Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Gunmen seize Muslim trader in Marawi City


An undated photo of Abdulkarim Magarang. (Best Available Photo - Mindanao Examiner - Becky de Asis)


MARAWI CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 31, 2010) – Unidentified gunmen seized a Muslim trader on Tuesday in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province in the southern Philippines, police said.

Police said the Abdulkarim Magarang, 42, was on a pedicab when gunmen seized him in the village called Lilod Madaya at around 6 a.m.

“We are still investigating the motive of the abduction,” said Senior Superintendent Cosanie Derogongan, the provincial police chief.

He said the gunmen dragged Magarang to a waiting car and sped off. No group or individual claimed responsibility for the abduction.

It was the second abduction in Marawi City since June this year after gunmen also seized Nuraldin Yusoph, 22, son of Elections Commissioner Elias Yusoph. The young Yusoph was freed weeks later after ransom was allegedly paid to his captors. (Becky de Asis)

ARMM DH for export, binatikos!

Isang babaeng Muslim ang abala sa pagkuha ng larawan bago ang simula ng kanilang pagdarasal sa Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)


ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 31, 2010) – Umani ng batikos mula sa mga konserbatibong Muslim ang anunsyo ng Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao na magpapadala ito ng mga kababaihan sa Malaysia bilang domestic helpers pagkatapos ng holy month of Ramadan.

Sa halip na trabaho ang ibigay sa mga Muslim ay iaangkat pa ang mga ito upang gawin katulong sa nasabing bansa. Ang ARMM ay kinabibilangan ng Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao at Lanao del Sur.

Ayon pa sa ARMM ay ang pagpapadala ng mga “household helpers” ay bahagi ng isang kasunduan sa mga Malaysian recruiters. Hindi pangkaraniwan sa mga Muslim ang magtrabaho bilang katulong dahil na rin sa values at kulturang kinasanayan ng mga ito.

Dapat umano ay job opportunities at livelihood training ang maibigay ng pamahalaan sa mga Muslim sa ARMM. Ngunit mismong ang ARMM pa ang nagtutulak na palabasin ng bansa ang mga Kababaihan nito upang manilbihan bilang katulong, sa halip na bigyan ng trabaho sa bansa.

"Trabaho ang dapat ibigay sa aming mga kababaihan at hindi ipadala sa ibang bansa bilang katulong, discriminated na nga kami sa Pilipinas eh ganito pa ang gagawin nila," ani ng isang Muslim na si Mukim Kalbi.

Ngunit iba naman sa lalawigan ng Sulu at edukasyon at kooperatiba naman ang panlaban ni Gobernor Sakur Tan upang mabigyan ng magandang kinabukasan ang mga Muslim doon. Hindi naman ito pabor na ipadala sa abroad ang mga Muslim upang mag-trabaho bilang katulong.

Ilang mga paaralan at regular livelihood training naman ang isinasagawa ni Tan sa Sulu at kamakailan lamang ay ipinag-utos nito ang pagtatayo ng malaking unibersidad na magbibigay ng libreng edukasyon sa lahat sa kursong agriculture at fisheries, at maging si First Lady Nurunisah Tan ay nagpagawa rin ng isang paaralan na nagbibigay ng mga libreng kurso sa Arabic, bukod sa iba pang mga proyekto.
(Mindanao Examiner)

Tsinoy, nakisimpatya sa taga-Hong Kong!

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 31, 2010) – Nakisimpatiya ang mga Tsinoy sa Zamboanga City sa madugong sinapit ng hostage-drama sa Maynila na kung saan ay 8 mga Hong Kong tourist ang napatay.


Nag-alay pa ng mga kandila ang mga Tsinoy kamakalawa ng gabi sa isang rotunda sa Zamboanga City at nagdasal pa kasama ang ilang mga kilalang personalidad.

Napatay ni dating police officer Rolando Mendoza ang mga Hong Kong tourists nuong nakaraang linggo matapos na mapanood sa telebisyon sa loob mismo ng binihag na bus sa Quirino Grandstand ang pagdakip sa kapatid na pulis na si Gregorio Mendoza.

Pilit na isinasabit ng pulisya ang kapatid ni Mendoza sa hostage-taking at sinabing “accessory” ito na mariing itinanggi naman ni Rolando. Binihag nito ang tourist bus upang ipabatid sa publiko ang umano’y maling paratang sa kanya.

Tinanggal si Rolando sa serbisyo matapos na maakusahan ng robbery at extortion at kahit napatay ito sa failed rescue at assault ng Special Weapons and Tactics ng Manila Police District ay patong-patong na bintang pa rin ang ibinabato ng mga awtoridad sa kanya, kabilang ang isa umanong rape case na matagal ng naganap. (Mindanao Examiner)

Monday, August 30, 2010

(Manila Hostage-Drama) Transcript of hostage-taker's last radio interview: ABS-CBN

MANILA, Philippines - A transcript of hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza's last conversation with a radio broadcaster showed that he was willing to die during the August 23 hostage incident in Manila.

Mendoza talked with Radio Mo Nationwide (RMN) anchor Michael Rogas during the 11-hour hostage incident at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park.

In one part of the interview, Rogas asked the hostage-taker if he wanted food brought to the tourist bus for himself and his 25 hostages.

Mendoza answered: "Ako po ay nakalaan na akong magutom. Kanina pa 'ko hindi kumakain dahil alam ko na magiging sitwasyon sa buhay ko. Handa na kong mamatay ngayong araw na 'to."

(It's OK for me to go hungry. I haven't eaten because I know what my situation in life will be. I am prepared to die this day.)

He also revealed that he had spoken to Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and told her that she would be at fault if anything bad happened to the hostages. Mendoza had asked the Ombudsman to dismiss all the cases against him.

"I talked to Gonzales and Gutierrez and told them: You are at fault if this gets worse," the hostage-taker told Rogas.

Below is a transcript of Mendoza's RMN interview as aired on a GNN report.

MICHAEL ROGAS: Captain, sa papaaanong paraan po ninyo gustong matapos itong isyung ito, itong sitwasyong ito? (Captain, how do you want this issue, this situation to end?)

