Rebel leader behind Army camp attack nabbed

THE leader of the New People's Army (NPA) group, which attacked an Army detachment in northern Negros more than two years ago, was arrested in Calatrava town last Saturday.

Arrested by elements of the 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) and the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Special Action Force was a certain Joel Danioso alias Ewen, commanding officer of the Yunit Milista (YM) of Barangay Malatas, Calatrava town.

Danioso was arrested in Sitio Minatipik, Barangay Winaswasan, Calatrava by virtue of a warrant of arrest for the crime of robbery with homicide and physical injuries issued by presiding judge Katherine Go of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 59 in San Carlos City.

Danioso, a resident of Sitio Minatipik, Barangay Winaswasan, Calatrava, Negros Occidental, 34, led the raid of Polopangyan detachment in Barangay Bug-ang, Toboso Negros Occidental on August 28, 2010.

He was brought to Calatrava PNP after the arrest and further brought to Toboso PNP for detention.

"We will continue to help the PNP in implementing arrest warrants issued by courts. We are serious in enforcing our laws. Let the rule of law apply to these people who are menace to the society," said 62IB commander Efren Morados.

3rd Infantry Division Commander MGen Jose Mabanta Jr said, "This is a continuous law enforcement operation as part of your Army's commitment in protecting the communities, government and private establishments so that the people will live in a more secure and peaceful environment."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Teresa Ellera | Sun Star Bacolod | February 26, 2013 | Article Link

Abu member in Marines' beheadings captured

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - Police commandos captured an alleged Abu Sayyaf militant Tuesday who has been implicated in several atrocities, including the beheadings of marines, a major jailbreak and deadly attacks.

Police served more than a dozen arrest warrants to Ismael, who uses the nom de guerre Patah Hamjak and was found in Isabela city on southern Basilan island, birthplace of the Abu Sayyaf extremist group, said Paquito Ochoa Jr., who heads the Philippine Anti-terrorism Council.

Ochoa said Ismael is accused of involvement in the 2007 beheadings of 10 marines in Basilan's Al-Barka township and a 2009 attack that allowed 31 mostly Muslim insurgents to escape from the provincial jail.

Those who escaped included Dan Laksaw Asnawi, a key commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebel group, who has also been implicated in the 2007 beheadings.

Police have also accused Ismael of buying the police commando fatigues that were worn by Abu Sayyaf militants who fired on civilians and detonated bombs in a bold attack that killed 14 people in Isabela city two years ago.

The Abu Sayyaf is the smaller but more brutal of at least four Muslim groups that have been fighting for decades for a separate homeland in the predominantly Roman Catholic nation's south.

It is estimated to have less than 400 fighters but is still considered a major security menace despite many battle losses and the loss of several leaders.

------------------------------------------------------------

The Philippine Star

February 21, 2012 12:05 PM

Link

Police: Suspected Abu Sayyaf member falls in Basilan

A suspected member of the Abu Sayyaf was arrested in a composite government operation in Basilan province before dawn Tuesday, a regional police official said.

 

Police said Abdulpattah Ismael was arrested in Riverside village in Isabela City by virtue of an arrest warrant.

 

"Nang nahuli siya mag-isa siya. Ang paghuli madali kasi very precise ang information. Pagdating ng tao roon na-surveillance mabuti ang lugar, alam kung saan at hitsura niya," police Region 9 head Chief Superintendent Ramon Estilles said in an interview on dzBB radio.

 

Estilles said Ismael did not resist arrest. He said the arrest was a joint operation of the Navy, the National Police's Special Action Force, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, and regional police.

 

Also, he said their informants who led them to Ismael are now under the witness protection program.

 

Ismael had been linked to atrocities involving the Abu Sayyaf, including the beheading of Marines in 2007.

 

"We believe he's still very active (in the Abu Sayyaf). Ngayon may standing arrest warrants," he said.

 

He also said Ismael is now undergoing tactical interrogation by intelligence units.

 

"I believe high-ranking member ng Abu Sayyaf, kasi pag-involved sa maraming atrocities, naniniwala kami na mataaas ang katungkulan," he said.

Authorities have linked the Abu Sayyaf to the al Qaeda terrorist network, including the Jemaah Islamiyah which operates in souteast Asia. The group has been linked to a number of kidnapping and bombing activities not only in Mindanao but also in Metro Manila.

----------------------------------------------------------

RSJ, 

GMA News  Online

February 21, 2012 12:50pm

Link

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
-----------------------------------
GMA News Online
Link

NPA rebels burn heavy equipment of Enrile-owned wood firm in Agusan Sur

BUNAWAN, Agusan del Sur — Around 80 fully armed New People’s Army rebels on Tuesday burned heavy equipment of a wood processing firm of the JAKA Group, owned by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, in Prosperidad town in Agusan del Sur, a belated police report said Thursday.

A report from Agusan del Sur Provincial Police Office claimed around 80 fully armed NPA rebels swooped down on the Casilayan Softwood Development Corporation (CSDC) located at Purok 1 in San Salvador village Tuesday noon and burned a grader, a backhoe and a ten-wheeler logging truck.

Moreover, the report said the attackers were from Guerilla Front 19 of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee headed by alias Eman.

The CSDC is operating a wood processing plant in Prosperidad and a match factory in Magallanes town in Agusan del Norte.

Meanwhile, Caraga Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Reynaldo S. Rafal said the rebels immediately withdrew towards Barangay San Martin, also in Prosperidad, upon knowing government troops were coming.

Agusan del Sur Provincial Police Operatives and Special Action Force (SAF) conducted hot pursuit operations against the fleeing communist rebels, while an ongoing investigation into the incident is being conducted. — Ben Serrano /LBG, GMA News

------------------------

Source