Acquitted military officer in Basilan bloodbath reinstated

MANILA, Philippines - Col. Alexander Macario, one of the officers charged for violating some provisions of the Articles of War (AW) in connection with the October 2011 Basilan bloodbath, was designated as the new Inspector General (IG) of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division based in Cagayan de Oro City, it was learned Thursday.

A member the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Sandiwa” Class 1985, Macario assumed his new position Feb. 27. He replaced Col. Ferdinand Quidilla (PMA “Matikas” Class 1983), who is designated as the new commander of the 402nd Infantry “Stinger” Brigade.

Last November, Macario, former commander of the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne) was acquitted by a General Court Martial for “insufficiency of evidence.” Also acquitted was Lt. Col. Orlando Edralin, former commander of the Special Task Force Basilan and Special Forces School. Both were charged for allegedly violating AW 96 (Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and Gentleman) and AW 97 (Disorders and Neglects to the Prejudice of Good Order and Military Discipline).

“[Col. Macario has] my confidence and he is the right person for this designation and I believe that he can equal or even surpassed what Col. Quidilla has accomplished,” 4th ID commander Maj. Gen. Nestor Añonuevo said.

Last January, the same court found guilty Col. Amikandra Undug, former commander of the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne), for violating AW 96 and 97. His case is on appeal before the office of Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista.

At the same time, the court is still hearing the case of Lt. Col. Leonard Peña, former commanding officer of the 4th Special Forces Battalion, for allegedly violating AW 96, 97, and 84 (Willful or Negligent Loss, Damage or Wrongful Disposition).

The officers’ case stemmed from the October 18 daylong firefight of less than 100 soldiers against more than 400 combined Muslim rebels and Abu bandits in Barangay Cambug, Al-Barka town that resulted to the death of 19 soldiers and 14 others seriously injured.

The rebels were from the 114th base Command of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) led by Long Malat Sulayman and Furuji Indama, respectively.

The soldiers, who were in the area to serve arrest warrants of lawless personalities when attacked, did not coordinate with the Muslim rebels who were in peace talks with the government.

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Jaime Sinapit | InterAksyon.com | February 28, 2013 | Article Link

Officers behind costly, botched mission vs MILF to face court martial

MANILA, Phiippines - The Philippine military said Sunday it would put four senior special forces officers on trial over a botched mission against Muslim insurgents that left 19 commandos dead and almost scuppered peace talks.

Military prosecutors found sufficient evidence to warrant the court martial proceedings against a colonel and three lieutenant colonels, the armed forces said in a statement.

"The next step is the arraignment of the accused military personnel in the said case," the military said in a statement, without giving a date.

The four officers are accused of organising a flawed special forces mission to arrest a top Muslim militant in the southern island of Mindanao in October last year.

Investigations by army prosecutors found that half the 41 commandos involved in the operation were unprepared and had been in the area for an unrelated training programme.

The soldiers entered thick jungle terrain controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), triggering heavy fighting that killed 19 soldiers and several rebels.

The attack triggered bloody clashes that displaced 20,000 families in the south and led to the near-collapse of peace talks between the government and the MILF, which has been waging a rebellion since the 1970s.

The rebels accused the military of violating an earlier agreement to stay away from its known camps.

It was later discovered that the military's top general in the region was not told of the operation.

Both sides have since returned to the negotiating table.

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Agence France-Presse | InterAksyon.Com | April 30, 2012 | Article Link

Sub-leader of Abu Sayyaf killed in Basilan

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) -- A sub-leader of the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf was killed in an ambush staged by lawless elements in Southern Philippine town of Al Barkah, Basilan Province, before noon Sunday, the military said.

Long Malat Sulayman, alias Long Malat, the sub-leader of Abu Sayyaf in Al Barkah and nearby Tipo-tipo, was attacked by a group of "local lawless elements" due to clan war around 11 a.m., said Col. Ricardo Visaya, commander of the 104th Brigade and Joint Task Force Basilan.

Visaya said Sulayman was hit in the leg and died of blood loss around 3 p.m. His body was later brought to Makalang village, also in Al Barkah town.

He added that Sulayman was the only Abu Sayyaf sub-leader who was hit in the ambush, which was followed by a firefight between the two sides.

