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)

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)

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)

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.

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)

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)

MILF: Peace talks now in 'purgatory'

Aug 31 (Reuters) - The Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group threatened on Sunday to pull out of peace talks with Manila because the government has cancelled a territorial deal after it was challenged in the Supreme Court.

Mohaqher Iqbal, chief peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said the rebels would only go back to the negotiating table if the government revived and signed the agreement expanding an autonomous Muslim region in the south of the Catholic-majority nation.

"The peace process is now in purgatory," Iqbal told Reuters before he boarded a flight to the southern Philippines.

"It was buried by government's decision not to sign the ancestral domain agreement.

"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."

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 growth in the south, an impoverished region believed to be sitting on huge deposits of metals and hydrocarbons.

Malaysia has been brokering talks since 2001 and agreed last week to keep about 12 unarmed troops in the southern Philippines for another three months to monitor a ceasefire agreement.

Renegade members of the MILF went on the rampage two weeks ago after the territorial deal was halted by the Supreme Court and the military has said nearly 200 people have been killed in fighting in parts of the southern Mindanao region.

On Friday, Manila's chief legal counsel formally told the 15-member Supreme Court the government would no longer honour the ancestral domain agreement with the MILF, which was supposed to be signed in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 5.

Jesus Dureza, the president's spokesman, said government has decided to review the entire peace process and consult all sections of society in the south before sitting down with Muslim 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."

Survival Mode

Dureza said the government remained committed on the peace process, "refocusing from one that is centred 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 them of its decision to scrap the territory deal.

"We might as well wait for the next president after the 2010 elections," Iqbal said, adding the MILF was no longer confident it could strike a final peace agreement under the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

"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."

Fighting in Mindanao has abated since Friday when troops seized a rebel base, an army spokesman. The miliary has vowed to continue operations during Islam's holy month of Ramadan starting this week.

The military has said about 60 civilians have been killed in attacks by MILF renegades on towns in the south and in wayward mortar shelling. In addition, 17 soldiers and an estimated 110 rebels have died. (Reporting by Manny Mogato; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Alex Richardson; abscbnNews.com)

Civilian deaths in Mindanao rising—CHR

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‘Ilaga’ vigilantes resurface, warn MILF

SOMEWHERE IN NORTH COTABATO, Philippines -- The “Ilaga” (Visayan for “rat”), a mainly Christian vigilante group that gained notoriety in Mindanao in the 1970s, has resurfaced in this province, warning the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to stop attacking civilians or face dire consequences.

“If the fighting will continue, for every civilian killed, we will execute 10 Moro rebels,” Mike Santiago, spokesperson of the group, which now calls itself the Reform Ilaga Movement, told reporters at a press conference on Wednesday.

The Ilaga, who were tapped to battle the Moro National Liberation Front, were accused of atrocities against Muslim communities, the bloodiest of which was in June 1971, when 65 men, women and children were massacred in a mosque in Barangay (village) Manili in Carmen, North Cotabato.

It soon found itself pitted against groups that Muslims had formed, such as the Blackshirts and Barracudas.

In the present conflict, Santiago, who is in his mid-60s, claimed the Ilaga would defend the rights not only of Christians and “lumad” (indigenous people), but also of Muslims displaced by MILF attacks in Central Mindanao.

“The civilians are suffering now. That’s why we are asking the leadership of the MILF to stop its harassment and attacks in Mindanao because it will only complicate the life of the people,” he said.

Santiago claimed that his group had at least 10,000 armed members and 10,000 more supporters. At the press conference, the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) counted some 300 armed men present.

“Mindanao is not only for the Muslims but for Christians and lumad as well because we are the ones that form the Tri-people group, the owner[s] of Mindanao,” the Ilaga leader said.

Citing the ongoing hostilities in Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte, Santiago accused the MILF of bringing the fighting even to Muslim communities.

“We need to unite…Muslims, Christians and lumad. And my message to the Muslim civilians [is], don’t admire what the MILF group is doing because it will only destroy the development in the region,” he said. “We must shun the leadership of the MILF. They are the ones that destroy our life. Look at what is happening around you. Many civilians have been affected.”

Santiago supported plans to arm civilians to defend themselves against the MILF.

"We are for arming civilians in areas targeted by MILF for them to defend their families and properties," he said.

Earlier, Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon Jr. said they would distribute at least 1,000 shotguns to police auxiliaries in Mindanao and, if the project succeeds, would order 12,000 more of the firearms.

Santiago said unlike other groups, the Reform Ilaga Movement recognizes the Philippine Constitution.

