Manila Bulletin, Thursday, 20 August 2009
By: Elena Aben
Seven members of a Moro separatist
group that occupied an island
vil1agein Palawan were killed and two
others were captured, while a Marine
soldier was wounded when fighting
erupted between the armed men and
the military yesterday morning.
Navy spokesman Lt. Col. Edgard
Arevalo said a report from the ground
commander of the fleet-marine operations
team, Lt. Col. Yuri Pesigan,
stated that seven bodies of suspected
Moro National Liberation Front
(MNLF) members had been retrieved by the military.
He said that firearms were also
seized from the marauders. These
included two Garand rifles, an M-14
rifle, an M-79 grenade launcher and
two caliber .45 pistols. A kris was also
confiscated.
Initial report from the field stated
that among those kil1ed was Abdullah
Abdurajak, alias "Pa Guro", the leader
of the armed men. The military, however,
said this information has yet to
be verified.
Arevalo said two more suspected
MNLF were captured in the running
gun battle. A wounded Marine, grazed
by bullet near his eye, was airlifted to
a hospital in Rio Tuba in the southern
tip of mainland Palawan.
"Pesigan and Commander Alberto
Cruz of Naval Task Group 41.5, and
members of the local police, with orders
coming from Commodore Orwen
Cortez, the Commander Naval Forces
West, endeavor to get all the MNLF
members before sundown to prevent
their possible escape," Arevalo said.
The Navy spokesman earlier said a report sent by Cortez to Navy Flag
officer-in-command Vice Admiral Ferdinand
Golez,showed Pesigan decided
to attack the armed men Tuesday
afternoon after a military ultimatum
for them to surrender lapsed.
The men were holed up in a mosque
in Sitio Marabon, Mantangule in Balabac
town.
Abdurajak and his followers arrived
in the village island on Saturday
and terrorized residents, who were
forced to evacuate to a nearby island.
Local government officials tried to
persuade the armed men to surrender
through peaceful negotiations.
On Tuesday,a surrender feeler was
sent by Abdurajak to authorities.
However,Arevalo said Abdurajak's
group failed to surrender before sundown
on Tuesday, the ultimatum given
by Pesigan to Haji Sukarno Jamal,
the rebels' emissary. This prompted
the Navy Special Operations Group
and teams from the Marine Battalion
Landing Team 8 to launch the assault
on midnight of August 18.(With a report
from Nonoy E. Lacson)
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
It's Isabela's turn to fete honor guards
Philippine Daily Inquirer,Thursday, 20 August 2009
By: Villamor Visaya Jr
lLAGAN, ISABEIA-TWO OF
the four honor guards who stood
by the casket of former President
Corazon Aquino during her
nine-hour funeral procession on
Aug. 5 returned to their native
Isabela on Monday to the praise
of local officials and their
province mates.
In a program at the provincial
capitol here, local officials led
by Gov. Maria Gracia Cielo
Padaca gave P02 Danilo Malab
Jr. and Pfc Antonio Cadiente
P20,OOO each, plaques of recognition,
copies of resolutions of commendation from the
provincial board and various tokens.
"For their extraordinary
feat ... these two Isabela residents
are worthy of the
awards and cash incentives,"
Padaca said.
Malab is a native of Echague
town while Cadiente hails from
Aurora town.
Residents who witnessed
the program here on Monday
gathered around Malab and
Cadiente to shake their hands
and have their photographs taken with them. Local students
serenaded them with
folk songs.
The honor guards also signed
the Isabela government's condolence
book for the Aquino
family.
Malab, Cadiente and their
relatives later shared lunch
with Padaca and other Isabela
officiaIs.
"We are overwhelmed by
these awards and assistance.
We are very lucky," Malab
said.
Malab said he could not explain how he and the three other
honor guards managed to
stay motionless for almost nine
hours despite suffering from leg
cramps and having no toilet
breaks, food and water.
He and Cadiente, however,
said seeing the huge number of
people who gathered along the
more than 22-km funeral procession
route to pay their last
respects to Aquino helped take
away the exhaustion and discomfort
they felt that day.
