILF force. Kato and Macapaar, also known as Commander Bravo, lead about 500-1,000 MILF fighters.
Objective is disarmament
“That is the objective of all peace talks—disarmament—not just for MILF but for all armed groups,” he said.
Teodoro lamented that about 300,000 people had been displaced by the fighting in Mindanao.
Over the past month, authorities said at least 70 civilians had been killed in the surge of violence. The military said 17 soldiers and militiamen died in the fighting. The military also said the MILF toll was 125, but the rebels confirmed only seven deaths.
Teodoro said the government was not cowed by MILF’s ability to launch more attacks.
Parameters have changed
“To me, the way they try to increase their leverage is by puffing themselves up once again, by being more intransigent, and I think they should wake up to the call of the times that this doesn’t work with the Filipino people anymore,” Teodoro said.
“It’s a counterproductive tactic,” he said. “Perhaps a bit of humility, a bit of placing their feet on the floor, a bit of acceptance of reality that arrogance does not bring you anywhere. A heady dose of that should serve a better purpose than puffing yourself up.”
The MILF central committee has not contacted the government, the defense secretary said, and that the only information the government gets are news reports that the signing of the MOA is a “sine qua non” for the MILF to resume negotiations.
“All options for dialogue shall still be used. But the parameters for the dialogue necessarily have changed,” Teodoro said. “They should look for ways to start renegotiation or whatever.”
The Supreme Court put the brakes on the signing of the MOA following protests by local Mindanao executives and claims that it contravenes the Constitution. Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera has told the court the administration will no longer sign the MOA.
Teodoro said the government was not worried that Malacañang’s decision was being interpreted by the MILF as tantamount to a declaration of war.
Door not totally closed
“Don’t take the words of MILF seriously. We have law enforcement (operation) that is continuing. The more they talk like that, their credibility is eroding. They should not only approach the government, but show good faith.
“We don’t tolerate such activities, but we just want to show them—those of them who are reasonable—we can’t totally close the door to everybody,” he said, but added that they must “do some adherence for peace.”
So far, a lot of areas have been cleared of MILF forces, Teodoro said. “So that’s a major headway. And they can’t form in large formations anymore. They can only do small groupings in the area,” he said.
“Naturally the operations will be tailored to afford greatest respect to the communities that are involved to afford them the chance to observe Ramadan in a peaceful way,” he said. But he stressed that law enforcement operations will still continue against Kato and Macapaar.
Bombing raids eased
“Because that is non-negotiable, non-bargaining point between the MILF and the government,” he said. “It’s to enforce justice in the community.”
Gen. Alexander Yano, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Tuesday elaborated on his directive to troops to make “tactical adjustments” on operations against Kato and Macapaar during the Muslim fasting month
“Tactically, artillery and air strikes will be minimized as much as practicable,” Yano said. However, he said field commanders “are not prevented to proportionately employ such firepower when extremely necessary in addressing imminent threats.”
AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said that artillery and air strikes may not be necessary now. He said the forces of Kato and Macapaar had broken down into small groups after the military overran MILF encampments and villages in Lanao del Norte and Maguindanao.
The Philippine Air Force also has been directed to ease bombing raids during Ramadan, according to PAF information chief Maj. Gerardo Zamudio Jr.
PNP tags woman behind Davao bus blast
Al-Khobar extortion gang tied to blast
DIGOS CITY—A woman was again involved in Monday’s blast that ripped through a bus at a terminal here and killed at least six people, prompting police authorities to say that it was another handiwork of the al-Khobar extortion group that was behind the series of bomb attacks on bus companies in 2006 and 2007.
Senior Supt. Cesario Darantinao, Davao del Sur police director, said the unidentified woman hurriedly disembarked from Metro Shuttle Bus No. 209 before the improvised explosive blew up at around 2:45 p.m.