Asked what will be the effect of Sulayman's death to the Abu Sayyaf, Visaya said: "Long Malat is a sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf, so this will be a big loss to their leadership. They will be in disarray for the meantime that they have no leader."

As to the motive of the attack, the official said: "Those who staged the ambush have a land conflict with Malat. The rubber industry is booming here so what they need is space to plant. They have been fighting over land to plant rubber." 

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The Philippine Star | April 1, 2012 | Article Link

Still no court-martial for 4 Army officers

Despite the recommendations of an Army panel, the Armed Forces of the Philippines has yet to begin court-martial proceedings against four Army commanders in connection with the Oct. 18, 2011 deaths of 19 soldiers in an encounter with Muslim secessionist rebels in Al Barka, Basilan.

AFP Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Jessie Dellosa received the panel’s findings at the end of January but he has yet to act on it.

In a phone interview with reporters Wednesday, Lieutenant General Emmanuel Bautista, head of the Army, admitted that the pretrial panel had recommended the case for military trial.

The panel, led by deputy judge advocate general Lieutenant Colonel Liberato Ramos, found enough ground to try four senior officers for negligence and lapses that led to the death of 19 Special Forces troops and the serious injury of 14 others in an encounter with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Al Barka last October 18.

The officers will be charged with “violation of Article of War 97 or conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline in conjunction with criminal negligence under Article 365 in the Revised Penal Code.”

Colonel Aminkadra Undog is the most senior of those implicated. He is the immediate former head of the Army Special Forces Regiment. Acknowledged for his successes in the field, Undog was decorated for his role in the 2003 capture of notorious Abu Sayyaf bandit leader Commander Robot (real name Galib Andang), who was killed two years later in a prison siege.

The others charged are Colonel Alexander Macario, former head of the Special Operations Task Force (SOTF) Basilan; Lieutenant Colonel Leo Pena, former head of the 4th Special Forces Battalion in charge of the troops deployed that fateful day; and Lieutenant Colonel Orlando Edralin, former commandant of the Special Forces Training School.

Most of the soldiers involved in the encounter had just finished a military scuba training course and were deployed in Basilan for the first time.

A ceasefire between the government and the MILF was in place at the time.

The MILF, which claimed to have lost five men in the eight-hour gun battle, had claimed their fighters raised their weapons because they were not informed about the military’s movements—said to be a police operation in the area.

Last month, the MILF announced it has suspended for three months its deputy commander in Basilan, Dan Laksaw Asnawi, and two other commanders it did identify for the Al Barka clash.

The MILF said it meted the suspension based on the findings of the Malaysia-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) that both the AFP and the MILF were at fault for not observing the ceasefire agreement.

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Dona Z. Pazzibugan | Philippine Daily Inquirer | March 29, 2012 | Article Link

Military, MILF at fault for deadly Basilan clash

MANILA, Philippines - Government troops and Moro rebels violated ceasefire provisions that led to a clash that killed 19 Special Forces soldiers and 5 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members in Al Barka, Basilan last October 18, 2011, an international team implementing the truce said.

The International Monitoring Team (IMT) also wants sanctions on military and MILF commanders behind the clash, according to Armed Forces Peace Process Office chief Col. Dickson Hermoso.

AFP officers involved the incident are already facing court martial, Hermoso said.

The 4 officers involved are Col. Alexander Macario, former commander of the Special Operations Task Force-Basilan; Lt. Col. Leo Pena, former commander of the 4th Special Forces Battalion; Special Forces Regiment (SFR) commander Col. Aminkadra Undog; and SFR Training School commandant Lt. Col. Orlando Edralin.

Hermoso said the MILF is also punishing rebel commanders.

"They are also imposing their own sanctions to their immediate commanders but I cannot give details. They are reciprocating also the sanctions that government imposed on our military officers," he said.

The IMT said the military failed to coordinate with the MILF in entering a rebel area to arrest wanted men.

"Both sides committed the same offense. We (the military) are instituting some more measures so that similar incidents will not happen in the future," Hermoso said.

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ABS-CBNnews.com

Posted at 02/23/2012 8:54 PM

Link

Pre-trial of 4 Army officers completed

MANILA, Philippines - The Army has completed its pre-trial investigation on four officers who are said to be liable for last year’s clash in Al-Barka, Basilan that left 19 soldiers dead.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said yesterday the investigators’ report is on its way to the desk of military chief Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa.

