9 Moro rebels killed in series of clashes - Army

At least nine Moro guerillas were killed in a series of clashes with government forces in the borders of North Cotabato and Maguindanao since December 31, the Army here reported Friday.

Capt. Antonio Bulao, spokesperson of the 602nd Infantry Brigade, said the latest fatalities were two Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, who were killed on January 1 during a rebel attack on a paramilitary outpost in Barangay Nabalawag in Pikit, North Cotabato.

“Our forces retaliated from sniper shots fired from the BIFF side, killing two of the attackers,” Bulao said.

A soldier was wounded in the 20-minute firefight that ensued, he added.

On Thursday, seven rebels were also killed during a clash with soldiers in Barangay Paidu Pulangi, also in Pikit, according to Bulao.

“They keep on harassing our forces,” Bulao said of the recent activities involving the breakaway Moro Islamic Liberation Front faction.

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Maguindanao Massacre Suspect Wounded, Captured After Clash With Troops

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Cotabato — A suspect in the “Maguindanao Massacre” was wounded and captured when his group clashed with government troops in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Saturday, local authorities said.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) based in Maguindanao said reported Sunday that one gunman was killed in an encounter and that one of those wounded was a certain Tammy Talimbong, a suspect in the Maguindanao Massacre case.

An Army official identified as Captain Louie Male of the 45th Infantry Battalion was also wounded during the clash.

Male was leading a team in patrolling the highway in Manungkaling district in Mamasapano town when they encountered Talimbong’s group.

The soldiers were sent to the area to guard the residents from a group of armed men reported to police.

When authorities had Talimbong’s identity checked, they found out the suspect was a former member of the so-called Ampatuan militia and is among those wanted in the Maguindanao massacre in 2009 in which 58 people, mostly journalists, were killed.

Talimbong was placed in the custody of CIDG, reports said.

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Malu Cadelina Manar | Manila Bulletin | February 17, 2013 | Article Link

Defense chief: Renewed claim over Sabah not sanctioned by Philippine govt

Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Friday said the renewed claim over Sabah island in Malaysia by a group of Filipinos from the Kiram clan in Mindanao was not sanctioned by the Philippine government.

In an interviewed in Baguio City, Gazmin said, “We made it very clear to the Malaysian authorities, especially to chief of defense forces, particularly to chief of defense force Gen. Zulkipli (Tan Sri Zulkifli Zainal Abidin), this is not sanctioned and without the blessing of the government..What they merely want is to live in Sabah.”

Gazmin also clarified that the Filipinos were not detained but restricted in some area "so they can be isolated from the Filipinos who are permanent residents of Sabah.”

“Right now, we can't say anything about that because the Malaysia authorities are talking with the supposed claimants…We will know after the outcome of these talks.”

Gazmin said the Filipinos, around 180, labeled themselves as the Royal Sultanate Army and claimed to be the security personnel of the Kiram family which has been laying the claim over Sabah for many years.

In the 1960s, the Philippine government laid its claim over Sabah based on historical and legal data, but later suspended it.

Did not want violence

Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista said the Filipinos who figured in the Sabah incident “did not go there to initiate any violence.”

“They went there to discuss with the Malaysians the issue of Sabah,” added Bautista.

He also reiterated the statement of Gazmin. “As what (Secretary Gazmin said), that (action) has no sanction of the government,” Bautista said.

Bautista said the Kiram clan “does not want violence and they agreed to discuss the matter peacefully with the Malaysian authorities. They are in Sabah, they will resolve the issue there peacefully. They agreed to talk to each other and they will return to the Philippines in due time.”

Bautista said Malaysian authorities have asked the Philippine government to conduct patrols in the borders to prevent a complication of the incident.

“Ours is to help them contain the situation. They requested us to patrol our borders as they will also patrol their side of the borders to prevent illegal entrance, so that it will not further complicate the situation. They are going to address peacefully the situation there,” he said.

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GMA News Online | February 16, 2013 |

Article Link:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/295218/pinoyabroad/news/defense-chief-renewed-claim-over-sabah-not-sanctioned-by-phl-govt

No MNLF rescue of 3 foreign hostages of Abu Sayyaf - military

MANILA - The military's Western Mindanao Command denied reports that three foreign hostages of the Abu Sayyaf Group were rescued by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

Colonel Rodrigo Gregorio, Wesmincom spokesman, said a check with the 2nd Marine Brigade commander based in Sulu showed that there have been no MNLF offensives against the ASG since Sunday.

