Army chief: militias dismantled by 2016 as AFP shifts to external security

MANILA, Philippines - Army chief Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista sees the dismantling of all paramilitary forces in the country by 2016 as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) transitions from internal to external security.

Bautista, in a forum at the Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City on Wednesday, said they see the dismantling of about 60,000 paramilitary forces within the end of the implementation of the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) Bayanihan, the AFP's program to "win the peace" through combat and non-combat initiatives.

Paramilitary forces consist of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) and the Special Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit Active Auxiliary (SCAA).

Bautista, replying to queries on the alleged human rights violations committed by paramilitary forces, admitted that these auxiliary forces lacked the same kind of discipline as regular military troops. But paramilitary forces were borne out of "exigencies" and budgetary constraints in the organization, he explained.

"In the future, as we downsize the AFP, first to go are the CAFGUs," Bautista said. Speaking to reporters after the forum, Bautista said he sees the dismantling of these forces "as security condition permits" and improves, adding that one premise if if the "CPP-NPA,NDF abandons the armed struggle."

In the forum, Bautista acknowledged that the AFP should focus on external rather than internal defense. The job of internal defense, he said, should be mainly in the hands of local government units and the Philippine National Police.

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Abigail Kwok | InterAksyon.com | May 30, 2012 | Article Link

AFP, PNP to undergo CARHRIHL seminar

The Government of the Philippines-Monitoring Committee (GPH-MC) will conduct basic orientation seminars for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), a peace agenda agreement signed by both the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP).

These seminars will be held in Tarlac City on March 1 and Lucena City on March 14, for the AFP Northern Luzon Command and the Southern Luzon Command, respectively, and for the PNP provincial and regional officers in both areas. In October last year, seminars were also held for the PNP and AFP Eastern Mindanao Command and Central Command.

“We hope to further promote adherence to international human rights from our security forces and welcome this opportunity of working with the unified commands. We anticipate that the initiative coupled with improved cooperation with other stakeholders will over time result in better conditions on the ground,” said Undersecretary Jose Luis Martin Gascon, Chair of the GPH-MC.

CARHRIHL orientation seminars aim to enhance the security forces’ training in human rights and international humanitarian law principles as part of the education and information campaign of the GPH-MC. They also encourage the security forces to document and report CARHRIHL violations.

Participation in CARHRIHL orientations are “all part of the AFP’s continuing efforts towards enhancing the culture for human rights, international humanitarian law, and the rule of Law among our officers and soldiers, most especially those assigned on the ground,” according to Col. Domingo J. Tutaan Jr. (GSC) PA, Chief of the AFP Human Rights Office. He also emphasized that besides compliance, soldiers, as protectors of the people and state, need to understand and internalize the peace agreement’s provisions and principles.

The orientation seminar in Lucena City also commemorates the 14th year anniversary of the signing of CARHRIHL by the GPH and the NDFP on March 16,1998.

The first of four substantive peace agenda items, which will constitute the final peace settlement, CARHRIHL seeks to uphold principles of human rights and international humanitarian law in the context of armed conflict.

The other substantive agenda items still to be tackled by the GPH and NDFP Negotiating Parties are (a) socio-economic reforms; (b) political and constitutional reforms; and (c) end of hostilities and disposition of forces.

The CARHRIHL establishes a Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC), composed of representatives of both the government and the NDFP, as an interim mechanism for adherence to the CARHRIHL. The GPH-MC is the government section of the JMC. The two sections separately uphold, protect and promote the principles of the CARHRIHL until a final peace agreement is reached.

Peace talks between the government and the NDFP have stalled for over a year owing to the communist group’s continued insistence on the release of detainees it claims to be covered under the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG).

However the verification mechanism for the JASIG failed in mid-2011 when the NDFP was unable to produce photographs and identification of its JASIG-covered personalities. The NDFP claimed that these photographs were stored in diskettes rather than in hard copy per JASIG stipulation.  The diskettes could not be decrypted.