Grace Nicolas, who survived the blast, said she had overheard the woman bomber asking other passengers not to let someone take her seat as she was coming back. “She was four seats away from where I sat,” she said.
As soon as the woman disembarked, the explosion took place, she said.
A police officer said the bomb blast was so powerful that it decapitated one of its victims and almost tore off the bus roof.
One of the fatalities was a pregnant woman, identified as Wella Trimocha (not Timotea as earlier reported). About 30 other people were wounded, according to a list provided by the City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC).
Darantinao said investigators found that the woman had three male companions when she rode the bus at Crossing Aplaya, about a kilometer away from the terminal. The bus was bound for Malita town in Davao del Sur province.
A woman also figured in the bombing of another Metro Shuttle bus on July 24 (not July 23, as reported earlier), he said.(By Orlando Dinoy, Eldie Aguirre
Mindanao Bureau; INQ.net)
DIGOS CITY—A woman was again involved in Monday’s blast that ripped through a bus at a terminal here and killed at least six people, prompting police authorities to say that it was another handiwork of the al-Khobar extortion group that was behind the series of bomb attacks on bus companies in 2006 and 2007.
Senior Supt. Cesario Darantinao, Davao del Sur police director, said the unidentified woman hurriedly disembarked from Metro Shuttle Bus No. 209 before the improvised explosive blew up at around 2:45 p.m.
Grace Nicolas, who survived the blast, said she had overheard the woman bomber asking other passengers not to let someone take her seat as she was coming back. “She was four seats away from where I sat,” she said.
As soon as the woman disembarked, the explosion took place, she said.
A police officer said the bomb blast was so powerful that it decapitated one of its victims and almost tore off the bus roof.
One of the fatalities was a pregnant woman, identified as Wella Trimocha (not Timotea as earlier reported). About 30 other people were wounded, according to a list provided by the City Disaster Coordinating Council (CDCC).
Darantinao said investigators found that the woman had three male companions when she rode the bus at Crossing Aplaya, about a kilometer away from the terminal. The bus was bound for Malita town in Davao del Sur province.
A woman also figured in the bombing of another Metro Shuttle bus on July 24 (not July 23, as reported earlier), he said.(By Orlando Dinoy, Eldie Aguirre
Mindanao Bureau; INQ.net)
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
AFP scales down offensive in Moro areas due to Ramadan
The Philippines has ordered troops to scale down an offensive to flush out rogue Muslim rebels in the south to allow Islamic communities to observe the holy month of Ramadan, the military chief said on Tuesday.
General Alexander Yano said the military would minimise the use of artillery and air strikes on positions occupied by renegade members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the southern island of Mindanao.
"We're adjusting our law enforcement operations to allow Muslims to peacefully observe Ramadan," Yano said in a statement.
However, he added: "Field commanders are not prevented from proportionately employing such firepower when extremely necessary in addressing imminent threats from overwhelming lawless MILF forces."
The government rejected calls last week to suspend operations against the guerrillas during Ramadan.
Close to 200 people, including 17 soldiers, have been killed in two weeks of fighting between troops and two MILF factions blamed for attacking Christian-majority towns in Mindanao after a peace deal with the government fell apart.
The government of the Catholic nation has been in on-off talks with the MILF since 1997 to end a rebellion that has stunted growth in an impoverished region believed to be sitting on huge deposits of metals and hydrocarbons.
There has been no major engagement between troops and MILF renegades during the last 72 hours, an army spokesman said. (MANNY MOGATO; Reuters)
General Alexander Yano said the military would minimise the use of artillery and air strikes on positions occupied by renegade members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the southern island of Mindanao.
"We're adjusting our law enforcement operations to allow Muslims to peacefully observe Ramadan," Yano said in a statement.
However, he added: "Field commanders are not prevented from proportionately employing such firepower when extremely necessary in addressing imminent threats from overwhelming lawless MILF forces."
The government rejected calls last week to suspend operations against the guerrillas during Ramadan.