By: Villamor Visaya Jr
lLAGAN, ISABEIA-TWO OF
the four honor guards who stood
by the casket of former President
Corazon Aquino during her
nine-hour funeral procession on
Aug. 5 returned to their native
Isabela on Monday to the praise
of local officials and their
province mates.
In a program at the provincial
capitol here, local officials led
by Gov. Maria Gracia Cielo
Padaca gave P02 Danilo Malab
Jr. and Pfc Antonio Cadiente
P20,OOO each, plaques of recognition,
copies of resolutions of commendation from the
provincial board and various tokens.
"For their extraordinary
feat ... these two Isabela residents
are worthy of the
awards and cash incentives,"
Padaca said.
Malab is a native of Echague
town while Cadiente hails from
Aurora town.
Residents who witnessed
the program here on Monday
gathered around Malab and
Cadiente to shake their hands
and have their photographs taken with them. Local students
serenaded them with
folk songs.
The honor guards also signed
the Isabela government's condolence
book for the Aquino
family.
Malab, Cadiente and their
relatives later shared lunch
with Padaca and other Isabela
officiaIs.
"We are overwhelmed by
these awards and assistance.
We are very lucky," Malab
said.
Malab said he could not explain how he and the three other
honor guards managed to
stay motionless for almost nine
hours despite suffering from leg
cramps and having no toilet
breaks, food and water.
He and Cadiente, however,
said seeing the huge number of
people who gathered along the
more than 22-km funeral procession
route to pay their last
respects to Aquino helped take
away the exhaustion and discomfort
they felt that day.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
MILF rebels ambushed Marines
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Saturday, August 15, 2009
By: Jocelyn Uy
By: Jocelyn Uy
THE GOVERNMENT WOULD
not have suffered heavy losses
in its latest offensive against the
Abu Sayyaf bandits if Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF)
guerrillas-who were supposed to be observing a ceasefire-
had not ambushed the
government troops, the military
said yesterday.
Eighteen of the 23 soldiers
who died in Wednesday's day-long
gun battle were not operating
against the MILF but were on their way to reinforce soldiers
caught in heavy fighting
with the Abu Sayyaf in Tipo-
Tipo, Basilan, a military
. spokesperson said.
"The Marines were going to
rescue their comrades who
were already being attacked in the Abu Sayyaf camp but they
were ambushed by members of
the MILF," Lt. Col. Romeo
Brawner Jr. told the INQUIRER
over the phone yesterday.
Brawner said the MILF fighters
still proceeded with their attack-which took place outside
the Abu Sayyaf camp in
Barangay Silangkum-even if
they knew they were not the
target of the operation and
that a suspension of military
operations had been agreed
upon between them and the
military.
Brawner said the Armed
Forces was set to file a formal
protest with the Coordinating
Committee on Cessation of
Hostilities against the MILF's
114th base command fat violating
the ceasefire.
Mutual agreement
"We would like to note that
this operation was intelligence-
driven and target-specific
and we did this in order to
reduce the number of collateral
casualties," Brawner said in
a separate talk with reporters
at Camp Aguinaldo.
Upon the orders of Malacanang,
the military had suspended
combat operations
against the MILF and placed its
troops in Mindanao on an "active
defense mode" since July
24 to pave the way for the resumption
of stalled peace
talks.
Two days after the government
halted its operations,
MILF chair Murad Ebrahim returned
the gesture and also ordered the suspension of military
actions (Soma) in all areas
where the MILF has fighters.
In Wednesday's clashes,
which raged until nighttime,
the military said that from 30
to 40 Abu Sayyaf bandits were
killed, but that it had counted
only 21 bodies.
Of the number, 10 of them
were believed members of the
MILF.
Naval blockade
A spokesperson for the MILF,
Eid Kabalu, confirmed 10 MILF
fighters were killed and accused
the military of triggering
the fight by entering into MILF
territory without seeking permission.
This was denied by Brig.