“According to the J1 (deputy chief of staff for personnel), the findings will soon be forwarded to Gen. Dellosa,” Burgos said in a phone interview.

He said Dellosa may receive the investigators’ findings as early as today. The pre-trial report may be made public next week.

In a separate interview, Dellosa confirmed that the findings of investigators would be reviewed soon.

“Papunta na sa akin (The report will soon reach me). Based on the result of the (pre-trial investigation), we will determine if we are going to conduct a court martial,” he told reporters.

The pre-trial investigation was conducted by a team led by Lt. Col. Liberato Ramos, the Army’s deputy judge advocate-general.

Those who underwent the pre-trial were Col. Aminkadra Undog, former commander of the Army’s Special Forces Regiment (Airborne); Col. Orlando Edralin, former commander of the Special Forces Regiment’s Training School; Col. Alexander Macario, former chief of the Special Operations Task Force-Basilan; and Lt. Col. Leo Peña, former chief of the 4th Special Operations Battalion.

Lapses

The pre-trial probe was conducted to determine whether the four officers had committed lapses that led to the bloody encounter in Al-Barka town last Oct. 18.

The four were relieved from their positions to allow them to face the accusations against them.

A court of inquiry formed last year to probe the incident recommended that the four be tried for violating Articles of War No. 97 or conduct unbecoming of an officer and gentleman in conjunction with Article 365 of the Revised Penal Code for acts of negligence.

Nineteen soldiers were killed and 14 others were wounded after state troops clashed with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Sitio Baisung, Barangay Cambug in Al-Barka last Oct. 18.

The encounter happened despite the ongoing peace talks and ceasefire between the MILF and the government.

Soldiers who figured in the clash were supposed to serve a warrant of arrest on MILF commander Dan Laksaw Asnawi who was tagged in the killing of 14 Marines in Basilan in 2007, lawless element Long Malat, and Abu Sayyaf leader Furuji Indama.

The MILF blamed the military for the clash, saying the state forces deliberately attacked its territory even without provocation.

The AFP, however, denied this, saying the clash happened four kilometers away from the MILF territory.

Ceasefire rules prohibit the military from entering MILF areas without proper coordination with the ceasefire panels.

President Aquino declared an “all-out justice” against lawless elements behind the incident.

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By Alexis Romero 

The Philippine Star 

January 28, 2012 12:00 AM

Link

No ceasefire agreement violated by AFP during Al-Barka encounter, says Ortiz

Fort Magsaysay, Philippines—The military assured it did not disobey any ceasefire agreement in the encounter in Al Barka, Basilan, which led to the death of 19 of its Special Forces last month.

“We are more than confident we did not violate any (ceasefire) agreement. The site of encounter is outside what they (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) were claiming as ATS (area of temporary stay),” Army Chief Lieutenant General Arturo Ortiz told reporters.

The military cannot enter or conduct operations in areas of temporary stay.

When asked if the MILF was the one at fault for the incident, Ortiz only said, “Obvious naman (It’s obvious).”

An investigation on the Basilan incident has started Monday led by the International Monitoring Team, which will be joined by members of the MILF and government’s Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group.

Major General Ireneo Espino, the Inspector General, said he has submitted the results of the investigation of the Al Barka incident to Armed Forces Chief of Staff General Eduardo Oban.

He said they did the report “fairly”.

He did not elaborate on the details of the report but he assured that it will be made public once read by President Benigno Aquino III.

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By Frances Mangosing
INQUIRER.net

Source

Next AFP target: Al-Barka

Local execs seek prior warning, cooperation

Basilan leaders want the military to first coordinate with them before launching any combat operation, particularly in the town of Al-Barka where 19 soldiers were slaughtered on Oct. 18.

Basilan Vice Gov. Al Rasheed Sakalahul said prior information would enable him and other officials to remove civilians from targeted areas and settle them in established peace zones beyond the line of fire.

“We are asking [the military] to give us enough time to move civilians out before they [go after] lawless elements,” Sakalahul said. He said the civilians would be settled in designated areas “where they can sleep and eat, and where we can easily monitor their movements.”

Sakalahul said that during the Oct. 18 military operation in Al-Barka, where 19 soldiers were killed by purported renegade members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), residents and officials alike were caught by surprise when the military began shelling Barangays Cambug, Kailih and Batu-bato.