Close to 200 people, including 17 soldiers, have been killed in two weeks of fighting between troops and two MILF factions blamed for attacking Christian-majority towns in Mindanao after a peace deal with the government fell apart.
The government of the Catholic nation has been in on-off talks with the MILF since 1997 to end a rebellion that has stunted growth in an impoverished region believed to be sitting on huge deposits of metals and hydrocarbons.
There has been no major engagement between troops and MILF renegades during the last 72 hours, an army spokesman said. (MANNY MOGATO; Reuters)
Guns silent as Ramadhan sets in
Military officials said there was no significant activity in the pursuit operations against Ameril Ombra Kato and Abdulla Macapaar, field commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) who had been blamed for a series of deadly attacks in North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur in recent weeks.
Some 70 civilians and 17 soldiers and militiamen have been reported killed in the fighting, sparked by the cancellation of the Aug. 5 signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the MILF on an expanded Bangsamoro homeland.
The military said 125 MILF followers of Kato and Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, had been killed in the government counteroffensive, but the MILF confirmed only seven dead.
Gen. Alexander Yano, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, reported that the guns fell silent in Mindanao on the first day of Ramadan, but he said he was not discounting the possibility of terrorist attacks.
“These are recalcitrant groups that have always been identified (as) providing sanctuaries to local and foreign terrorists in the area so that is a possibility that we are not discounting and we are taking due consideration and care and caution,” Yano told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo.
Yano reiterated that the military’s punitive actions against Kato and Macapaar would continue throughout Ramadan but that ground commanders had been authorized to “adjust” tactics in deference to fasting Muslims.
The military has put up a P10-million reward for Kato and Macapaar, who reportedly lead 500-1,000 fighters of the 12,000-strong MILF.
Renegade groups
Brig. Gen. Jorge Segovia, spokesperson for the Central Mindanao conflict, told reporters that the MILF fighters being pursued by the military had splintered into smaller groups.
“We used to engage groups by the hundreds. Now the groups are down to 10, 20, or 30 individuals and they have moved to areas with less probability of engagements. It’s also for their self-preservation,” Segovia said.
Also Monday, the MILF vice chair of military affairs, Aleem Abdul Aziz Mimbantas, warned the government of a total collapse of the ceasefire agreement if the military occupied a satellite office of the peace panel in Butig, Lanao del Sur. Mimbantas holds office in the area.
Mimbantas said the office, where the foreign-funded Bangsamoro Development Agency also maintained a bureau, had been surrounded by government troops. . (With reports from Nikko Dizon in Manila and Frinston Lim, Edwin O. Fernandez, Jeoffrey Maitem, Charlie C. Señase, Ma. Cecilia Rodriguez, INQ.net)
Some 70 civilians and 17 soldiers and militiamen have been reported killed in the fighting, sparked by the cancellation of the Aug. 5 signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the MILF on an expanded Bangsamoro homeland.
The military said 125 MILF followers of Kato and Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, had been killed in the government counteroffensive, but the MILF confirmed only seven dead.
Gen. Alexander Yano, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, reported that the guns fell silent in Mindanao on the first day of Ramadan, but he said he was not discounting the possibility of terrorist attacks.
“These are recalcitrant groups that have always been identified (as) providing sanctuaries to local and foreign terrorists in the area so that is a possibility that we are not discounting and we are taking due consideration and care and caution,” Yano told reporters at Camp Aguinaldo.
Yano reiterated that the military’s punitive actions against Kato and Macapaar would continue throughout Ramadan but that ground commanders had been authorized to “adjust” tactics in deference to fasting Muslims.
The military has put up a P10-million reward for Kato and Macapaar, who reportedly lead 500-1,000 fighters of the 12,000-strong MILF.
Renegade groups
Brig. Gen. Jorge Segovia, spokesperson for the Central Mindanao conflict, told reporters that the MILF fighters being pursued by the military had splintered into smaller groups.