Gen. Ben Dolorfino, Western
Command chief, who said the
military had sent prior notice
to the MILE
In the wake of Wednesday's
fighting, the military has ordered
pursuit operations
against the Abu Sayyaf and a
"naval blockade" or "naval barrier
patrol" in the seas surrounding
Basilan to prevent
the bandit group from escaping
to other islands, Brawner
said.
He said members of the
group might try to escape to
neighboring Sulu island or
even to Zamboanga City.
Navy spokesperson Lt. Col.
Edgard Arevalo said at least
three patrol gunboats, three
multipurpose attack seacraft
and another vessel had been
sent to the area for the blockade.
Isolated case
Presidential Adviser on the
Peace Process Avelino Razon
Jr. said the involvement of
some MILF fighters in the gun
battle was an "isolated case"
and would not in anyway affect
the upcoming peace talks.
Razon is looking forward to
the resumption of talks in
Malaysia soon between the
government panel, headed by
Ambassador Rafael E. Seguis,
and the MILF panel, led by Mohagher
Iqbal.
During Wednesday's fighting,
the Army's First Light Reaction
Company recovered
various high-powered
weapons, a "sizeable number"
of improvised explosive
devices, and bomb-making
equipment and components
from the Abu Sayyaf camp,
the Army said.
Among the recovered items
were four light machine guns,
four M-14 rifles, five M203
grenade launchers, two rocket propelled grenades, five M-16
rifles (two of them fitted with
scopes), a "Baby Armalite"
with an M203 grenade launcher,
five Minimi squad automatic
weapons and five cellular
phones, Army spokesperson Lt.
Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said.
Need for talks questioned
In Baguio City, Sen. Rodolfo
Biazon called for a "recalculation"
of the government's position
on the peace talks with the
MILE
Biazon, a former chief of
staff of the Armed Forces, also
wanted Malaysia, who had
been acting as a broker, out of
the negotiating table.
"Is the resumption of the
peace talks between the government
and the MILF still necessary?
Are we still going to
pursue in the format followed
in the past or should we recalculate
our position?" Biazon
asked.
He said the government
should also look into the impact
of the Somo.
If there is a resumption of
peace talks, Biazon said
Malaysia should no longer be a
mediator.
"We have conflicts of interest
with Malaysia," said Biazon,
chair of the Senate committee
on national defense and security.
He said among these are the
disputes on the ownership of Sabah and parts of the oil-rich
Spratly Islands.
Abu, MILF together?
Biazon said the government
should also study what went
wrong in Basilan.
"Why did this happen? Why
are there more casualties in the
government than the enemy?"
he asked.
Biazon also said that investigation
should be launched on
the role of the MILF in the
fighting.
"Is it just the Abu Sayyaf or
the MILF or the two together?"
he asked.
PNP backs AFP
Elite troops of the Philippine
National Police (PNP), such as
those from the Special Action
Force, the Regional Mobile
Group and the Provincial Mobile
Group, are backing the
military in its pursuit of the
Abu Sayyaf bandits.
"They are in strategic locations
where they (are) deployed
per request of the lead
elements from the military,"
PNP spokesperson Senior Supt.
Leonardo Espina said.
The PNP suffered one
wounded in Wednesday's
fighting, P02 Dennis Labrador
of SAF.
not have suffered heavy losses
in its latest offensive against the
Abu Sayyaf bandits if Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF)
guerrillas-who were supposed to be observing a ceasefire-
had not ambushed the
government troops, the military
said yesterday.
Eighteen of the 23 soldiers
who died in Wednesday's day-long
gun battle were not operating
against the MILF but were on their way to reinforce soldiers
caught in heavy fighting
with the Abu Sayyaf in Tipo-
Tipo, Basilan, a military
. spokesperson said.
"The Marines were going to
rescue their comrades who
were already being attacked in the Abu Sayyaf camp but they
were ambushed by members of
the MILF," Lt. Col. Romeo
Brawner Jr. told the INQUIRER
over the phone yesterday.
Brawner said the MILF fighters
still proceeded with their attack-which took place outside
the Abu Sayyaf camp in
Barangay Silangkum-even if
they knew they were not the
target of the operation and
that a suspension of military
operations had been agreed
upon between them and the
military.