"To our followers, don't be afraid. I am asking those who will join in the future to strictly follow our Constitution," Santiago said.

Some of the Ilaga fighters wore amulets.

"Those amulets of my men came from their elders during the time of Commander Toothpick,” Santiago explained, referring to an Ilaga leader in the early 1970s.

“Our instruction to them is not to go to battle if they have done something wrong against other people; to follow God's commandments to avoid accidents that may lead to their deaths," he said.

Santiago said his group had no plan of running after MILF commanders Ameril Ombra Kato or Abdulla Macapaar alias Bravo, who have been blamed for triggering the recent violence in Mindanao.

"We will let the authorities hunt them. With the bounty for their arrest, their followers will hand them to the authorities," Santiago said. The government has placed a bounty of P5 million each on Kato and Bravo.

"We gave a one week warning against Kato and Bravo before to stop launching attacks. We are happy that they listened to us. But if they launch attacks again, we will fight," Santiago said.

Most of the Reform Ilaga Movement members are farmers from various places in Central Mindanao, Santiago claimed.

"After the fighting broke out, they approached us and asked if we can help," Santiago said.

"Our warfare style is not offensive but defensive. I think the situation will not get worse. But if the MILF will launch other attacks, we are ready to fight," he added.

Earlier, MILF vice chair for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar said they were concerned about the resurgence of vigilante groups that, he stressed, would not contribute to the attainment of genuine peace in Mindanao.(Jeoffrey Maitem; INQ.net)

AFP takes 17 MILF camps

The military has overrun a total of 17 MILF camps according to latest reports received from Camp Crame. Please watch this video..



(Courtesy of ABS-CBN TV Patrol)

MILF camp falls; 30 killed

Biggest air strike launched in a decade

SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao, Philippines — Backed by the biggest aerial bombardment in nearly a decade, government forces Friday drove out Moro rebels from one of their camps in Maguindanao province, and fighting raged on elsewhere in rice fields and marshlands, officials said.

About 30 rebels and one soldier have been killed since Wednesday and more than 70,000 villagers have fled their homes, the officials said.

And Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Commander Ombra Kato is on the run.

Some 30 aircraft, including OV-Bronco bomber planes, MG-520 rocket-firing attack helicopters, a pair of Italian-made S-211 jets from Basa Air Base in Pampanga province, north of Manila, and rescue choppers, have been thrown into the battle, Philippine Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog told the Inquirer.

“We have bigger operations now in terms of assets and area covered than in Abubakar in 2000,” Cadungog said, referring to the all-out military offensive eight years ago that led to the capture of Camp Abubakar in Maguindanao, the biggest base of the MILF.

No space to breathe

“We deemed it smarter this time not to give them space to breathe,” the Air Force chief said. “We were a bit soft at first assuming that it will not escalate. We are ready for any escalation of action.”

An Air Force source said Friday’s air strikes delivered a total of 25 bombs and 12 rockets on six targets around Shariff Aguak. They included a dozen 500-lb bombs, nine 260-pounders and four 110-pounders.

“The results are good based on reports of our ground troops,” Cadungog said. “They are happy that we’ve had direct hits.”

Kato on the run

In Friday’s clashes, soldiers captured a satellite camp of Kato in Datu Piang town.

Kato is one of two most wanted MILF commanders whose surrender has been demanded by the government, blaming them for the killing of dozens of civilians in attacks in the provinces of North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Sarangani.

The MILF has refused to hand over Kato and Commander Bravo — each wanted for P5 million—and clashes have continued despite appeals from politicians, and Christian, Muslim and civil society groups for an end to the fighting.

Col. Marlou Salazar, commander of the Philippine Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade, said air strikes had resumed against Kato’s forces and ground troops pressed their advance.

Journalists rescued

Two broadcast journalists and three civilians, including a pregnant woman, who had been trapped since Thursday evening, have been rescued and brought to Cotabato City, the military said.

Radio Mindanao Network station manager Bong Talamba and GMA Network stringer Ferdinand Cabrera were covering a firefight in Datu Piang but MILF snipers fired on them as they were about to leave the area, according to Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesperson of the military’s 6th Infantry Division.

Ando confirmed the situation had worsened and that MILF rebels had been conducting ambuscades.

“They were trying to take control of the highway. The highway was closed to motorists Friday morning but was reopened after having been cleared of rebels,” Ando said.

Dozens wounded

Salazar said the rebel casualties came from air strikes and clashes on the ground. Dozens of other rebels have been wounded since the hostilities broke out on Wednesday in the towns of Guindulungan, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Datu Piang, Mamasapano, Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao and Kabuntalan in nearby Shariff Kabunsuan province.