“We used to engage groups by the hundreds. Now the groups are down to 10, 20, or 30 individuals and they have moved to areas with less probability of engagements. It’s also for their self-preservation,” Segovia said.
Also Monday, the MILF vice chair of military affairs, Aleem Abdul Aziz Mimbantas, warned the government of a total collapse of the ceasefire agreement if the military occupied a satellite office of the peace panel in Butig, Lanao del Sur. Mimbantas holds office in the area.
Mimbantas said the office, where the foreign-funded Bangsamoro Development Agency also maintained a bureau, had been surrounded by government troops. . (With reports from Nikko Dizon in Manila and Frinston Lim, Edwin O. Fernandez, Jeoffrey Maitem, Charlie C. Señase, Ma. Cecilia Rodriguez, INQ.net)
Davao bus blast kills 6
PNP eyes extortion gang linked to Abus
DIGOS CITY, Philippines —The improvised explosive device appeared to have the signature of an extortion gang suspected to have links with the dreaded Abu Sayyaf bandit group.
Placed on an overhead baggage compartment and remotely detonated by a mobile phone, the device packed with nails ripped through a passenger bus at the public terminal here at 2:45 p.m. Monday, killing at least six people and wounding 30 others, police said.
Most of the casualties suffered head wounds from the blast that nearly tore off the roof and shattered windows of the vehicle owned by Metro Shuttle Bus Co., said Senior Supt. Cesario Darantinao, Davao del Sur police chief.
No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing as the Muslim world observed the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, but Darantinao suspected that the extortion gang al-Khobar was behind the attack.
Al-Khobar has been blamed for dozens of attacks on bus companies plying southern and central Mindanao. It is said to be an ally of the Abu Sayyaf, which is being linked to the international terrorist ring Jemaah Islamiyah.
“They placed the bomb overhead and packed it with nails obviously to cause more casualties,” said Supt. Francisco Villaroman, regional police intelligence officer.
Villaroman said al-Khobar had demanded P500,000 plus a P50,000 monthly payment from the bus company in July. When the owner refused, the extortionists bombed a bus in Digos on July 23, killing one person and wounding 32 others, he said. The device used in that attack was similar to one detonated Monday, Villaroman said.
Only three of the six fatalities in Monday’s bombing have been identified—Marlon Doey, between 30-40 years old and a resident of Sta. Maria, Davao del Sur; Wella Timotea and Virginia Flores.
Among the wounded were a girl believed to be 2 years old and a pregnant woman. Many of those in critical condition were rushed to the government-run Davao Medical Center in Davao City.
The non-airconditioned bus was bound for Malita, Davao del Sur. It had just arrived from Davao City and was waiting for passengers when the explosion occurred.
Darantinao said investigators were still trying to determine the bomb’s component. “It was remotely detonated through a mobile phone,” he said.
A Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter saw pools of blood on the floor of the bus.
A witness said black smoke billowed from the vehicle after the blast as passengers tried to escape from the wreckage. “People also frantically ran away from the terminal,” said the witness who declined to give his name.
Stores immediately shut down, and authorities cordoned off the area.
DIGOS CITY, Philippines —The improvised explosive device appeared to have the signature of an extortion gang suspected to have links with the dreaded Abu Sayyaf bandit group.
Placed on an overhead baggage compartment and remotely detonated by a mobile phone, the device packed with nails ripped through a passenger bus at the public terminal here at 2:45 p.m. Monday, killing at least six people and wounding 30 others, police said.
Most of the casualties suffered head wounds from the blast that nearly tore off the roof and shattered windows of the vehicle owned by Metro Shuttle Bus Co., said Senior Supt. Cesario Darantinao, Davao del Sur police chief.
No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing as the Muslim world observed the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, but Darantinao suspected that the extortion gang al-Khobar was behind the attack.