Brawner said the Armed
Forces was set to file a formal
protest with the Coordinating
Committee on Cessation of
Hostilities against the MILF's
114th base command fat violating
the ceasefire.
Mutual agreement
"We would like to note that
this operation was intelligence-
driven and target-specific
and we did this in order to
reduce the number of collateral
casualties," Brawner said in
a separate talk with reporters
at Camp Aguinaldo.
Upon the orders of Malacanang,
the military had suspended
combat operations
against the MILF and placed its
troops in Mindanao on an "active
defense mode" since July
24 to pave the way for the resumption
of stalled peace
talks.
Two days after the government
halted its operations,
MILF chair Murad Ebrahim returned
the gesture and also ordered the suspension of military
actions (Soma) in all areas
where the MILF has fighters.
In Wednesday's clashes,
which raged until nighttime,
the military said that from 30
to 40 Abu Sayyaf bandits were
killed, but that it had counted
only 21 bodies.
Of the number, 10 of them
were believed members of the
MILF.
Naval blockade
A spokesperson for the MILF,
Eid Kabalu, confirmed 10 MILF
fighters were killed and accused
the military of triggering
the fight by entering into MILF
territory without seeking permission.
This was denied by Brig.
Gen. Ben Dolorfino, Western
Command chief, who said the
military had sent prior notice
to the MILE
In the wake of Wednesday's
fighting, the military has ordered
pursuit operations
against the Abu Sayyaf and a
"naval blockade" or "naval barrier
patrol" in the seas surrounding
Basilan to prevent
the bandit group from escaping
to other islands, Brawner
said.
He said members of the
group might try to escape to
neighboring Sulu island or
even to Zamboanga City.
Navy spokesperson Lt. Col.
Edgard Arevalo said at least
three patrol gunboats, three
multipurpose attack seacraft
and another vessel had been
sent to the area for the blockade.
Isolated case
Presidential Adviser on the
Peace Process Avelino Razon
Jr. said the involvement of
some MILF fighters in the gun
battle was an "isolated case"
and would not in anyway affect
the upcoming peace talks.
Razon is looking forward to
the resumption of talks in
Malaysia soon between the
government panel, headed by
Ambassador Rafael E. Seguis,
and the MILF panel, led by Mohagher
Iqbal.
During Wednesday's fighting,
the Army's First Light Reaction
Company recovered
various high-powered
weapons, a "sizeable number"
of improvised explosive
devices, and bomb-making
equipment and components
from the Abu Sayyaf camp,
the Army said.
Among the recovered items
were four light machine guns,
four M-14 rifles, five M203
grenade launchers, two rocket propelled grenades, five M-16
rifles (two of them fitted with
scopes), a "Baby Armalite"
with an M203 grenade launcher,
five Minimi squad automatic
weapons and five cellular
phones, Army spokesperson Lt.
Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said.
Need for talks questioned
In Baguio City, Sen. Rodolfo
Biazon called for a "recalculation"
of the government's position
on the peace talks with the
MILE
Biazon, a former chief of
staff of the Armed Forces, also
wanted Malaysia, who had
been acting as a broker, out of
the negotiating table.
"Is the resumption of the
peace talks between the government
and the MILF still necessary?
Are we still going to
pursue in the format followed
in the past or should we recalculate
our position?" Biazon
asked.
He said the government
should also look into the impact
of the Somo.
If there is a resumption of
peace talks, Biazon said
Malaysia should no longer be a
mediator.
"We have conflicts of interest
with Malaysia," said Biazon,
chair of the Senate committee
on national defense and security.
He said among these are the
disputes on the ownership of Sabah and parts of the oil-rich
Spratly Islands.
Abu, MILF together?
Biazon said the government
should also study what went
wrong in Basilan.
"Why did this happen? Why
are there more casualties in the
government than the enemy?"
he asked.
Biazon also said that investigation
should be launched on
the role of the MILF in the
fighting.
"Is it just the Abu Sayyaf or
the MILF or the two together?"
he asked.