MENDOZA: Ayun nga, yung Ombudsman, ang sabi, re-review-hin, rerepasuhin. Ang gusto ko, dalhin nila rito ngayon ang order kung ako’y talagang dismissed. Yung final order nila na ako’y dismissed o na-issue-han ng dismissal order. Yun ang gusto kong mangyari: final order. Yung ginawa kanina, sulat lang ‘yun. Para ako’y ma-satisfy sa harap ng aking in-laws. Hindi tama ‘yun, mali ‘yun.

(They said the Ombudsman will review my case. What I want is for them to deliver the order if I’m really dismissed from service. The final order, saying I’m dismissed or was issued a dismissal order. That’s what I want: final order. What they delivered earlier was just a letter. For me to be satisfied in front of my in-laws. That was wrong.)

MICHAEL ROGAS: Kapitan, meron po kayong pakiusap sa pamamagitan po ng RMN, nakikinig po ang mga pulis ngayon. May pakiusap kayo sa pulis, lalung-lalo na dun sa mga sniper?

(Captain, is there anything you want to tell the police? They are listening to the RMN radio station right now. Do you have anything to say, especially to the snipers?)

MENDOZA: ‘Yang mga sniper, pag hindi sila nagsialis sa kanilang mga pwesto ay sasampolan ko sila. Ii-snipe-in ko ‘kako itong nasa pintuan.

(These snipers, if they won’t go away, I’ll give them a sample. I’ll shoot this one at the door.) Note: Masa Tse, the tour guide, was handcuffed by Mendoza at the door of the bus. He was eventually killed.

MICHAEL ROGAS: Ok, sa oras na ito, na quarter to seven na po ang oras dito po sa aming himpilan. Quarter to seven na ng gabi. Ano na po ang huling desisyon ninyo? (Ok, it’s now quarter to 7 p.m. What is your final decision?)

MENDOZA: Eh wala na po. Kasi nakikita ko ang dami nang SWAT na dumarating. Ang daming SWAT na dumarating, nakikita ko sa palibot. Ako naman, alam ko papatayin din nila ako. Kaya magsialis na sila dahil anytime, gagawin ko din ‘yun dito.

(I see a lot of SWAT coming. Many SWAT members are here, I see them all around. I know they are going to kill me. They should go away because anytime, I’ll do the same here on the bus.)

MICHAEL ROGAS: Sino na po talaga ang gusto ninyong makausap maliban po sa media?

(Who else do you want to talk to besides the media.)

MENDOZA: Eh yung pinaka reliable. Yung totoo ang sasabihin sa 'kin kasi ayaw ko yung sinisinungalingan lang ako.

(Someone who is really reliable, who will tell me the truth. I don't want someone who will just tell me lies.)

MICHAEL ROGAS: Sino yun? (Who is that?)

MENDOZA: Media. Media lang din. (Media. I just want the media.)

At this point of the interview, Mendoza is watching on TV the arrest of his brother, SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza.

MENDOZA: Oh, yung kapatid ko nakikita ko, bakit nila ginaganyan? Akong may kasalanan dito, walang kasalanan ‘yan! Walang kasalanan ‘yan. Ipakita niyo na pinakawalan ninyo kapatid ko! Ipakita nila, pagka hindi titirahin ko ang mga nandirito sa loob!

(I can see my brother, why are they doing that? I’m the one at fault here, not him! He’s not at fault. Show me that he’s being freed! Show me or else I’ll start shooting the people here!)

MICHAEL ROGAS: Kalma lang po… (Please remain calm…)

MENDOZA: Sabihin mo sa kanila, sabihin mo sa kanila ‘yan! (Tell them that, tell them that!)

MICHAEL ROGAS: Opo, tinatawagan na po. (Yes, we’re already calling.)

MENDOZA: Ipakita nila, ipakita nila dito sa kaliwa, sa kaliwa! Makita ko sa kaliwa ng bus. Palakarin nila ang kapatid ko diyan! Pagka hindi… ito, talagang ano. Aanuhin ko dito lahat-lahat.

(Show it, show it at the left! Make sure I see it at the left side of the bus. Make my brother walk away! Or else, I’ll… I’ll…)

MICHAEL ROGAS: Opo, tinatawagan na po namin ang PNP. Easy lamang po. (Yes, we’re already calling the Philippine National Police. Please take it easy)

MENDOZA: Wala naman kasalanan yang kapatid ko. Hindi nila alam ang pangyayari dito. (My brother is not fault. They didn't know what's happening here.)

MICHAEL ROGAS: Kalma lang po tayo dahil kami na po ay nakikipag-ugnayan na po sa PNP. Humuhupa na rin naman po ang mga pulis, ano po. (Please stay calm because we are now contacting the PNP. The police are also starting to calm down...)

MENDOZA: Ayan o, binibitbit ‘yung kapatid kong pulis. Walang kasalanan ‘yan, bakit nila bibitbitin yan? Sasabihin nila, accessory, hindi accessory ‘yan! Ako lang mag-isa ang gumawa nito. Ayan nakikita ko. Nakikita ko ‘yung ginagawa nila sa kapatid ko, ayun o! Pulis yan eh, walang kasalanan ‘yan! Walang kasalanan ‘yan!

(There! They’re arresting my brother who's a cop. He’s not at fault, why are they taking him? They’d say, accessory, he’s not an accessory! I’m the only one who did this. I can see it. I see what they’re doing to my brother. He’s a cop, he's not part of this. He’s not part of this!)

MENDOZA: Pakawalan nila ‘yan, pagka hindi, eto, babarilin ko ‘yung nasa unahan! Sabihin mo sa kanila. Sabihin mo sa kanila. Ayan o, nakikita ko rito, ayun o, nasa TV. Ginagawa nilang baboy ang kapatid ko na pulis! Walang kasalanan ‘yan! Hindi niya alam ang pangyayaring ito. Ngayon niya lang nalaman sa TV. Bakit nila gaganyanin? Wala ‘yan. Walang kasalanan ‘yan!

(Let him go, or I’ll shoot this one at the door! Tell them that. Tell them that! I’m seeing it here, it’s on TV! They’re treating my policeman brother like a pig! He’s not at fault. He doesn’t know anything. He knew this just now on TV. Why are they doing that to him? He’s not a part of this!)

MENDOZA: Ayun o. Ito, lalala lamang ito sa ginagawa ng mga pulis na ‘yan! Sabihin mo sa kanila. P*tangina! O, hindi nila pakakawalan ‘yan? P*tangina! Oh, babarilin ko na ito! Pakawalan ninyo ‘yan! Babarilin ko na ito!