Al-Khobar has been blamed for dozens of attacks on bus companies plying southern and central Mindanao. It is said to be an ally of the Abu Sayyaf, which is being linked to the international terrorist ring Jemaah Islamiyah.
“They placed the bomb overhead and packed it with nails obviously to cause more casualties,” said Supt. Francisco Villaroman, regional police intelligence officer.
Villaroman said al-Khobar had demanded P500,000 plus a P50,000 monthly payment from the bus company in July. When the owner refused, the extortionists bombed a bus in Digos on July 23, killing one person and wounding 32 others, he said. The device used in that attack was similar to one detonated Monday, Villaroman said.
Only three of the six fatalities in Monday’s bombing have been identified—Marlon Doey, between 30-40 years old and a resident of Sta. Maria, Davao del Sur; Wella Timotea and Virginia Flores.
Among the wounded were a girl believed to be 2 years old and a pregnant woman. Many of those in critical condition were rushed to the government-run Davao Medical Center in Davao City.
The non-airconditioned bus was bound for Malita, Davao del Sur. It had just arrived from Davao City and was waiting for passengers when the explosion occurred.
Darantinao said investigators were still trying to determine the bomb’s component. “It was remotely detonated through a mobile phone,” he said.
A Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter saw pools of blood on the floor of the bus.
A witness said black smoke billowed from the vehicle after the blast as passengers tried to escape from the wreckage. “People also frantically ran away from the terminal,” said the witness who declined to give his name.
Stores immediately shut down, and authorities cordoned off the area.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Trafficking of Pinays to Singapore getting worse
Three weeks after having her appendix removed last year, Filipina bar girl Camille was forced by her pimp back to work as a prostitute in Singapore.
Penniless and deeply in debt in a foreign land, 24-year-old Camille (not her real name) had no choice.
She says she had sex with men in hotel trysts arranged by her pimp, who took most of the money, until she sought shelter at the Philippine embassy.
"My wounds barely healed and I was being forced to have sex," she told AFP, breaking into sobs during an interview before flying home earlier this year.
"The pimp had no pity. The men had no mercy. I should have listened to my parents not to come here."
Philippine embassy officials said Camille, a single mother, is among a growing number of Filipina women lured by human trafficking syndicates to Singapore, Southeast Asia's wealthiest economy.
Promised jobs as "entertainers" in pubs and restaurants, many instead find themselves virtually indentured as prostitutes, working to pay back the cost of getting here.
Women interviewed by AFP said they were locked in cramped apartments, given one meal a day and told they owed between 1,000 and 4,000 Singapore dollars (736-2,945 US) to their pimps for bringing them to the city-state.
The sex industry in Singapore -- where prostitution is legal but pimping and public solicitation are not -- is dominated by women from the Philippines, Thailand, China and Vietnam, industry sources said.
The Philippine embassy in Singapore said there were 212 cases of human trafficking involving Filipinas in 2007, up from 125 in 2006 and from 59 cases in 2005.
Of those 212, nearly 30 percent admitted to having engaged in prostitution or said they were coerced into sexual acts, it said.
Filipino consul Neal Imperial described the numbers as the "tip of the iceberg" as they reflected only women who turned to the embassy for help.
The US State Department, in its 2008 Trafficking in Persons report, put Singapore on its list of countries not doing enough to combat the problem. Cambodia and Sierra Leone were among others named.
The report urged Singapore, which has yet to ratify the 2000 UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol, to "vigorously investigate and prosecute both labour and sex trafficking cases".
Responding to the US report, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs said reported cases of forced prostitution fell to 28 in 2007 from 33 in 2006 and 35 in 2005.
Police investigated all 28 cases and found evidence in only one, the ministry said.
Human trafficking experts said Singapore's figures differ from the US report because the police do not consider women as trafficking victims if they arrive voluntarily.
In contrast, the United Nations counts women as victims if they are lured by false promises about working conditions, and if they are exploited.