PNP backs AFP
Elite troops of the Philippine
National Police (PNP), such as
those from the Special Action
Force, the Regional Mobile
Group and the Provincial Mobile
Group, are backing the
military in its pursuit of the
Abu Sayyaf bandits.
"They are in strategic locations
where they (are) deployed
per request of the lead
elements from the military,"
PNP spokesperson Senior Supt.
Leonardo Espina said.
The PNP suffered one
wounded in Wednesday's
fighting, P02 Dennis Labrador
of SAF.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
US aircraft carrier Washington arrives
Manila Bulletin, Wednesday, August 12,2009, page 1
By ELENA L ABEN
The US aircraft carrier USS
George Washington, with 6,000 crew
members on board, arrived in the
country yesterday for a four·day
goodwill visit which will focus mainly
on humanitarian activities to further
boost the strong community and military
connections between the United
States and the Philippines.
Rear Admiral Kevin Donegan,
commander of Task Force 70 of the
US Navy and head of the delegation,
assured that the carrier's visit to the
country is "nothing political."
Interviewed by reporters following
his call to Philippine Navy Flag
Officer-in-Command Rear Admiral
Ferdinand Golez, Donegan said about
25 percent of USS George Washington's
crew either have relatives or
friends in the Philippines and are very
excited to be in the country.
The aircraft carrier arrived at 8
a.m. yesterday and was met near
Corregidor by a Philippine Navy ship,
which guided the warship to its docking
area in the Manila Bay.
"Our visit is not connected to what
is happening in the world stage. In
2008, we had 130 port calls to the Philippines,
but it is only now in recent
years that an aircraft carrier came,
but we hope to make it an ordinary
event," Donegan said when asked on
whether the visit is connected with
recent developments in the contested
Spratly Islands in the South China
Sea and the political developments
in the country.
During the visit, sailors of the USS
George Washington will participate
in a number of events in Metro Manila.
Led by Capt. David Lausman,
the ship's commander, the carrier's
crew will hold several community·
service projects today as a show of
goodwill and partnership from the
U.S. Navy. They will hold a Facilities
Improvement Project at the Veterans
Memorial Medical Center Quezon
City; lead the "Read Along with Eco-
Defenders" program at the Herme·
negildo Atienza Elementary School in
Baseco, Tondo, Manila; and construct
a New Library at the Nangka High
School in Camacho Road, Barangay
Nangka, Marikina City.
By ELENA L ABEN
The US aircraft carrier USS
George Washington, with 6,000 crew
members on board, arrived in the
country yesterday for a four·day
goodwill visit which will focus mainly
on humanitarian activities to further
boost the strong community and military
connections between the United
States and the Philippines.
Rear Admiral Kevin Donegan,
commander of Task Force 70 of the
US Navy and head of the delegation,
assured that the carrier's visit to the
country is "nothing political."
Interviewed by reporters following
his call to Philippine Navy Flag
Officer-in-Command Rear Admiral
Ferdinand Golez, Donegan said about
25 percent of USS George Washington's
crew either have relatives or
friends in the Philippines and are very
excited to be in the country.
The aircraft carrier arrived at 8
a.m. yesterday and was met near
Corregidor by a Philippine Navy ship,
which guided the warship to its docking
area in the Manila Bay.
"Our visit is not connected to what
is happening in the world stage. In
2008, we had 130 port calls to the Philippines,
but it is only now in recent
years that an aircraft carrier came,
but we hope to make it an ordinary
event," Donegan said when asked on
whether the visit is connected with
recent developments in the contested
Spratly Islands in the South China
Sea and the political developments
in the country.
During the visit, sailors of the USS
George Washington will participate
in a number of events in Metro Manila.
Led by Capt. David Lausman,
the ship's commander, the carrier's
crew will hold several community·
service projects today as a show of
goodwill and partnership from the
U.S. Navy. They will hold a Facilities
Improvement Project at the Veterans
Memorial Medical Center Quezon
City; lead the "Read Along with Eco-
Defenders" program at the Herme·
negildo Atienza Elementary School in
Baseco, Tondo, Manila; and construct
a New Library at the Nangka High
School in Camacho Road, Barangay
Nangka, Marikina City.
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