A certain Emmanuel Fontanilla, who introduced himself as a spokesman of the MNLF, told several media interviews that the MNLF were able to rescue three foreign hostages from the ASG on Tuesday, inluding two Dutchmen and a Swiss national.

"Wala pong katotohanan yan. Yung commander sa ground, yung commander ng 2nd marine brigade (Col. Orlando de Leon) siya mismo nag-deny lahat ng information na yun na lumalabas na hindi totoo yun," Gregorio said in a phone interview.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) earlier said the ASG is holding at least five more foreigners hostage in Sulu, including Jordanian journalist Baker Atyani and two European birdwatchers.

Gregorio said Fontanilla was spreading "disinformation" to the media.

In an earlier interview, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Emmanuel Bautista said soldiers in Sulu were instructed to maintain vigilance while at the same time ensure that the conflict does not spillover to other areas in Sulu.
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Abigail Kwok | InterAksyon.com | February 7, 2013 | Article Link

US top military officer meets with Aquino, AFP chief of staff

MANILA -- US General Martin Dempsey, head of the US joint chiefs of staff, on Monday separately met with President Benigno Aquino III and his counterpart in the Philippine military and discussed a wide range of topics including the West Philippine Sea and the ongoing standoff at Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal with China.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Jessie Dellosa and Gen. Dempsey held a closed-door meeting Monday following the Shangri-La talks in Singapore last June 1 to 3.

AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos said the meeting was part of the mutual defense treaty and aims to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries. The agenda include information exchange on global and regional issues. Among the topics to be discussed in the meeting are the West Philippine Sea and Mindanao security.

"The meeting underscores the importance of the AFP as being an ally of the United States," Burgos said.

"With or without the Scarborough standoff, this is part of our mutual defense treaty and to enhance bilateral relations," he added.

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Abigail Kwok | InterAksyon.com | June 4, 2012 | Article Link

War witness, soldier’s wife contributes to peace efforts

PROMOTING a culture of peace goes beyond teaching it inside classrooms.

For Prof. Estrella Alvarado Cantallopez, the heart and soul of peace education is going out in public to interact with people from the military, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

“There are many things you can do about peace, but the most important thing you can do is to listen. People misunderstand each other a lot because they do not listen,” said Prof. Cantallopez.

And this is what she does best: listening.

CEBU. After spending decades in education, Prof. Estrella A. Cantallopez says schools hold the most potential for teaching people to understand why peace, for some communities, proves elusive. (Sun.Star Cebu)

While she serves as professor in the undergraduate and graduate schools of Notre Dame University (NDU) in Cotabato City, Prof. Cantallopez is best known for her contribution in giving hope to war victims.

She made the most of her previous role as director of NDU’s Peace Center by starting projects that help depressed and war-torn communities.

After giving a peace education seminar in Barangay Pagangan, Aleosan in North Cotabato, Prof. Cantallopez saw the need to provide them with livelihood opportunity. She linked them with the University of the Philippines’ Seeds Program, which later provided them training on organic farming.

House of Peace

She also linked them with the United Nations Act for Peace program, which provided them a two-hectare property that serves as their refuge.

Prof. Cantallopez helped trained teachers to prepare proposals for books and computer donations. She also helped them build “Bahay Kalilintad” (House of Peace), where anyone is free to come and discuss community issues. It also serves as a center to settle individual disputes.

Prof. Cantallopez juggles various responsibilities, including teaching in the undergraduate and the graduate schools, conducting research, serving as thesis and dissertation reader and adviser, advising academic organizations, conducting peace seminar-workshops, and working with communities.

As peace educator, she has established peace-building programs for the military, out-of-school youth and women under the Notre Dame Educational Association.

She also initiated and spearheaded three dialogue programs and peace negotiations between community people of Nuyo in Maguindanao and the Philippine Army; community people of Dualing in North Cotabato and a military officer; and the groups of Commander Karon of MNLF and Commander Jing Kaludtiag of MILF.

“When people experience hardships and pains, the first person to come to their rescue would always be welcomed. That was what I made them feel, that I could be there to walk with them, swim with them, and help them when they sink,” she said.

Seeing the big picture

Prof. Cantallopez said decades of being involved in peace and development made her

understand the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious issues faced by society.