(This will only get worse because of what the police are doing! Tell them that! [expletive] They won't set him free? [expletive] I’ll shoot this person! Set him free! I’m going to start shooting!)

MICHAEL ROGAS: Sandali po. Huwag po kayong magpapaputok. Captain Mendoza… (To Erwin Tulfo) Pakibilisan lang yung ground commander…

(Hold on. Do not fire your gun. Captain Mendoza… (To Erwin Tulfo) Erwin, please hurry to the ground commander…)

MENDOZA: Ayan pinosas na! ‘Pag hindi nila pinakawalan ‘yan, babarilin ko na ‘to! (They already handcuffed him! If they won’t set him free, I’ll shoot this person!)

MICHAEL ROGAS: Captain Mendoza, tinutulungan na po namin kayo… (Captain Mendoza, we’re already helping you…)

MENDOZA: Wala dinederetso-diretso nila. Pag umalis at hinuli nila kasama ang kapatid ko, babarilin ko yung nasa unahan, Babarilin ko na 'tong lahat-lahat. (They just went through with it. If they go away and bring my brother, I am going to shoot the one in the front. I am going to shoot everybody.)

MICHAEL ROGAS: Captain Mendoza! Captain Mendoza!

At this point, Mendoza is no longer speaking to the interviewer as a commotion ensues inside the bus.

He later told the interviewer that he had shot 2 of the Chinese tourists and that he would kill everyone on the bus if the SWAT team does not go away.

MENDOZA: Binaril ko na yung 2 Chinese. Pagka hindi nila binago yung ganitong sitwasyon, ako mamamaril dito sa loob. Uubusin ko 'to! Uubusin ko pagka hindi sila tumigil ng kakatakbo diyan sa gilid. Uubusin ko to!

(I shot 2 of the Chinese. If they don't change the situation, I'm going to start shooting in here. I'll finish off everyone! I'll kill everybody if they don't stop running beside the bus. I'll finish off everyone!)(abs-cbnNEWS.com)


Link: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/08/30/10/transcript-hostage-takers-last-radio-interview

A busy day in Kidapawan City



A government worker trims a pine tree in Kidapawan City in Mindanao while two men at a thrift shop wash second-hand shoes before they are sold at cheap prices. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Geo Solmerano)

Sunday, August 29, 2010

The Mindanao Examiner Newspaper


The Mindanao Examiner newspaper. Bringing you the news of Mindanao.

ARMM to export Muslim housemaids to Malaysia

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 29, 2010) – The Philippines is to export Muslim house maids to work in Malaysia instead of providing them jobs back home with their dignity intact.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or ARMM announced that it would send “household workers” after the holy month of Ramadan as part of an agreement with Malaysian recruiters.

ARMM is comprised of the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Maguindanao and Lanao where Muslims value their dignity and way of life more than anything else.

It was unknown why the Muslim autonomous region government would send domestic helpers than provide them livelihood trainings or promote cooperatives in the impoverished region.

In Sulu, Governor Sakur Tan has publicly discouraged locals to work abroad and instead encourage the promotion of cooperatives in the province.

He also put up more schools and ordered the setting up of a university that would offer free education on agriculture and fisheries among other courses, and livelihood seminars and training are regularly held in Sulu. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sulu Projects Launched





Sulu Governor Sakur Tan speaks to housing planners and engineers during an inspection in the province. Tan says he is prioritizing housing projects and other infrastructure programs in Sulu. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Troops clash with NPA rebels in South RP; 2 dead, 3 wounded

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 29, 2010) – Government troops killed a female member of the communist rebel group New People’s Army in a series of clashes in the southern Filipino province of Surigao del Sur, officials said Sunday.

Officials said one soldier was also killed and three more wounded in Saturday fighting that broke out in the village of Mahaba in the town of Marihatag.

“The encounters resulted to the death of one female terrorist and the recovery of one M16 rifle from the terrorists while for the government side one soldier died and one wounded and two others sustained superficial wounds,” said Lieutenant Colonel Triumph Bagaipo, a spokesman for the Army’s 4th Infantry Division.

Quoting field reports, Bagaipo said the first fighting lasted more than 30 minutes and this was followed by two more sporadic clashes later in the day.
Bagaipo said the fighting erupted after patrolling troops, acting on reports of villagers about the presence of rebels, ran into a band of New People’s Army gunmen.

“While we grieve and deeply sympathize with the family of our fallen hero and so with the family of the New People’s Army rebel, it is our wish for the New People’s Army to heed the government’s call for lasting peace. We at 4th Infantry Division are more than willing to sit down and talk about lasting peace,” said Major General Victor Felix, a regional army commander.

The NPA is the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines which is fighting for decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)

Stay Calm, Philippine Bishop Appeals After Attack On Catholic Church

CAGAYAN DEO ORO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 29, 2010) – A Philippine cleric has appealed to Catholic faithful to stay calm following a grenade attack on a church on Sunday in the restive region of Mindanao.

That attack on San Vicente Ferrer parish in the town of Kalilangan in Bukidnon province left at least 3 people wounded. Bishop Jose Araneta Cabantan of the Diocese of Malaybalay in Bukidnon also called on the faithful pray in the aftermath of the attack.

He appealed to relatives of those wounded in the attack to let law enforcement authorities solve the case and not take justice into their own hands to prevent bloodshed.

“I urged, all the faithful in Bukidnon, especially in Kalilangan, to pray and remain calm and not let this isolated incident sow tension and discord among the Christians and Muslims here,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

The San Vicente Ferrer parish has more than 20,000 parishioners in Kalilangan, one of the more progressive towns of Bukidnon, which lies near the boundary of Lanao del Sur.

The attack on the San Vicente Ferrer church was carried out by two teenage boys riding in tandem on a motorcycle while parish priest, Father Art Paraiso, was saying mass.

The motive of the attack is still unknown, but there were reports that it could be connected to the killing of a Muslim boy who was ran over by a commuter bus owned by Rural Transit of Mindanao in the province.

Relatives of the boy were allegedly behind the recent attacks on two Rural Transit buses in Wao and Kapatagan towns in Lanao del Norte province that left at least four people dead.