On Friday alone, 10 rebels were killed, he said.

Salazar said the number of rebel casualties was based on intercepted radio conversations among the guerrillas.

“The group of Commander Kato has abandoned their satellite camp in Datu Piang and our soldiers have taken over,” he said.

More fighting feared

Eleven soldiers were injured when rebels waylaid a military convoy in Guindulungan town on Thursday evening, said Maj. Randolph Cabangbang, deputy spokesperson of the Eastern Mindanao Command.

Cabangbang said the military had met strong resistance and “expected more clashes.”

“Our ground troops are penetrating their main objectives and we will be deploying additional soldiers from Davao City,” he said.

He identified the wounded soldiers as Sgt. Renato Jaime Canuto; Corporals Alfredo Isidro and Edgar Gulerno; Privates First Class Elire Guaro, Jogie Dumon, Ricky Encluna, Bonn Dumaguing, Albert Velasco, Arlan Moanes, Mark Anthony Cabañog, and Pvt. Boni John Tilad.

Salazar said it appeared that Kato’s group was being reinforced by other MILF units.

“We have shelled the rebels’ position since Thursday night until Friday morning. The enemies are getting stronger,” Salazar said.

Brig. Gen. Jorge Segovia, acting chief of the command center of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the 601st Brigade under Salazar “has been engaging the enemy heavily” in the towns of Shariff Aguak, Mamasapano, Datu Piang, and Crossing Salbo in Maguindanao.

Rice fields and marshlands

Segovia described the battlefield as rice fields and marshlands.

He said artillery and planes had been hitting the MILF’s temporary shelters or satellite camps, which were fortified with foxholes and trenches, and sending the guerrillas “running around in places right now.”

“Some are not so sure where they are going,” Segovia said.

Segovia said that in North Cotabato, the 602nd Brigade under Army Col. Alex Estomo were engaged in “sporadic firefight” with other guerrillas under Abdullah Macapaantar, alias Commander Bravo.

Military targets
Segovia warned other MILF commands not to provide sanctuary to Bravo, Kato and their men.

“Their positions will be military targets,” he said, adding: “Our orders are to crush these groups. This is what the AFP will continue to do. We can’t allow ourselves to be hostaged by their actions.”

Segovia said that since most MILF satellite camps were near populated communities, thousands of residents had evacuated.

Elsewhere, four civilians were rushed to the Cotabato Regional Hospital after they were reportedly hit during the military bombardment.

It was not clear why the civilians were still in their village when most of the people had already evacuated.

Food aid

Based on figures released by the health department of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), more than 70,000 people had fled the besieged areas.

Segovia gave reporters in Manila seemingly different figures. He said that according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), there were a total of 84,669 evacuees from Lanao del Norte and Maguindanao staying in 92 different evacuation centers.

Another report from the NDCC, however, placed the affected/displaced people at nearly 200,000.

The NDCC said that the atrocities in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte had resulted in 40,138 families or 199,692 people affected.

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said it had agreed with the government to provide an additional 250 metric tons of rice to help feed the thousands of evacuees.

Fireworks banned

In Koronadal City in South Cotabato, Mayor Fernando Miguel has banned fireworks and public gatherings as the Maguindanao situation appeared to be worsening.

“We want to ensure the safety and security of our constituents amid MILF warning of more rebel attacks and destabilization activities in Mindanao,” Miguel said.

In Sarangani province, Gov. Miguel Dominguez ordered the reactivation of the civilian defense force in the villages as a protection against further MILF attacks.

Dominguez said he would rather that the situation be resolved peacefully.

“I’m just hoping that the government and MILF could find a way to stop the armed fighting and resume the peace process,” Dominguez said.

Third party needed

Abhoud Syed Lingga, executive director of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies based in Cotabato City, said the participation of the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) was badly needed.

“Recent events showed once again the urgency of third party monitors to sustain the ceasefire in order to keep the peace process on track,” Lingga said.

In North Cotabato, education officials said classes had to be conducted in evacuation centers, especially in the town of Pikit, so that children would not miss their lessons.

In Cagayan de Oro City, Rep. Rufus Rodriguez said he had asked Speaker Prospero Nograles to order lawmakers to donate at least P100,000 for the needs of displaced residents of Maguindanao.

(With reports from Jeoffrey Maitem, Edwin Fernandez, Charlie Señase, Nash Maulana, Aquiles Zonio and Grace Albasin, Inquirer Mindanao, and Agence France-Presse)

Gov't. takes new approach in quest for peace in Mindanao

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