“These issues are not to be dealt with in isolation, but as pieces of a whole. They are interconnected with other problems related to peace and violence so therefore, they should be addressed as a whole,” she explained.

Prof. Cantallopez’s passion for peace and development is a product of her formative years. As a child, she would hear her father narrate war stories.

Her father’s job as a soldier made the family transfer to different places. So while her parents were originally from Camiguin, she was born in Sta. Fe (now Imelda) in Malangas, Zamboanga del Sur in Western Mindanao. But she went back to Camiguin after primary school, when her maternal grandmother brought her back to the island-province.

“There I lived a regimented life, waking up at 6 a.m. I memorized the Spanish version of ‘Our Lord’s Prayer’. The sight of soldiers in our place was normal,” she narrated.

Her lola’s strict upbringing brought out the best in her, enabling Prof. Cantallopez

to graduate top of her class in elementary and high school.

She was uneasy with the presence of soldiers, she admitted.

Growing up, all she heard were stories of wars that she thought that the presence of soldiers only meant one thing: chaos.

Memory

As a young lady, she looked forward to her college education at the University of San Carlos in Cebu City. She thought that was the time for her to live a normal life, far from violence. But Martial Law was declared in 1972 and her parents made her return to Mindanao.

The first bloody incident in Zamboanga del Sur is still etched in her mind: 30 passengers were killed in an ambush in Buug, Zamboanga del Sur. The daughter of their neighbor survived. But the emotional trauma the accident left on her was massive.

She developed a fear of the military, but she ended up marrying a soldier. Her husband was assigned to Cagayan de Sulu (now Cagayan de Mapun). She loved the place—no chaos, no explosions. It was a change of atmosphere for her.

There, she learned about the Notre Dame of Cagayan de Sulu, owned by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. She taught in the university, which gave her a productive venue to divert her attention from all the chaos. Life was peaceful with her career as a teacher.

This was short-lived. Her husband was ordered to report to Jolo, Sulu where she again encountered several life-threatening episodes.

Lights, fires and explosions were common to her.

She learned to live in an atmosphere of uncertainty. Wounded and dead soldiers were commonplace. Stories of engineer soldiers being ambushed while doing civic action for the poor and displaced were anticipated.

Just when Prof. Cantallopez was wondering about the purpose of her life, Prof. Toh Swee-Hin, a peace educator connected with the United Nationals Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), visited their university to establish a peace education center.

Toh served as Dean of Education at the University of Alberta. He received the 2000 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. He was invited to give a talk at NDU. His visit was also aimed at building a peace center at the university, according to Prof. Cantallopez.

Going beyond campuses

At that time, Prof. Toh called on professors to attend seminars and workshops to join in the movement for peace and development. Prof. Cantallopez said she expressed interest to join because of her previous experience. From there, her journey in the peace and development world became more strategic.

Today, she is teaching in the university’s undergraduate and graduate schools while balancing her role as mobile peace educator and conducting peace-seminar workshops in Regions 9, 11 and 12. She also serves as facilitator, resource person for culture of peace seminars, consultant, mediator and peace researcher.

“The school has the most potential as a tool for social transformation, as it has access to people of all ages and all walks of life. It is needed for systematic teachings so people understand the root causes of peacelessness,” she said.

Moving forward, Cantallopez said she still sees herself as a community leader, animator and peace educator in the years to come. Does she still wander and wonder about the meaning of peace?

She has found fulfillment in the communities she worked with enabling her to also find inner peace.

“The communities I have worked with have become resilient to the point of strategizing. They need not run to evacuation centers all the time. This could be the effect of all joint efforts in the community, not the lone impact of my peace-building work.”

“They have established peace houses and have held dialogues to resolve conflicts in the personal and community levels so rifts do not escalate to larger confrontation such as rido or clan wars,” explained Prof. Cantallopez.

Real words spoken by a war witness, who is now helping sow the seeds of peace.

(Prof. Estrella Cantallopez is one of five finalists for the Ramon Aboitiz Award for Exemplary Individual. The 5th RAFI Triennial Awards will be handed out on March 22, 2012.)

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Monday, March 5, 2012 | SunStar.Com.Ph | Article Link

Soldiers hope lasting peace in Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – Battle-hardened soldiers in flashpoint areas in Central Mindanao were so overt in manifesting support to President Aquino’s peace overture with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The soldiers were optimistic that a final government-MILF truce would come sooner than the 2016 expiration of the president’s tenure.