The attackers, disguised as policemen, told the passengers they were only after the bus driver and his conductor, but two passengers, who turned out to be policemen, were also shot dead after they introduced themselves as officers. (Bong Fabe)

Armed men bomb Catholic church in Southern Philippines

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 29, 2010) – At least 3 people were wounded after unidentified men tossed grenades Sunday during a mass inside a Roman Catholic Church in the southern Philippines.

The attack occurred at around 8:00 a.m. while a priest, Father Art Paraiso, was saying mass in San Vicente Ferrer church in the town of Kalilangan. “Three worshippers were injured in the grenade attack,” an aide to Bishop Jose Araneta Cabantan, of the Diocese of Malaybalay, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Witnesses said two young men in motorcycle lobbed two hand grenades, but only one exploded inside the inside church. The other explosive was later recovered and detonated by the police outside the church.

“The other grenade that failed to explode was detonated by the Kalilangan policemen who were also in the church hearing the mass of Father Art Paraiso,” the bishop later told reporters.

“Policemen who were in the church helped Father Paraiso in calming the parishioners down. They then all went outside the church and Father Paraiso proceeded to say the mass outside,” he said.

The motive of the attack is still unknown, but there were reports that it could be connected to the killing of a Muslim boy who was ran over by a commuter bus owned by Rural Transit of Mindanao in the province.

Relatives of the boy were allegedly behind the recent attacks on two Rural Transit buses in Wao and Kapatagan towns in Lanao del Norte province that left at least four people dead.

The attackers, disguised as policemen, told the passengers they were only after the bus driver and his conductor, but two passengers, who turned out to be policemen, were also shot dead after they introduced themselves as officers. (Bong Fabe)

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Philippine Cat


A domesticated cat relaxes on a carpet of green grass in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. Filipinos are fond of cats and dogs despite warnings from health officials about the danger of contracting rabies. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

Philippine Governor Wants Failed ARMM Abolished

Sulu Governor Dr Sakur Tan.



MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 28, 2010) – An influential Philippine governor has urged President Benigno Aquino to abolish the five-province Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao for its failure to address widespread poverty among other problems since its creation more than two decades ago.

Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, (D Hum) in a letter sent to President Benigno Aquino, said the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao also failed to bring developments to the impoverished provinces and fulfill the aspirations of its peoples.

“The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao continues to fail our people. Supposed to be an embodiment of our collective interest and aspiration, the ARMM Regional Government has ably presented itself as a classic example of a pathetic and useless tier in government. More than 3/5 of its budget is for personnel services – only to pay for its officials and employees. It failed to enhance agriculture, fisheries and trade. It is helpless in containing crimes and lawlessness. Education, health and social services continue to degenerate,” Tan wrote in a letter he sent to President Benigno Aquino III.

“His Excellency, Mr. President, the ARMM must double its efforts to move forward if only not to be left behind again and anew as the other regions surge forward. We cannot actively participate as equals in the dialogues of the various communities of Mindanao while our house is in shambles. We have to make the ARMM work,” he said.

The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao or ARMM was first created on August 1, 1989 through Republic Act No. 6734 otherwise known as the Organic Act in pursuance with a constitutional mandate to provide for an autonomous area in Muslim Mindanao.

A plebiscite was held in the provinces of Basilan, Cotabato, Davao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Palawan, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur; and the cities of Cotabato, Dapitan, Dipolog, General Santos, Iligan, Marawi, Pagadian, Puerto Princesa and Zamboanga to determined if residents would want to be part of the ARMM.

Of the areas where the plebiscites were held only Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and Sulu, Tawi-Tawi voted favorably for inclusion in the new autonomous region. The ARMM was officially inaugurated on November 6, 1990 in Cotabato City, which was designated as its provisional capital.

In 2001, a new law was passed for the expansion of the Muslim autonomous region to include the areas which initially rejected inclusion and the provinces which were carved from them, however only Marawi and Basilan, with the exception of Isabela City opted to be integrated in the ARMM.

And now, former President Gloria Arroyo and now congresswoman of Pampanga province has filed House Bill No. 173 dividing the ARMM into two regions.

“His Excellency, Mr. President, it has almost been 35 years since the Tripoli Agreement and 15 years since the 1996 Final Peace Agreement. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has been there for the last 22 years. Peace, public order and development continue to elude us. Our people remain poor. Our communities continue to be distraught by lawless violence,” Tan said in his letter.

Tan said the proposal of Arroyo is again fomenting discord. He said Arroyo had failed during her administration to deliver the commitments of the 1996 peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front rebels and almost caused a civil war two years ago by the forging of the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels.

“Such proposal may provide politicians extra window for positioning. However, it does not address the sustained crisis in governance which continues to afflict our people and region. It is high time that we take the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to the task. It is already opportune to put the house in order,” Tan said.

He said the Oversight Committee for ARMM and the Department of Interior and Local Government must actively supervise the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The ARMM has put forward bases, justifications and targets when it submitted its operational budget for congressional funding.

The same, Tan added, must be reviewed and assessed whether these have been met and attained. “The relevance and performance of the offices and functions devolved to the ARMM must be also reconsidered. While we require both local government units and national government agencies to be prudent in fiscal management, the ARMM must also illustrate how well programmed and spent were each centavo the central government has provided it.”

“Due to the widespread discontent amongst the constituents and local officials in the region, there is a clamor for the abolishment of ARMM and revert the region back into the mainstream national system. We support this clamor of the people while taking cognizance of the legalities that have to be hurdled to realize it,” Tan said.

But regional elections in the Muslim autonomous region are scheduled next year and Tan fears politicians will soon start to jockey and seek Aquino’s attention and endorsement.

The Regional Governor and Regional Vice Governor are elected directly like regular local executives. Regional ordinances are created by the Regional Assembly, composed of Assemblymen, also elected by direct vote. Regional elections are usually held one year after general elections depending on what legislation from the Philippine Congress. Regional officials have a fixed term of three years, which can be extended by an act of Congress.

Tan said it may prove more cost-efficient to forego the elections in 2011 and hold the regional elections synchronized with the national and local elections in 2013, if not 2016.

He also proposed the following: “In as much only those favored by Malacanang get to be elected Regional Governor and Vice Governor traditionally, the officials in ARMM should simply be appointed and be directly held accountable by the Central Government.”