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A March 1, 2012 press release from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process

Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines

Article 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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Ombudsman gives Verzosa last chance to answer boat deal raps

MANILA, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman is giving former Philippine National Police chief Jesus Verzosa one more chance to answer allegations that he is involved in the allegedly anomalous purchase of P131.5-million worth of rubber boats and boat engines for the PNP in 2009.

A special panel of prosecutors and investigators, formed by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales nearly two months ago to probe the transaction, said Verzosa has 10 days from receiving the summons it issued yesterday to file his counter-affidavit.

Sources said the team failed to locate Verzosa since it started its investigation on Nov. 23, 2011. One source said investigators finally found Verzosa’s latest known address – Better Living Subdivision in Parañaque City.

Morales gave the panel 60 days to complete its task of determining whether those tagged involved in the anomaly should be indicted before the Sandiganbayan.

The Ombudsman’s investigation stems from a complaint filed by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, which named Verzosa and 20 other police officers and private individuals as respondents to the case in October 2011.

The 75 police rubber boats and 18 spare outboard motors, purchased for the PNP Maritime Group in 2009, were useless because of the “functional incompatibility” of the motors and the boats.

Verzosa is also being probed for his alleged participation in the PNP helicopter deal anomaly, also in 2009, when the PNP bought second-hand helicopters – allegedly from former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo – that were passed off as brand new.

Both investigations, conducted by two separate special panels, are expected to be completed by Jan. 23, the deadline set by Morales.

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By Michael Punongbayan 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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PNP: SAF arrest ASG member wanted for 2007 Marines beheading

An Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) member wanted for the beheading of 11 Marines in 2007 was arrested in Barangay Kumaralang, Isabela City by police Special Action Force (SAF) personnel in Basilan.
 
The suspect, whom Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. identified the suspect as Boy Abdulphata aka "Boy Pahta" who is also wanted for the Dos Palmas kidnapping.
 
Abdulphata was taken into custody on the strength of an arrest warrant issued by Basilan Judge Leo Jay Prinsipe of the Isabela City regional trial court.
 
The PNP SAF and Regional Office in Western Mindanao have the suspect detained at a location Cruz did not specifiy in his text message. — ELR, GMA News
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GMA News Online
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Authorities rescue remaining two of three abducted Koreans in Mindanao

Kidnappers abandoned two remaining Korean hostages late Saturday in Lanao del Norte, a military report said Sunday.

Brig. Gen. Roland Amarille, head of the Army Task Force Makalintad, told GMA News Online that the two of the remaining abducted Koreans, Seok Wu and Kim Kimnamdoo, were rescued around 5:30 p.m. Saturday in Lanao del Norte's Salvador town.

"The rescue of the two happened two days after their companion Choi In-So was abandoned by the abductors also in a far-flung area in the same town last Thursday," Amarille said.

All the three Koreans were seized on October 21 while scouting for mining opportunities in Lanao del Sur.

No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnappings, but Amarille linked a certain Anwar Bilao as the leader of the gang that seized the Koreans.

Asked if rasom was paid for the Koreans' freedom, Amarille said, "I don't know of any amount of money being paid to the kidnappers."

"The freedom of three victims was mainly due to military and police pressure against the kinadppers. We were able to constrict the area where the gang of almost 30 armed men were hiding with their captives. I guess they ran out of food and other supplies and eventually decided to abandon their captives so their escape would be easy," Amarille said.

Also, he said the kidnappers belong to a band of purely notorious criminals and not to any armed group in the Lanao area.

Except for few bruises, the two Koreans were in good physical condition during the rescue, he added.— Mariz Revales /LBG, GMA News

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November 27, 2011 8:48am

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Police, Army seize rebel camp in Catarman

COMBINED elements of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police (PNP) seized recently a New People’s Army (NPA) camp in the hinterlands of Catarman, Northern Samar.

Lieutenant Colonel Noel A. Vestuir, commanding officer of the 20th Infantry Battalion (IB), reported that the camp was seized by the troops of 3rd Regional Public Safety Mobile Company, which is under the control of 20th IB.