As a complementing initiative,  four Army units in North Cotabato – the 7^th, 40^th, 57^th and 68^th  Infantry Battalions – already started training officers on efficient military-media cooperation to bolster the dissemination of their extensive non-tactical activities.

This is to support Malacañang’s confidence-building measures with Moro forces to prevent undue confrontations while the peace talks are underway.

The initial batch of soldiers that underwent the training last week were taught by volunteer journalists how to report their community projects based on the principles of “peace reporting”.

They were also taught how to highlight their press statements with dividends of the peace process particularly in the enforcement of the GPH-MILF ceasefire to generate public volunteerism in monitoring its implementation in far-flung areas.

Fragile peace

Col. Benjamin Hao, commanding officer of the 7th IB, said there were dramatic improvements lately in the security situation in areas under his battalion after they started addressing amicably domestic security problems through backdoor dialogues with leaders of guerilla forces, and other stakeholders.

Hao said the most senior Army officer in North Cotabato, Col. Cesar Sedillo of the 602nd Brigade, and the commander of the 6th Infantry Division, Major Gen. Rey Ardo, both have standing directives to embark on extensive confidence-building maneuvers aimed at addressing domestic security constraints and other humanitarian issues.

People in Central Mindanao felt the cordiality between the 7th IB and the Muslim communities guarded by its combatants when towns under the battalion’s jurisdiction were struck by flashfloods spawned by typhoons last year.

Soldiers and unarmed MILF fighters helped each other evacuate civilians away from their flood-stricken villages in a series of relief and rescue missions monitored by the joint ceasefire committee.

Hao and Lt. Cols. Roy Galido, Marcelino Teofilo, and Noel Dela Cruz, commanding officers of the 40th, 68th and 57th Battalions, respectively, agreed to launch their local military-media peace advocacy thrust, with the permission of Sedillo and Ardo, to hasten the dissemination of the successes of their units.

It will also note the performance of  government-MILF ceasefire committee, the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team and the Philippine National Police, in preserving the fragile peace now in Central Mindanao, based on protocols established jointly by rebel and government peace brokers.

Members of the 7th IB and MILF forces prevented last year three near encounters in the adjoining towns of Pikit, North Cotabato and Pagalungan and Montawal, both in Maguindanao by jointly resolving misunderstandings over control of territories and uncoordinated movements of government combatants and Moro guerillas.

Efficient communication link

“It is only by way of having open lines of communication and cooperation from leaders of local sectors, the police and the religious communities that we have resolved the problems. Very peaceful efforts, far from being bloody and antagonistic,” said Hao.

Galido and his subordinate-officers in the 40th IB managed to broker in recent months internal ceasefire accords between the feuding Moro families Matilac and Maraguiar; and Sugud and Musa in North Cotabato’s adjoining Pigcawayan and Midsayap towns, respectively.

The effort was with the help of local officials, Muslim clerics, and the GPH Coordinating Committee on Cessation of Hostilities.

The 40th IB, the MILF, the joint ceasefire committee, the IMT and the local government units of Midsayap and Banisilan, also in North Cotabato, have established a joint ceasefire monitoring post, or JCMP in the two towns to help prevent any outbreak of hostilities that could derail President Aquino’s peace overture with the MILF.

Galido and Hao, who both graduated from the Philippine Military Academy in 1990, are just as optimistic the government and MILF peace panels can achieve a major breakthrough soon in their effort to reach a negotiated settlement on the so-called Mindanao Moro problem.

Strictly no politics

Ardo, who was chairman of the GPH ceasefire committee before he assumed as 6th ID commander in early 2011, said there is overwhelming support for the peace talks by his division’s rank and file personnel.

“We have various activities complementing the GPH-MILF peace negotiations while awaiting, with hope and confidence, the now very perceivable fruit of the peace talks,” Ardo said.

There has been no major military-MILF encounter in the 6th ID’s area, where the MILF has dozens of big enclaves, since early 2010 and even when there were pockets of hostilities last year in parts of the Zamboanga peninsula and in Al-Barka, Basilan.

Ardo said his standing order for his men, meantime, is to avoid dipping their fingers into politics.

 “A soldier can never be an efficient peace broker if identified with a political camp. We must not forget that the Mindanao conflict is one that has political, socio-economic and racial ramifications,” Ardo said.