“The officials who shall so be appointed as Regional Governor, Regional Vice Governor and members of the Regional Legislative Assembly must be bound with a concrete action program to rehabilitated and develop the autonomous regional government. The two to five years should prove more than sufficient for organizational and institutional rehabilitation and development. It also need not be emphasized that the very people who shall be designated regional governor, regional vice governor and members of the Regional Legislative Assembly be competent enough to perform the functions inherent in their respective office.”

“In as much as the ARMM is both a major expense item of the central government as well as the poorest and most challenged region in the country, it may also prove prudent that His Excellency, the President, appoint a Presidential Adviser or Presidential Assistant for the ARMM who shall coordinate the institutional rehabilitation of the Autonomous Regional Government as well as coordinate all initiatives and public sector investments in the autonomous region. Such Presidential Adviser or Presidential Assistant shall ensure that the entire autonomous region is working soundly and is producing results and that the general welfare of the people is promoted and enhanced.”

Copies of the August 20 letter were also sent to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, the Senate President; Representative Feliciano Belmonte, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo. (Mindanao Examiner)

Friday, August 27, 2010

Urban poor group opposes power rates hike in Davao City

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 27, 2010) – A Filipino urban poor group called the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap on Friday criticized the Davao Light and Power Company for not telling the public the truth about the real score over the current power rates.

It said the DLPC announced that it will increase its distribution charge to 0.08 per kilowatt hour starting in August, but Franchie Buhayan, spokesperson of Kadamay, said it was simply not true.

“It is not true that DLPC’s power rate hike is only 0.08 per kilowatt hour. Based on our previous bill, before the power rate increased was imposed, the distribution charge is 1.2409 per kilowatt hour. In our August, it went up by 1.570 per kilowatt hour or an increase of 0.3311 per kilowatt hour which is much bigger,” Buhayan said.

Buhayan said aside from the increase in the distribution charge, the DLPC also increased its supply charge by 0.0327 per kilowatt hour. This increase was not announced to public, she said.

She said her group has begun a public campaign that will oppose power rate hikes through forums in various villages and organizations. “The campaign will zoom in on the ill-effects of the EPIRA or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001,” she said, adding, the EPIRA is one of former President Gloria Arroyo’s hated legacies.

The law was also opposed before by President Benigno Aquino when he was still a congressman. “We are challenging the Aquino administration to repeal this law,” Buhayan said.

Zambo civil workers stage rally, demand return of regional gov't offices





Civil workers stage a rally Friday, August 27, 2010 in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines to demand the return here of the regional government agencies now in Pagadian City, the center of trade in Western Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Jung Francisco).

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 27, 2010) – Some 200 mostly civil workers staged a rally Friday in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines to demand the return here of the regional government agencies now in Pagadian City.

Many of the workers, who are natives of Zamboanga City, complained about the high cost of transportation in going to Pagadian City, the capital of Zamboanga del Sur province.

“It is very difficult for us because now we have to spend more money in paying for our transportation fare in going to Pagadian,” one female employee said.

Others complained about loneliness being away from home and some blamed politics for the transfer of their offices to Pagadian City. They also urged President Benigno Aquino III to heed to their calls to make Zamboanga City the regional seat of government, but it was his mother, former President Corazon Aquino that issued the Executive Order 429 in October 1990 that designated Pagadian City as the regional center for Western Mindanao.

It was only in November 12, 2004 after having waited for more than a decade, Pagadian City officially became the regional center despite Zamboanga City government’s opposition to the transfer.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the transfer of all regional government offices and agencies to Pagadian to make transactions easy to other provinces such as Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur that comprise the Western Mindanao region.
Pagadian City is the gateway to Zamboanga del Sur, the largest province of Western Mindanao ands also a point of entry to the cities of Ozamis, Iligan and Cotabato.

Its rolling terrain encompassing both commercial and residential districts, reminiscent of the famous Crown Colony, has earned for it the sobriquet Little Hong Kong of the South. Pagadian City has a total land area of 331.6 square kilometers with 54 villages. Due to its topography and elevation, most of the city's villages do not experience flooding, unlike Zamboanga City.

Other employees said Pagadian is the best place to be the regional seat of Western Mindanao because of its proximity to the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay, all in the Zamboanga Peninsula, which comprise Region 9.

Zamboanga City is on the tip of Zamboanga Peninsula.
(Mindanao Examiner)

Thursday, August 26, 2010

2 Sayyaf terror men arrested in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 26, 2010) – Two suspected Abu Sayyaf militants have been arrested by police forces in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, reports said Thursday.

It said the militants, whose group has ties with al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiya terror organizations, were arrested on a village called San Roque on Wednesday afternoon.

Police said the two men are facing various criminal charges in Sulu and Basilan provinces.

Details of the police operation that led to the arrest of the duo were not made public, but members of the Special Action Force were behind the capture of the terrorists. (Mindanao Examiner)

NPA rebels kill soldier in Mindanao clash

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 26, 2010) – Communist rebels killed a government soldier in a clash Thursday in the southern Philippine province of Bukidnon, officials said.

Officials said the fighting erupted after troops ran into a group of New People’s Army rebels in the village of Santa Filomena in Quezon town.

The fighting, which lasted more than half an hour, left a still undetermined number of rebels dead and wounded, said Army Lieutenant Colonel Triumph Bagaipo, a spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division.

“The troops were on combat patrol towards when the firefight broke out that lasted for about 35 minutes until the terrorists withdrew. Santa Filomena is considered as a guerilla base of the local terrorist operating in the area. It is from this community that they get their much-needed logistical and financial support through extortion from sugar cane and corn growers,” he said.

Bagaipo did not say whether more soldiers were wounded in the fighting, but said troops had been ordered to track down the rebels.

It was the second fighting between security and rebel forces since Tuesday in northern Mindanao. Communist rebels also killed five army soldiers in a firefight Tuesday in the village of Fortuna in Agusan del Sur's Veruela town. The clash broke out after dozens of rebels attacked a military detachment.

The New People’s Army is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines which is fighting for decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine groups support abolition of US-RP accord

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 26, 2010) - The Justice for Gregan Cardeño Movement praised Filipino Senator Miriam Santiago for her effort in ending the continued presence of US troops in the Philippines.

This, after Santiago sponsored Joint Resolution No. 3, expressing the sense of Congress as a whole to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement and directing the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs to give the notice of termination to the United States.

She also said that the US has not recognized the VFA as a treaty because the American Congress never given its advice and consent to the accord.