Singapore should accept there is a problem, said Sallie Yea, an Australian consultant who has researched sex trafficking in Asia. "Singapore is still in the denial mode."
The island-state is an attractive destination, experts said, because women can enter without a visa on cheap flights.
John Gee, of the non-government group Transient Workers Count Too, said acknowledging that human trafficking exists could be embarrassing for the government, which likes to perpetuate Singapore's squeaky clean image.
But he said the government's bid to maintain that image could push it to tackle the issue.
"I'm optimistic that Singapore will actually rise to the challenge and deal with it," he said. (Agence France Presse)
Penniless and deeply in debt in a foreign land, 24-year-old Camille (not her real name) had no choice.
She says she had sex with men in hotel trysts arranged by her pimp, who took most of the money, until she sought shelter at the Philippine embassy.
"My wounds barely healed and I was being forced to have sex," she told AFP, breaking into sobs during an interview before flying home earlier this year.
"The pimp had no pity. The men had no mercy. I should have listened to my parents not to come here."
Philippine embassy officials said Camille, a single mother, is among a growing number of Filipina women lured by human trafficking syndicates to Singapore, Southeast Asia's wealthiest economy.
Promised jobs as "entertainers" in pubs and restaurants, many instead find themselves virtually indentured as prostitutes, working to pay back the cost of getting here.
Women interviewed by AFP said they were locked in cramped apartments, given one meal a day and told they owed between 1,000 and 4,000 Singapore dollars (736-2,945 US) to their pimps for bringing them to the city-state.
The sex industry in Singapore -- where prostitution is legal but pimping and public solicitation are not -- is dominated by women from the Philippines, Thailand, China and Vietnam, industry sources said.
The Philippine embassy in Singapore said there were 212 cases of human trafficking involving Filipinas in 2007, up from 125 in 2006 and from 59 cases in 2005.
Of those 212, nearly 30 percent admitted to having engaged in prostitution or said they were coerced into sexual acts, it said.
Filipino consul Neal Imperial described the numbers as the "tip of the iceberg" as they reflected only women who turned to the embassy for help.
The US State Department, in its 2008 Trafficking in Persons report, put Singapore on its list of countries not doing enough to combat the problem. Cambodia and Sierra Leone were among others named.
The report urged Singapore, which has yet to ratify the 2000 UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol, to "vigorously investigate and prosecute both labour and sex trafficking cases".
Responding to the US report, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs said reported cases of forced prostitution fell to 28 in 2007 from 33 in 2006 and 35 in 2005.
Police investigated all 28 cases and found evidence in only one, the ministry said.
Human trafficking experts said Singapore's figures differ from the US report because the police do not consider women as trafficking victims if they arrive voluntarily.
In contrast, the United Nations counts women as victims if they are lured by false promises about working conditions, and if they are exploited.
Singapore should accept there is a problem, said Sallie Yea, an Australian consultant who has researched sex trafficking in Asia. "Singapore is still in the denial mode."
The island-state is an attractive destination, experts said, because women can enter without a visa on cheap flights.
John Gee, of the non-government group Transient Workers Count Too, said acknowledging that human trafficking exists could be embarrassing for the government, which likes to perpetuate Singapore's squeaky clean image.
But he said the government's bid to maintain that image could push it to tackle the issue.
"I'm optimistic that Singapore will actually rise to the challenge and deal with it," he said. (Agence France Presse)
Fighting continues as Ramadan begins
Full-blown war looms, says MILF
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Sunday warned of a full-blown war with the peace process “in purgatory” after the government told the Supreme Court on Friday that a Moro homeland deal had been scrapped.
MILF chief negotiator Mohaqher Iqbal told Reuters news agency that the MILF was no longer confident it could strike a final peace agreement under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration.
“We might as well wait for the next president after the 2010 elections,” Iqbal said. “She is just trying to save her own neck. That’s why she was not willing to defend the peace agreement and was also willing to sacrifice everything just to stay in power.”