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According to Vestuir, the camp has 14 bunkers that can accommodate about 20 people. Recovered in the place were dry cell batteries, one empty bandolier, and an ammunition pouch.

“It has just been abandoned by the communists as they evaded armed engagement with the operating troops,” he said.

The camp was discovered after 20th IB launched sustained combat operations in the area of Catarman in response to the series of killing incidents perpetrated by the NPA early this week.

Vestuir said a certain Allan Martinez was forcibly abducted and shot to death by six unidentified communist rebels in his house in Barangay Cal-Igang, Catarman last November 10.

In the evening of the same day, Vestuir added, the communists also abducted and killed a certain Romeo Salazar Lovino in Barangay New Rizal in the same town.

“The series of recent killings perpetrated by the NPAs in the area of Catarman is again a ploy of the communist terrorists to instill fear among the peace-loving people as their means of getting their support which is in consonance to the Maoist dictum of ‘kill one to terrorize one thousand,’” Vestuir said.

He said the liquidations were another deception to the PNP and military, adding that once authorities react, the communists would establish an ambush along the route -- similar to what they (NPA) did in Barangay Imelda last year where they planted landmines that killed and injured a number of responding police personnel.

Vestuir also lauded the collaborative efforts between the PNP and the Philippine Army, and thanked the continued support of the people in the government’s efforts of “winning the peace”.

“Through the timely and accurate information tipped by the residents, our troops were able to discover the NPA encampment, a staging place of their terroristic activities in the area. The seizure of the said NPA encampment is a big blow to the communists considering that we have denied them of their safe haven and sanctuary and once again proven that the people are with us in our pursuit for peace in this part of the country,” Vestuir said. (Leyte Samar Daily Express)

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Monday, November 21, 2011

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Hunt continues for MILF leader

The military on Wednesday said it will continue to hunt down a fugitive Muslim insurgent accused of beheading Marines after the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) refused to surrender Dan Laksaw Asnawi.

“It is the mandate of the Army and the PNP (Philippine National Police) to run after criminals through the right process,” so “pursuit operations against criminals and bandits” will proceed even without the cooperation of the MILF, said Army chief Lieutenant General Arturo Ortiz.

The standoff over Asnawi hangs over the peace talks that are expected to resume today (Thursday) in Malaysia.

Asnawi was among the rebels involved in a clash that killed 14 Marines in the remote Basilan town of Al-Barka in 2007. Ten of the Marines were later found beheaded. Asnawi was arrested and charged for the beheadings but escaped from a Basilan jail in 2009.

Nineteen troops were killed last October 18 in Al-Barka in a failed attempt to arrest Asnawi in the biggest military loss in years. Asnawi is suspected of leading the ambush.

The incident sparked calls for President Aquino to break a truce and order an offensive against the rebels. The President rejected the calls and decided to pursue talks and ordered a probe to find out what sparked the ambush.

PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent Agrimero Cruz Jr. said Asnawi is believed to be still in the province. But it was not clear if he was hiding in Al-Barka, a portion of which MILF rebels claim as their informal territory or “area of temporary stay (ATS).”

Cruz said the operations for Asnawi’s capture would still be led by the Armed Forces, with the PNP taking only a secondary role.

“Our concern is only to serve the arrest warrant and to conduct the investigation into his [Asnawi’s] case,” Cruz said.

Military officials are considering the deployment of at least 100 more soldiers to Basilan, said military spokesperson Colonel Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos.

“We will uphold the law and arrest these criminal elements. The MILF is not a target but if its members will provide sanctuary or coddle these lawless elements, then they will become legitimate targets,” said Colonel Dickson Hermoso, who heads the military office monitoring the peace talks.

“It is very clear that no one should be above the law and that includes the MILF,” Hermoso said.

Ortiz said the Army has filed a complaint against the MILF for “ceasefire violations and for coddling criminals” before the joint ceasefire committee, and through the committee has demanded that the MILF surrender Asnawi and Long Malat, a notorious criminal that it said facilitated Asnawi’s escape from jail in 2009.