JGCM, a group formed by relatives of Gregan Cardeño and human rights groups, condemned VFA and blamed it for the slow-moving trial of Cardeño’s case.

“I thought my husband’s work is interpreter but he told me before he died, he was asked to do not the work of an interpreter”, Myrna Cardeño, wife of Gregan disclosed.

Cardeño, a Filipino interpreter to US troops in the southern Philippines, was found dead February 3 inside a military base in Marawi City what security officials claimed was a suicide.

By his family said Cardeño did not commit suicide, but possibly abused by US troops in Marawi City. The victim’s relatives filed a petition for Writ of Amparo which the Court of Appeals granted, but US military commanders simply ignored the order and did not attend any court hearing since July.

“VFA hinders the investigation of Cardeño’s case, government agencies like CHR were not allowed to enter their barracks. In this case, how can justice be served to the victim and his family if the government cannot compel the US troops to explain what happened to Gregan Cardeño and his nature of work,” Bai Ali Indayla, spokesperson of the group said, in a statement.

According to Indayla, VFA clearly violates territorial integrity and breach our national sovereignty. This agreement covers-up US intervention to Philippines, it is unjust and unfair to continue this agreement.

“We are lobbying now to the Congress to favor Joint Resolution No. 3 and terminate immediately Visiting Forces Agreement. The Aquino Administration should also act on this matter to end human rights violations perpetrated by the US troops; PNoy should send home the Yankees,” Indayla said, referring to President Benigno Aquino.

Key tourism event to push through despite Manila hostage-taking tragedy

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 26, 2010) - Despite fears that Monday's tragic hostage-taking fiasco would discourage foreign visitors to Manila, a key international conference and tourism event is set to push through next month.

In a statement, Ikebana International said it does not expect any cancellations by foreign delegates to its four-day 11th Asian Regional Conference in Manila to foster peace, friendship and love through flowers.

"We are praying for the victims of the horrible (hostage-taking) tragedy. Our hearts go out to the families who lost their loved ones," said Evangeline Cheng, president of Ikebana International's Manila Chapter 108.

Cheng said participants and guests from Hong Kong are among the 300 foreign visitors slated to arrive for the conference.

"We also have confirmations of attendance by delegates and guests from Japan, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, the United States, Germany and Italy," Cheng said.

Cheng expressed hope that the conference would "somehow help create better understanding," particularly between the Chinese residents of the former British crown colony and the Filipino people.

Eight tourists from Hong Kong were killed in the highly publicized hostage-taking incident.

Ikebana International is a non-profit cultural organization dedicated to the promotion and appreciatiation of Ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arrangement.

Consistent with Ikebana International's aim to unite peoples of the world through their mutual love of nature and enjoyment of flowers, "Oneness" or Pagkakaisa is the theme of the Manila conference.

President Benigno Aquino III is the invited guest of honor at the opening of the September 23-26 conference at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel.

The huge international gathering is the country's first major tourism event since Mr. Aquino assumed office.

The event includes exhibitions of flower arrangements, a grand demonstration, bazaars and a city tour with barrio fiesta.

Ikebana International's Manila Chapter 108 is conference host, with Cebu Chapter 145, Davao Chapter 133 and Cagayan de Oro Chapter 163 as co-hosts. Celia Guevarra-Lazaro is conference chairperson.

The Manila chapter was established in 1966 by Carmen Guevarra, with Rose Avancena, Virginia Avancena, Remedios Cepeda, Dolores Luz, Jane Markusson, Gloria Monzon, Pilar Relova, Carmen Roces, Asuncion del Rosario and Susie Winternitz as founding members.

4 killed in Lanao Norte highway attack

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 26, 2010) – Armed men clad in police uniform flagged down a provincial bus on a highway in the southern Filipino province of Lanao del Norte and shot and killed four people on Thursday.

Among those killed were two policemen and the bus driver, according to passengers who witnessed the killings. One passenger said gunmen stopped the bus, owned by Rural Transit of Mindanao, at a police checkpoint in Kapatagan town and told the passengers they received reports that armed men were in the bus.

Hearing this, two passengers who turned out to be policemen introduced themselves, but were immediately gunned down. The other passengers were told to disembark by the gunmen who later shot two more people.

“They said they were policemen and told us to get out of the bus and we saw how they shot the victims. They told us that they were only after the driver and his bus,” one passenger told a local radio network, dxRZ-Radio Agong.

He said the bus, which came from Cagayan de Oro City and bound for Zamboanga City, was flagged down at around 1:30 a.m.

The motive of the attack was unknown and no group or individual claimed responsibility for the killings. But the province in a known lair of bandits and rebels who were previously blamed for attacks on commuter buses and civilians.

Last year, gunmen also strafed a passenger jeep and killed and wounded at least six people on a highway near Tagoloan town in Lanao del Norte.

In 2008, Moro rebels negotiating peace with Manila also attacked several villages in the towns of Kolambugan and Kauswagan town, burning houses and shooting at innocent civilians after the failed signing of the homeland accord with the Arroyo government. (Mindanao Examiner)

Police arrest suspect in failed assassination of Philippine governor

SULU, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 26, 2010) – Police have arrested one of the suspects in the failed assassination of a Philippine governor in a raid in the southern province of Sulu, officials said Thursday.

Officials said commandos raided a hideout and captured Abner Tahil alias Abs in the village of Kasangyangan in Jolo town. Tahil, who was implicated by the police in the roadside bombing which targeted Sulu Governor Sakur Tan last year in Patikul town.

Police said ten people were injured in the attack, including a town mayor, after a motorcycle rigged with explosives, was remotely detonated as Tan convoy was passing by.

Tahil was surprised by the raid and did not resist arrest, said Chief Inspector Amil Baanan, operations chief of the provincial police force. “The arrest of Tahil is part of a long intelligence operation,” Baanan said.

He said Senior Superintendent Joseph Ramac, the Sulu police chief, ordered security forces to intensify the hunt for other suspects in the bombing following the capture of Tahil in Jolo town.

Tahil is also being investigated for his role in a suicide bombing that also targeted Tan in Zamboanga City last month.

Tan was among more than two dozen people injured in the bombing outside the Zamboanga International Airport.

The bomber, Reynaldo Apilado, and Hatimil Haron, one of his cohorts, were killed in the blast. Police also implicated at least three more men – Allan Sabudin, Muamar Astali and Adong Salahuddin – in the attack after they were seen in a hotel security video in Zamboanga City together with Apilado and Haron before the bombing. The three men remain at large.