“There was no prior advice, and we were at a loss on how to deal with the evacuation because it was so sudden,” he said, adding that the situation became so chaotic that displaced families had to occupy the roadsides.

Real culprits

Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad expressed support for Sakalahul’s appeal for prior information from the military.

Jumoad also said the military should make sure that the objects of the imminent manhunt were the real culprits, and “not just anybody, like what happened in 2007 when most of those in the [pursuit] list were not even involved in the July 10 beheading of the Marines.”

He said local officials should be tapped for assistance because they would be of help in the government’s efforts to hunt down armed groups involved in crime.

Sakalahul said he was hoping that the impending military operation in Al-Barka would not result in more collateral damage.

“There are many ways to avoid it,” he said.

During a visit to Zamboanga City last week, Gen. Eduardo Oban, the Armed Forces chief of staff, said the military was preparing for another combat operation in Al-Barka against the group responsible for the recent clash there, in which the 19 soldiers were killed.

“The directive is to continue the pursuit of lawless elements,” Oban had said. “Wherever they are, we are going to pursue them further. But then again, this should be driven by intelligence work because we are after [certain] personalities.”

‘So far, so good’

In Manila, former President Joseph Estrada on Friday backed the ongoing military operations against “lawless elements.”

“So far, so good,” he said. “We really have to rain bullets on them.”

But he continued to express mistrust of the MILF, against which he is campaigning for an all-out war.

In 2000, Estrada launched an all-out war against the secessionist group, which led to the capture of its biggest stronghold, Camp Abubakar, and several other key rebel settlements in the South.

Estrada said he would have finished off the Moro rebels and proceeded with a comprehensive rehabilitation plan in Mindanao had he not been deposed in 2001.

“I had grand plans for Mindanao as the country’s food basket,” he said. “With the armed conflict resolved, we would have focused on rehabilitation and development.”

Estrada also questioned the wisdom behind the Aquino administration’s earlier decision to give P5 million to the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute, a supposed youth group put up by the MILF.

“That money could be used for rehabilitation after they have surrendered. But for now, they’re still fighting the government so why give them money?” he told the Inquirer in Filipino, adding:

“You can never know where they would use that money. You can’t trust them.”

‘Gov’t doing its best’

As though to offset the effects of the military operations, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman visited Basilan on Friday along with Peace Adviser Teresita Deles and Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo.

Sakalahul quoted Soliman as saying that the government was doing its best to bring criminals to justice.

“May namatay, dapat may managot (There were people killed; someone should be held accountable),” she said further.

During the visit, Soliman turned over P2 million to Basilan Gov. Jum Akbar as assistance to the families displaced by the recent military operations.

She also handed P10,000 to each of the families of the rubber plantation workers killed in the ambush by armed men in Sumisip town on Oct. 24. Those injured received P5,000 each.

In Barangay Naga-naga in Alicia, Zamboanga Sibugay province, Soliman, Robredo and Deles visited an evacuation center and held a dialogue with the residents displaced by the recent military operations.

Soliman said the residents could count on the immediate release of cash grants from the government’s conditional cash transfer program, “so it can help you with your needs.”

She oversaw the distribution of relief goods to each family, consisting of three kilos of rice, three cans of sardines, soy sauce, cooking oil and packs of instant noodles.

Soliman said the Department of Social Welfare and Development would work to ease the worrisome health conditions in the evacuation center.

‘Pool your efforts’

Robredo told the local officials of Alicia and Payao, also in Zamboanga Sibugay, to pool their efforts to help the displaced residents.

“It is important that the evacuees feel the government’s efforts to help them,” Robredo said.

Payao Mayor Joeper Mendoza said that in his town alone, at least 2,368 families had been displaced since last week.

He said many of the families were staying with relatives, making it difficult for aid agencies to deliver relief assistance to them.

Payao municipal councilor Mechana Abdul said classes remained suspended in schools in certain barangays.

Senior Insp. Rolando Bartolome, Payao police director, said civilians had volunteered to help the town’s 23 policemen patrol the town center and its perimeter.

“We have to be strong and show unity and resolve to protect our town,” he said. With reports from Christian V. Esguerra in Manila and Bobby Lagsa, Inquirer Mindanao

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First posted 1:11 am | Saturday, October 29th, 2011

By Julie Alipala
Inquirer Mindanao

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/84679/next-afp-target-al-barka