The MILF Sunday said a government offensive against two of its commanders blamed for mounting brutal attacks in several provinces had struck MILF offices as well as those of a joint ceasefire team.
“Communal and ethnic war is not farfetched with the prevailing situation,” the MILF said on its website.
Skirmishes continued on the eve of the start of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan as troops pursued renegade groups led by Ameril Ombra Kato and Abdulla Macapaar, who accounted for 500 to 1,000 fighters of the 12,000-strong MILF.
Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesperson of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said troops engaged Kato’s men in gun battles Sunday in Datu Piang and Datu Saudi towns in Maguindanao province. He said soldiers had captured an MILF encampment fortified with bunkers and trenches at Kitango village in Datu Saudi.
“Our manhunt against Kato will not stop even with the start of fasting,” Ando told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net). “Kato’s group was trapped in Liguasan Marsh. They already run out of ammunition and food supplies.”
Ando said 125 MILF guerrillas had been killed in two weeks of fighting in the area.
Government agencies said around 70 civilians had died in the upsurge of violence in central Mindanao in the past three weeks. The military had confirmed at least 17 soldiers killed while the MILF officially confirmed seven dead.
AFP on alert
Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres Jr., spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the military had information that Kato and Macapaar planned to launch attacks against military and civilian targets during the fasting month. He said the AFP was on the alert for such assaults, but that the AFP would make adjustments in operations in deference to Ramadan.
In Metro Manila, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. called for a halt in the clashes.
“Sept. 1 is a propitious day to declare a ceasefire, stop the cycle of violence and resume the stalled peace process in Mindanao,” Iñiguez said in a statement.
Iqbal said the MILF would only go back to the negotiating table if the government revived and signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) expanding an autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao.
“The peace process is now in purgatory,” Iqbal told Reuters before he boarded a flight to Mindanao. “It was buried by government’s decision not to sign the ancestral domain agreement.”
Disappointed, frustrated
“We’re not only disappointed and frustrated over government’s decision to turn its back on the ancestral domain deal, we’ve completely lost trust and confidence in them. The fate of the peace negotiation rests solely in the hands of the government,” Iqbal said.
The MILF has been in on-off talks with Manila since 1997 to end nearly 40 years of conflict that has killed 120,000 people and stunted economic growth in Mindanao.
Malaysia has been brokering talks since 2001 and agreed last week to keep about 12 unarmed troops in Mindanao for another three months to monitor a 2003 ceasefire agreement.
Renegade members of the MILF went on the rampage three weeks ago after the territorial deal was halted by the Supreme Court, following protests by local officials in Mindanao, congressmen and senators. Opposition and business groups have also denounced the deal.
On Friday, Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera formally told the Supreme Court the government would no longer honor the MOA, which was supposed to be signed in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 5.
Peace process under review
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the government had decided to review the entire peace process and consult all sections of society in the south before sitting down with Moro rebels to find a more acceptable deal based on the country’s Constitution.
“We’re not changing the rules of the game,” Dureza said in a separate interview with Reuters. “It was the MILF that brought these changes when its forces started attacking villages, killed innocent people and burned houses and farms.”
Dureza said the government remained committed on the peace process, “refocusing from one that is centered on dialogues with rebels to one of authentic dialogues with the communities with disarmament as the context of our engagements with armed groups.”
Iqbal said the MILF was still waiting for Manila to formally inform the rebel group of its decision to scrap the territory deal. (With reports from Reuters, AFP; Nikko Dizon and TJ Burgonio in Manila; and Jeoffrey Maitem and Julie S. Alipala, INQ.net)
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Sunday warned of a full-blown war with the peace process “in purgatory” after the government told the Supreme Court on Friday that a Moro homeland deal had been scrapped.
MILF chief negotiator Mohaqher Iqbal told Reuters news agency that the MILF was no longer confident it could strike a final peace agreement under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration.