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By John Unson 

The Philippine Star

PhilStar.Com

February 23, 2012 11:17 AM

Link

Central Mindanao on alert over bomb plot

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines  – Central Mindanao has been placed on high alert amid reports of a bomb plot by militant groups.

Director Felicisimo Khu, head of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operation (DIPO) for Western Mindanao, said intelligence reports showed that the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) led by Basit Usman was behind the bomb plot.

Usman, said to be a trained bomber of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), has been blamed for the recent spate of bomb attacks in Central Minda­nao. 

Khu said Usman's group had initially planned the bombing for Christmas Day.

“At the start of year, an intel report was received that the bombing plan would be executed on Jan. 4 or 5. Thus all PNP (Philippine National Police) units to include the JTF (Joint Task Force) Gensan were put on high alert,” he said.

 He said the security alert resulted in the recovery of an improvised explosive device in Barangay Magon, Tantangan town, South Cotabato last week. He said the IED was intended to hit a passenger bus in General Santos City.

Khu said an IED planted near a commercial building along Naranjita street in Barangay Dadiangas South, General Santos City was also discovered by a security guard at around 2 p.m. on Sunday. He said the bomb was placed inside a 1.5 liter soda plastic bottle wrapped in a plastic bag.

Khu said the bomb had the markings of the Bangsamoro Youth Movement and Bangsamoro Independence Movement.

Authorities uncovered the bomb plot as the US government renewed its travel warning on the Philippines, saying terrorist attacks could occur in Mindanao.

Khu assured the public that police authorities would remain on alert even as he urged the public to remain vigilant.

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By Roel Pareño The Philippine Star Updated January 10, 2012 12:00 AM

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Police detonate bomb in South Cotabato

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—Police bomb experts safely detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) discovered under a tree beside the national highway in Tantangan, South Cotabato (an earlier report said it was found planted in a targeted passenger bus).

Chief Superintendent Felicisimo Khu Jr., head of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao, said the bomb, fashioned out of an 81-millimeter mortar shell fitted with a mobile phone as trigger device, was found in Barangay (village) Magon around 8 a.m.

He said the police suspected that the bomb was intended for buses of the Yellow Bus Line (YBL) Inc., which services southern and central Mindanao areas and had previously been the target of terrorist bombings.

“This was the third IED intended for the YBL so far,” Khu said, adding that the Tantangan police had earlier received a text message stating that a YBL bus would be bombed along the national highway.

He said the police talked with the YBL management on the latest attempt but that nobody would confirm if it was related to previous acts of extortion against the company.

The authorities had earlier warned of possible bomb attacks in South Cotabato and other parts of Central Mindanao.

On December 26, two improvised bombs were defused by the police’s explosive ordnance disposal team in Polomolok, South Cotabato.

The bombs were discovered by two teenagers hidden in baggage left near the gate of the Polomolok National High School.

Two other IEDs earlier recovered in the region were also made of 81-mm mortar shells and fitted with mobile phones as detonating devices.

Meanwhile, threats to blow up bombs in Alabel and Maasim towns, both in Sarangani Province, anytime on Wednesday or Thursday were being closely monitored, Khu said.—With Jamie Marie Elona, INQUIRER.net

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By Aquiles Z. Zonio
Inquirer Mindanao

4:45 pm | Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

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Another Low Pressure Area threatens Mindanao

MANILA, Philippines – Days after a weather disturbance brought floods in Mindanao, another Low Pressure Area (LPA) is now threathening southern Philippines.

At 10 a.m. today, the Philippine Atmospheris Geophysical and Astronomical Administration (PAGASA) spotted the LPA at 410 kilometers east-southeast of General Santos City.

The LPA's wind convergence will affect the Eastern Visayas region, the state weather bureau added.

"These weather systems will bring mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms over Visayas and Mindanao," PAGASA said.

The weather will become cloudy with widespread rains over Eastern and Central Visayas and Eastern and Southern Mindanao, which may trigger flashfloods and landslides, it added.

If fully developed into a typhoon, it will be the first to enter the country in 2012, six months early of the country's typhoon season in June.

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PhilStar.Com January 02, 2012 10:01 AM

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Govt vows aid in rescuing 3 kidnapped Koreans

The Philippine government has promised it will assist in the safe recovery of the three Korean nationals who were reportedly abducted in Lanao del Norte three weeks ago.