National police chief Jesus Versoza said the attack was connected to the failed assassination of Tan last year. “This is connected to the failed assassination of Governor Tan last year. We are looking into all angles and motives of the attack,” he said.

Police said blamed last year attack on Tan to the militant group Abu Sayyaf, saying, two of the bombers were captured in a firefight with police commandos and they pointed to Tan’s political foes as the mastermind in the failed assassination.

Tan said more witnesses to the latest bombing have come out in the open and implicated several people as behind the attack. “Witnesses are coming out now and telling authorities that some people are also involved in the bombing,” he said, adding, authorities are now investigating the reports.

Regional police chief Edwin Corvera said they have received information from people claiming to have knowledge or were involved in the failed assassination of Tan. He said most of the information was passed to them through a police hotline they put up after the bombing.

He said information they received allegedly tagged a defeated congressional aspirant in Sulu province as behind the airport bombing while another implicated two defeated town mayors who are known political foes of the governor, and several policemen and that a bounty was put up by the mastermind to assassinate Tan. A third politician in Sulu, who lost in the May elections, was also implicated in the bombing. (Mindanao Examiner)

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Police Chief Orders Probe On Bloody Manila Hostage-Drama

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 25, 2010) – The Philippine police said it is investigating what went wrong to the bloody end to the hostage-draw in Manila that left 8 Hong Kong nationals dead and several more wounded, two of them seriously.

A former police captain, Rolando Mendoza, who was accused of robbery and extortion, took a tourist bus and held its two dozen passengers, mostly Hong Kong holidaymakers, hostage on Monday morning near the Quirino Grandstand.
He then demanded a government review of all charges against him, saying, he was innocent.

Nine of the Chinese hostages had been freed, but the rest were shot either by Mendoza or police commandos who assaulted the bus. The hostage-taker was eventually killed in the assault later in the night.

Earlier in the night, policemen arrested a brother of the hostage-taker, Gregorio Mendoza, after he was accused of instigating and agitating, instead of convincing the armed man to surrender peacefully, according to Director Leocadio Santiago, chief of police forces in the National Capital Region.

The arrest of Mendoza’s elder brother may have prompted him to shoot the hostages. Mendoza’s brother told reporters that policemen would kill him after accusing him of conspiring with the hostage-taker, an accusation he vehemently denied.

Moments after the arrest of the hostage-taker’s brother, several shots rang inside the bus. Mendoza’s brother and wife were in the area to convince him to surrender peacefully.

“The outcome of the hostage taking incident at the Quirino Grandstand is indeed very unfortunate that should warrant a thorough investigation. It saddened me deeply that lives were lost in the process. Indeed no words can assuage the trauma and grief that the victims and their families are now experiencing.”

“We will continue to work closely with other government agencies to make sure the victims and their families get the necessary services that they need while still in our country,” said Jesus Verzosa, the police chief.

“In the meantime, we will hold passing any judgment on what went wrong or what went right until we receive the final report from a team of experts who will look into all circumstances surrounding the hostage taking incident,” he added.

Media reports on Wednesday said several commandos who participated in the bungled assault had been suspended pending the outcome of the investigations. (Mindanao Examiner)

Bus Tragedy a Sad Reminder of a Society Mired in Despair: Jakarta Globe

In the 1994 film “Speed” starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock, the entire premise was captured with one memorable line: “There’s a bomb on the bus!”

In the 2010 hostage situation drama broadcast live from the Philippines on Monday, the memorable quote may as well have been, “There’s a bum on the bus!”

Rolando Mendoza, 55, a former police officer who claimed that he was wrongly relieved of his duties, held 22 tourists from Hong Kong and three Filipinos hostage on a bus in central Manila.

The standoff lasted for close to 12 hours and ended with at least nine people dead, including the hostage-taker.

The situation illustrates the dysfunction that pervades so much of Filipino society. Here’s why.

The media. They should have exercised more restraint. There should have been a media blackout or a delay in the live broadcast. It was reported that Mendoza was able to monitor what was happening on TV inside the bus.

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility in the Philippines has guidelines on their Web site regarding how media should behave during a situation like this.

These include provisions on live coverage as the situation unfolds, not getting involved in the action and refraining from inflammatory language.

But these guidelines were ignored. We saw everything unfold, scene by scene, and one journalist even reportedly helped with the negotiations.

Viewed from afar, we can only imagine what the live commentary was like — a whole lot of speculation disguised as intelligent analysis.

A friend on Twitter said that one local channel described how Mendoza’s brains were scattered onto the floor. Far from a relevant observation, the comment smacks of a reporter desperate for a colorful quip.

The police. They did not have the necessary equipment and did not wear protective gear. They did not have a procedure to keep the media and onlookers out of the way.

And the situation lasted for 12 hours. How something can last that long and still end with people dead is mind-boggling. Saying the negotiations did not go well would be putting it mildly.

Then there’s Mendoza, the person who caused the whole calamity.

A former police officer who was once named one of the 10 Outstanding Policemen of the Philippines, he received at least 17 other recognitions for his service before he was cashiered over a misconduct charge, which apparently set off his rampage.

The government. At the height of the situation, as it lead newscasts around the world, the central government did not speak.

Instead, viewers were regaled by actor-turned-Manila-vice-mayor Isko Moreno, who gave an incoherent interview in English to CNN.

He obviously didn’t know what happened with the negotiations, but nonetheless weighed in on the matter, live.

The people. Bystanders milled around the scene of the standoff, despite being fully aware of the gravity of the situation. They did not stand back and let the police do their job.

One person was reportedly hit by a stray bullet, yet others have the gall to blame only the police.

When the hostage crisis came to its bloody finale, the onlookers crowded around the bus. Some even took photos. They should have cleared the area and let the hostages be evacuated in safety.

Even the driver added to the mayhem when he climbed out of the bus and reported that everyone else was dead, instilling further panic.

The aftermath. In the end, it was sad day for my country because we have once again starred in a laughable — and live-televised — parody of how we work out our problems.

Even sadder is the idea that somehow, Maria Venus Raj, who competed in the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas on Tuesday, would help improve the sorry reputation of the Philippines after the latest mess. Raj was a trending topic on Twitter alongside the hostage situation.