“We might as well wait for the next president after the 2010 elections,” Iqbal said. “She is just trying to save her own neck. That’s why she was not willing to defend the peace agreement and was also willing to sacrifice everything just to stay in power.”
The MILF Sunday said a government offensive against two of its commanders blamed for mounting brutal attacks in several provinces had struck MILF offices as well as those of a joint ceasefire team.
“Communal and ethnic war is not farfetched with the prevailing situation,” the MILF said on its website.
Skirmishes continued on the eve of the start of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan as troops pursued renegade groups led by Ameril Ombra Kato and Abdulla Macapaar, who accounted for 500 to 1,000 fighters of the 12,000-strong MILF.
Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesperson of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said troops engaged Kato’s men in gun battles Sunday in Datu Piang and Datu Saudi towns in Maguindanao province. He said soldiers had captured an MILF encampment fortified with bunkers and trenches at Kitango village in Datu Saudi.
“Our manhunt against Kato will not stop even with the start of fasting,” Ando told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net). “Kato’s group was trapped in Liguasan Marsh. They already run out of ammunition and food supplies.”
Ando said 125 MILF guerrillas had been killed in two weeks of fighting in the area.
Government agencies said around 70 civilians had died in the upsurge of violence in central Mindanao in the past three weeks. The military had confirmed at least 17 soldiers killed while the MILF officially confirmed seven dead.
AFP on alert
Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres Jr., spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the military had information that Kato and Macapaar planned to launch attacks against military and civilian targets during the fasting month. He said the AFP was on the alert for such assaults, but that the AFP would make adjustments in operations in deference to Ramadan.
In Metro Manila, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez Jr. called for a halt in the clashes.
“Sept. 1 is a propitious day to declare a ceasefire, stop the cycle of violence and resume the stalled peace process in Mindanao,” Iñiguez said in a statement.
Iqbal said the MILF would only go back to the negotiating table if the government revived and signed the memorandum of agreement (MOA) expanding an autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao.
“The peace process is now in purgatory,” Iqbal told Reuters before he boarded a flight to Mindanao. “It was buried by government’s decision not to sign the ancestral domain agreement.”
Disappointed, frustrated
“We’re not only disappointed and frustrated over government’s decision to turn its back on the ancestral domain deal, we’ve completely lost trust and confidence in them. The fate of the peace negotiation rests solely in the hands of the government,” Iqbal said.
The MILF has been in on-off talks with Manila since 1997 to end nearly 40 years of conflict that has killed 120,000 people and stunted economic growth in Mindanao.
Malaysia has been brokering talks since 2001 and agreed last week to keep about 12 unarmed troops in Mindanao for another three months to monitor a 2003 ceasefire agreement.
Renegade members of the MILF went on the rampage three weeks ago after the territorial deal was halted by the Supreme Court, following protests by local officials in Mindanao, congressmen and senators. Opposition and business groups have also denounced the deal.
On Friday, Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera formally told the Supreme Court the government would no longer honor the MOA, which was supposed to be signed in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 5.
Peace process under review
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the government had decided to review the entire peace process and consult all sections of society in the south before sitting down with Moro rebels to find a more acceptable deal based on the country’s Constitution.
“We’re not changing the rules of the game,” Dureza said in a separate interview with Reuters. “It was the MILF that brought these changes when its forces started attacking villages, killed innocent people and burned houses and farms.”
Dureza said the government remained committed on the peace process, “refocusing from one that is centered on dialogues with rebels to one of authentic dialogues with the communities with disarmament as the context of our engagements with armed groups.”
Iqbal said the MILF was still waiting for Manila to formally inform the rebel group of its decision to scrap the territory deal. (With reports from Reuters, AFP; Nikko Dizon and TJ Burgonio in Manila; and Jeoffrey Maitem and Julie S. Alipala, INQ.net)
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