The military has accused MILF rebels of reinforcing Malat’s group during the Oct. 18 encounter which it said occurred four kilometers away from an MILF-influenced community.

It also accused the MILF and the Asnawi group of murdering six soldiers who were captured alive and of committing mutilation and looting the slain soldiers’ personal belongings.

The MILF has refused to give up Asnawi. MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar denied Asnawi’s involvement in the 2007 beheadings. He said that under existing ceasefire rules, any lawbreaking guerrilla should be punished by the rebel group and not the government.

Hermoso countered that the rebels were under an obligation to surrender members accused of crimes or outlaws who seek refuge in their strongholds under a 2002 agreement.

The PNP’s Cruz said they would not take the MILF’s position at face value.

“It’s not like out of the blue we will just accept that he’s innocent. We will give him his day in court,” he said.

Meanwhile, MILF spokesperson for military affairs Von al Haq, said he saw “something positive” in the talks today in Kuala Lumpur, even though it is “only an executive meeting.”

“We are expecting them to discuss issues surrounding the Al-Barka incident and most likely the question on coordination and hopefully, other issues that will open up to a real formal talks,” he said.

A lot of statements have come out but have not necessarily answered the question “of what really happened” in Al-Barka on Oct. 18, he said. With Julie S. Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao, and AP

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By DJ Yap, Dona Z. Pazzibugan
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Source

19,000 flee as police, military stage offensive in Mindanao

Some lairs of armed bandits in Western Mindanao have fallen to government troops that launched “law enforcement" offensives designed to flush out suspects in the killing of Army personnel last week in Basilan and Zamboanga Sibugay. The ongoing conflict has driven at least 19,000 people to seek refuge from the fighting.

Army chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz said government troops took over an armed group’s camp in Sitio Talib in Payao town, Zamboanga Sibugay at 5 p.m. Wednesday.

Recovered from the camp supposedly led by fugitive Waning Abdulsalam were improvised explosive devices or IEDs, Ortiz added.

Chief Superintendent Elpidio de Asis, Zamboanga regional police chief, said the joint police-military force also wants to gain control of a small part of Barangay Labatan, supposedly used by the Abdulsalam syndicate “as a safe haven for kidnapping activities."



Thousands of refugees in evac centers

To avoid being caught in the crossfire, at least 19,000 people have sought temporary refuge in evacuation centers, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The NDRRMC said four people were killed in Alicia and eight were wounded. The identities of the casualties were still being identified as of Wednesday evening. In Basilan, one person was reported killed as military and police forces stage “enforcement operations" in Cambug, Al-barka.

Local disaster response officials said some of the evacuees are used to leaving their homes behind whenever military operations are underway in their towns.

Most of the refugees, 11,593 of them, are from the towns of Alicia, Payao and Talusan in Zamboanga Sibugay. Over in Basilan, 7,888 people are accounted for in the evacuation centers. — With a report from AFP/Andreo Calonzo/KBK/ELR/VS, GMA News

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http://www.gmanews.tv/story/236669/regions/19000-flee-as-police-military-stage-offensive-in-mindanao

Police witness in massacre case in trouble for going AWOL

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/182508/police-witness-in-massacre-case-in-trouble-for-going-awol

01/26/2010 | 04:48 PM

A police lieutenant considered as a potential witness in the Maguindanao massacre case is in hot water for going to the Justice Department office in Manila to seek protective custody without informing his custodians in Camp Crame about it.

Inspector Rex Ariel Diongon was reported missing last Friday and was declared Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL), according to Senior Superintendent Benito Estipona, deputy chief for operations of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

“We found out yesterday [Monday] that he is at the [Department of Justice] seeking protective custody under the witness protection program. [But] he was already declared AWOL so he might face administrative charges for not informing his custodians of his whereabouts," Estipona said.

Section 3, paragraph (d) of Republic Act No. 6981, however, states that a law enforcement officer cannot be admitted into the Witness Protection Program although the immediate members of his or her family may avail themselves of the protection provided for under the particular law.