"In a meeting with the Republic of Korea ambassador, we have given our government's assurance that all appropriate assistance will be given to ensure the safe recovery of the abducted Koreans," said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario.

The Koreans identified as Seok Wu, Kim Kimnamdoo and a certain Mr. Choi were found to have been kidnapped by a still unidentified group.

In an earlier report, Police Director Felicisimo Khu, chief of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations for Western Mindanao, said the kidnappers have already made contact using the cellular phones of the victims.

An initial investigation revealed that the three were last spotted in Lala Maranding town in Lanao del Norte.

Khu said the three left their hotel in Cagayan de Oro City last October 21 with three unidentified Filipinos.

Reports that the three were brought to an unspecified area in Lanao del Sur are being validated by Joint Task Force Ranao, which was reactivated by President Benigno Aquino III last May to combat kidnap-for-ransom groups in the area. — with Carmela Lapeña/RSJ, GMA News

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Source

3 Koreans kidnapped in Lanao del Norte — police

Three Korean nationals who were reported missing in Lanao del Norte three weeks ago were found to have been kidnapped by a still unidentified group, local police said Monday.

Police Director Felicisimo Khu, chief of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations for Western Mindanao, identified the victims as Seok Wu, Kim Kimnamdoo and a certain Mr. Choi.

Khu, citing initial investigation, said the three left their hotel in Cagayan de Oro City last October 21 with three unidentified Filipinos. They were reportedly invited to go to Lala Maranding town in Lanao del Norte, where they were last spotted.

He added that the kidnappers have already made contact using the cellular phones of the kidnap victims.

Joint Task Force Ranao, which was reactivated by President Benigno Aquino III last May to combat kidnap-for-ransom groups in the area, is currently validating reports that the three were brought to an unspecified area in Lanao del Sur.

Last September, a businessman was also taken by an unidentified kidnap-for-ransom group in Lanao del Sur, but was able to escape from his abductors a day after the abduction. - Andreo C. Calonzo/KBK, GMA News

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Source

16,000 people flee from south Philippine clashes

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — More than 16,000 people have fled from four southern Philippine towns where government troopshave been battling Muslim guerrillas and outlaws in clashes that are endangering already-shaky peace talks and a years-long truce.

Attempts by Philippine authorities to arrest several current and former commanders of the 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front and allied gunmen accused of kidnappings for ransom and other crimes sparked separate deadly clashes last week inZamboanga Sibugay province and on Basilan island.

The Moro group has been waging a bloody fight for self-rule in southern Mindanao region, homeland of minority Muslims in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines. A cease-fire has held since 2008.

President Benigno Aquino III said Monday his administration would continue talks with the insurgents but seek the arrest of criminals, including those from the rebel group.

The 120,000-strong military suffered one of its biggest losses in years in Basilan last week when troops tried to capture a fugitive rebel commander and other outlaws, igniting daylong fighting that killed 19 soldiers.

Fearing more clashes, nearly 6,000 villagers have fled from Al-Barka and outlying towns in Basilan, a predominantly Muslim province about 550 miles (880 kilometers) south of Manila, Office of Civil Defense Administrator Benito Ramos said.

In Zamboanga Sibugay, also in the south, about 10,800 villagers have fled to safety from three towns, including in coastal Payao, where air force OV-10 bomber planes, naval gunboats and about 700 army troops and police have been trying to flush out more than 120 former Muslim rebels and bandits encamped in a hilly forest, officials said.

Zamboanga Sibugay police chief Ruben Carriaga said military aircraft staged bombing runs for a second day Tuesday in Payao. Troops assaulted the bandits after OV-10 planes dropped bombs on their lair Monday but were met by heavy machine-gun fire that killed two soldiers, he said.

"Our men couldn't penetrate the area yet because of heavy volumes of fire," Carriaga said, but added the gunmen, who include members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, have been surrounded.

The gunmen, accused of kidnappings for ransom, extortion and other crimes, may be holding at least one kidnap victim, officials said.

Rebel spokesman Von Al Haq has urged the military to stop the Payao offensive, saying it has displaced many civilian supporters of his Moro insurgent group and was endangering a cease-fire.

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By JIM GOMEZ - Associated Press | AP

http://news.yahoo.com/16-000-people-flee-south-philippine-clashes-074632500.html