When we look to a beauty pageant as redemption for national tragedy, there is truly something wrong.

In the end, all Filipinos have to share the blame, because each of us has helped contribute to the country’s current state with our apathy.

We look out only for ourselves, our families and our friends and not don’t seem to care while others suffer. All of us are guilty in one way or another.

We need discipline. We need restraint. We need to follow the laws. Things are messed up, but we shouldn’t give up.

We have already taken a step in the right direction by exercising our right to vote this year, even though it meant sacrificing our personal comfort by registering and lining up for hours.

But most of all, we need to put a stop to our sense of entitlement, the idea that we deserve better even though we don’t help to make things better.

It is this attitude that is, little by little, sinking the Philippines into the depths of despair. (Amee R. Enriquez, a Filipino national, is an editor with the Jakarta Globe.)


Link: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/bus-tragedy-a-sad-reminder-of-a-society-mired-in-despair/392631

CPJ meets Philippine officials, urges anti-impunity policies



MANILA, Philippines - Nine months after the killing of 32 journalists and media workers in the southern Philippines, a delegation from the Committee to Protect Journalists met today with justice officials in Manila and called on the government of President Benigno Aquino to address pervasive impunity in the recurring murders of journalists in the country.

"We see the response to these killings in Maguindanao as a way to raise the level of the criminal justice system for all people in the Philippines, not just journalists," said CPJ board member Sheila Coronel, a prominent Philippine journalist now at New York's Columbia University. "The Philippines' ranking of third worst in the world on CPJ's Impunity Index, behind Iraq and Somalia, is an indicator of a faltering justice system that is badly in need of repair."

CPJ's Impunity Index spotlights countries where journalists are murdered regularly and governments fail to solve the crimes. The index, compiled annually, measures unsolved journalist murders as a percentage of each country's population.

The CPJ delegation met at presidential offices in Malacañang Palace with Geronimo Sy, assistant secretary of the Department of Justice, and Richard Anthony Fadullon, assistant chief prosecutor in charge of the Maguindanao case. Along with Coronel, CPJ representatives included Asia Program Coordinator Bob Dietz, Impunity Campaign Coordinator María Salazar-Ferro, and Senior Southeast Asia Representative Shawn W. Crispin.

"We received a positive response from the officials at Malacañang today. We now hope that this adminstration's positive political will is translated into wise policies and appropriate actions," Dietz said.

The November 23, 2009, Maguindanao massacre was the deadliest event for the press since 1992, when CPJ began keeping detailed records on journalist deaths. Those journalists killed in Maguindanao were ambushed as they traveled with a convoy intending to file gubernatorial candidacy papers for local politician Esmael Mangudadatu. Most of the bodies were dumped in a mass hillside grave near the town of Ampatuan. Those accused in the killings are a part of a militia on one side of a long- running feud between two rival political clans competing for supremacy in the area.

The massacre, CPJ research shows, overshadowed the modest gains that Philippine authorities had made by winning recent convictions in two journalist murder cases. Last week, in an encouraging step, the judge hearing the Maguindanao case set a September 1 trial date for several defendants in the massacre, and promised to press ahead with the prosecution.

Since 1992, 66 journalists have been murdered in the Philippines. There have only been five convictions, CPJ research shows. CPJ continues to investigate the June killings of three journalists to determine whether they are work-related. (CPJ)


Link: http://cpj.org/2010/08/cpj-meets-philippine-officials-urges-anti-impunity.php

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Zamboanga SWAT denies extortion allegations

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 24, 2010) – The commander of the elite SWAT team of the local police has denied Tuesday extortion charges made by a group of Muslim traders against them.

The accusers, who buy and sell second-hand cell phones, accused members of the SWAT team of extorting money from them. They said the SWAT team seized their phones after they failed to pay seven thousand pesos the policemen were demanding from them every week. “They raided our places and seized all our phones and this came after we failed to pay seven thousand pesos they were asking from us,” one trader told TV 11, a local television station.

But the allegations was denied by Inspector Noel Nosa, commander of the local SWAT force, said the accusations were aimed at maligning them.

“There is no truth to the allegations. They are just maligning us because of the campaign that we are conducting against illegal vendors, especially those that sell stolen phones,” he told the TV 11.

It was unknown why the SWAT is undertaking such operations against illegal vendors in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner)

Maoist rebels brand "colossal stupidity" how Manila handled bloody hostage-drama

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 24, 2010) – The underground Communist Party of the Philippines on Tuesday branded as “colossal stupidity” how police and government officials handled the hostage-drama in Manila that left at least 7 Hong Kong nationals dead.

It said: “Government and police officials failed to draw out the hostage-taker through negotiations. Police actions, including the arrest of his brother and nephew later in the day, only drew the ire of the hostage-taker and made worse the situation."

The Communist Party of the Philippines, which is fighting for decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country, said the fumbled police assault resulted in unnecessary bloodshed.

"Colossal police incompetence was highlighted in almost every aspect of the hostage crisis. The Filipino people are dismayed at the monumental foul-ups and deplore the incompetence and stupidities of government and police in handling the hostage crisis," it said.

It was referring to the bloody end of the hostage-drama that also killed Rolando Mendoza, a former police captain. Mendoza was shot in the head and body near the bus’ front door where he fought it out with commandos. At least 15 people were held hostage by Mendoza, officials said.

Mendoza, who was dismissed from the service after being accused of robbery and extortion, hijacked the bus on Monday morning. Mendoza later demanded that he be reinstated to the police service after denying all accusations against him.

At least 9 people had been released earlier on Monday by Mendoza and the bus driver escaped later in the night after jumping out of the window.

Earlier in the night, policemen arrested a brother of the hostage-taker, Gregorio Mendoza, after he was accused of instigating and agitating, instead of convincing the armed man to surrender peacefully, according to Director Leocadio Santiago, chief of police forces in the National Capital Region.

The arrest of Mendoza’s elder brother may have prompted him to shoot the hostages. Mendoza’s brother told reporters that policemen would kill him after accusing him of conspiring with the hostage-taker, an accusation he vehemently denied.

Moments after the arrest of Mendoza, several shots rang inside the bus where the tourists were being held by the former cop. Officials said Mendoza hijacked the bus to air his gripe. His brother and wife also urged him to surrender peacefully.

Hong Kong on Tuesday has warned Chinese nationals against travelling to the Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)