ARMM police

Before learning of Diongon’s whereabouts, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Police (ARMM) Regional Police, which supervises his restriction, gave him until last Monday to surface.

Estipona said they turned Diongon over to the ARMM Police after getting his statements regarding the massacre.

Senior Superintendent Salik Macapantar, operations chief of the ARMM Police, said they immediately alerted their forces in the region upon learning of Diongon’s disappearance in Camp Crame.

"We have ordered police forces to search for Diongon and take him in custody immediately if he returns to Mindanao," he said, adding that his phone calls to Diongon were all left unanswered.

Diongon, commander of the 1508th Provincial Police Mobile Group, was among those manning the checkpoint where the ill-fated convoy in the massacre passed last Nov. 23. At least 57 people were killed in the carnage blamed on the powerful Ampatuan clan.

Diongon affidavit

Estipona said Diongon pinned Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. when the police officer executed his affidavit in connection with the November 23 massacre.

A total of 206 respondents, including 66 policemen, were recommended for filing of multiple murder charges with the DOJ in connection with the massacre. Of these, only three – Andal Jr. and militiamen Takpan Dilon and Esmael Canapia – have so far been formally charged by the department.

Dilon and Canapia, both members of the Civilian Volunteer Organization (CVO), were charged after the firearms seized from them matched with the shells found in the massacre site. - with Al Jacinto/KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV

132 private armed groups exist in RP - DND chief

KIMBERLY JANE TAN, GMANews.TV

12/08/2009 | 06:15 PM

There are at least 132 armed groups connected to political clans in the country, most of them in Mindanao, according to Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales.

Gonzales said these private armed groups – composed of more or less 10,000 men - could be used by several candidates to intimidate their opponents in next year’s elections. He did not identify the politicians who are maintaining these armed groups.

“I think there is a tendency by some of our local candidates to engage again [in] their habits of using violence to ensure their victory in 2010," he told reporters at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) main office in Manila Tuesday.

“We cannot allow that to happen," he added.

Gonzales dropped by the Comelec office to discuss with officials the conduct of next year’s elections in Maguindanao province, now under martial law following the turmoil caused by the massacre of 57 people, including women and journalists, there last November 23.

He added a total gun ban should be instituted during next year’s polls to prevent these armed groups from sowing fear among voters.

Heavily armed

Citing a military report, Gonzales said these groups are in possession of high-powered firearms as evidenced by the armaments uncovered in Maguindanao recently.

The discovered firearms in Maguindanao allegedly belonged to the private armies of the powerful Ampatuan clan, who is being linked to the Nov. 23 mass killing.

He said these politically-connected armed groups may be in possession of some of the more than 800,000 unaccounted firearms in the country.

Gonzales said they are currently making a city-per-city and a province-per-province assessment in Mindanao to gather more information about the armed groups and their weaponry.

“It is normal for the [Armed Forces of the Philippines] and the police to monitor armed groups wherever they are. What I’m trying to do now is put this all together and convert it into a plan," he said.

Crackdown

Philippine National Police chief Director General Jesus Verzosa has ordered tactical police units to go after private armies in their jurisdictions.

In a directive to the Directorate for Operations, Verzosa instructed the PNP Regional and Provincial Mobile Groups to dismantle and neutralize all known private armed groups that are widely believed protected by local warlords and politicians.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Victor Ibrado had earlier said that at least 2,000 members of Civilian Volunteers Organization (CVO) were monitored to have been massing up in different areas near Shariff Aguak in Maguindanao.

He said they would launch a military operation if these men would not surrender together with their firearms.

The CVOs were reportedly under the command of former Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr., who is facing rebellion charges in connection with his private army that was allegedly planning to act independently of the government.

"I have designated the Regional and Provincial Mobile Groups to spearhead our campaign to run after and dismantle all private armed groups in the country, especially in places considered by the PNP as election areas of concern," he said. - KBK, GMANews.TV
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http://www.gmanews.tv/story/178831/132-private-armed-groups-exist-in-rp-dnd-chief