I.BANNER STORIES
1. Philippine Daily Inquirer
Arroyo resurrects Charter change
Dureza: Federalism needs constitutional amendment
By Christine Avendaño
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:56:00 08/12/2008
Most Read
MANILA, Philippines—The cat is out of the bag.
“We advocate federalism as a way to ensure long-lasting peace in Mindanao,” President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo Monday told visiting Swiss President Pascal Couchepin.
It was the first time Ms Arroyo talked about a shift to a federal form of government since the Supreme Court shot down a “people’s initiative” in October 2006 to amend the Constitution in a bid to introduce a parliamentary system.
Although Ms Arroyo did not talk about Charter change in her remarks during a state luncheon for Couchepin, Press Secretary Jesus Dureza told reporters that this was “the way forward” in carrying out a deal for an expanded Moro homeland to end four decades of a separatist war in Mindanao.
“She is calling for a constitutional amendment … in order to bring about the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity,” Dureza said, referring to the governing authority envisioned in a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on ancestral domain with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the Aug. 5 signing of the MOA in Malaysia following protests over the inclusion of 700 barangays (villages) in the enlarged Moro domain. The court has scheduled a formal hearing on the case on Friday.
During Monday’s affair in Malacañang, Ms Arroyo thanked the Swiss government for “its willingness to share in its experience of federalism.”
She said that the Institute of Federalism in Fribourg in Switzerland was helping her administration “do our studies on this form of government.”
Ms Arroyo and Couchepin agreed that this initiative would continue between the Swiss institute and the Center for Local and Regional Governance of the University of the Philippines.
Critics of the MOA in the Senate and the House of Representatives have warned that the MOA was a vehicle to amend the Constitution and prolong the term of Ms Arroyo, which ends in two years.
‘Surgical amendment’
Last week, Malacañang officials told the Senate that what was needed to carry out the MOA was a “surgical amendment” and not a wholesale Charter change.
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and Dureza said then that government negotiators had sought the advice of noted constitutionalist Fr. Joaquin Bernas to implement the MOA.
But the two said much would depend on the results of a planned plebiscite to be conducted in 12 months, and on negotiations on governance and disarmament of the MILF, among other issues.
Under the plan, the Senate and the House of Representatives will pass a joint resolution adopting a one-item amendment of the Constitution.
The way forward
Monday, Dureza told reporters of the government’s plan to institute federalism.
“An opportunity should be given to the whole country to avail of the reform effects of federalism. The sentiment of many people there is to give local officials more authority in order to perform better. And the federal set-up is the way forward to this,” he said.
“The President has approved the way forward and there’s no question about it. If she has the political will to do it she has to muster political will in spite of all these noises.”
Dureza referred to opposition in Congress to moves to amend the Constitution at this time. Critics say that the introduction of the federal system will mean wholesale changes in the Constitution, not piecemeal.
Asked whether the Arroyo administration would be able to move the country toward a federal-parliamentary system over a short haul, Dureza acknowledged that the timetable had been set back because of the Supreme Court’s intervention last week.
Set up building blocks
“The timetable is come up with signing, go to Congress for enabling law, a plebiscite is held. When you discuss issue of governance, then a final compact, final peace agreement can be signed,” Dureza said.
“That is where after you sign the compact, you have to move toward amending portions of the charter to implement or carry out the terms of the MOA on AD and final peace agreement that will come,” he said.
Dureza said that the government would try its best to achieve the amendment but at least it had “set up the building blocks.”
Asked whether this bid for Charter change would create yet another political controversy, Dureza said this cannot be avoided in a country with a “lively democracy.”
MOA to be signed soon
During a meeting Monday at the House of Representatives, Esperon announced that the government was confident that the MOA would be signed before the end of the month, according to Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez.
More than 30 lawmakers, mostly from Mindanao, who attended the meeting demanded that the government scrap the MOA, citing the lack of transparency in the crafting of the document, said Rodriguez.
Also Monday, leaders of the Liberal Party and the United Opposition filed petitions urging the Supreme Court to scrap the controversial deal with the MILF.
Sen. Manuel Roxas II, LP president, echoed in his 22-page petition the concerns of the original petitioners in the case—North Cotabato and Zamboanga City executives—that the MOA was prepared and finalized without public consultations.
A product of deceit
Roxas said that the MOA was “traitorous” and was “a product of coercion and deceit.”
Former Sen. Franklin Drilon, LP national chair, and UNO spokesperson Adel Tamano warned the Supreme Court that to countenance the MOA would create a “dangerous precedent.”
In Puerto Princesa City, civil society groups announced they will join a rally on Tuesday at the capitol to oppose the inclusion of the towns of Baolabac and Bataraza in southern Palawan province in the expanded Moro homeland. With reports from Christian V. Esguerra, Jerome Aning and Redempto Anda, Inquirer Southern Luzon
2. The Philippine Star
Palace: GMA wants Cha-cha for peace
By Paolo Romero and Christina Mendez
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
President Arroyo may have confirmed one of the worst fears of her critics – that she is determined to change the Constitution – with her declaration yesterday that she wanted federalism.
In her speech during a luncheon tendered in honor of visiting Switzerland President Pascal Couchepin in Malacañang, Mrs. Arroyo thanked the Swiss government for its willingness to share its experience on federalism.
“We thank the Swiss government not only for the values of freedom and civil rights that are enshrined in its culture but also for its willingness to share its experience in federalism through the Institute of Federalism located in Freebord in Switzerland, which has been helping us do our studies on this form of government,” Mrs. Arroyo said.
“We advocate federalism as a way to ensure long-lasting peace in Mindanao,” she said.
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the President’s statement implied that she was pushing for Charter change, which is the way to implement a federal system.
But he dismissed speculation that it could lead to extending her stay in power beyond 2010. He pointed out that Mrs. Arroyo has repeatedly stated that she is stepping down when her term ends.
“This may sound new but she has announced this a long time ago, that federalism is the way forward,” Dureza said in a news briefing.
He said federalism should not only be for Mindanao but should be for the “whole country to avail of reforms of federalism.”
He said federalism would allow local governments to have more authority and flexibility in governance, particularly in delivering basic services.
The declaration came as violence erupted in North Cotabato after government troops tried to flush out Muslim rebels who took over some towns in the province following the aborted signing in Malaysia of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order stopping the signing of the MOA last week.
Meanwhile, peace adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. also drew flak from senators for declaring last weekend that Charter change is needed for a lasting peace in Mindanao.
Senators slammed Esperon for his remarks saying Charter change should happen during Mrs. Arroyo’s term while accusing government of using the peace process as an excuse to change the Constitution during the term of Mrs. Arroyo.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. advised Esperon to abandon Charter change because he is “not qualified.”
Esperon should just provide recommendations on how to solve extra-judicial killings, which were prevalent during his term as Armed Forces’ chief of staff, Pimentel said.
“Esperon should stay away from discussions on political structures. He’s not qualified. Let’s just ask him about the extra-judicial killings and forced disappearances, maybe he can help. But about the peace process, I’m very sorry to say that he’s not qualified,” Pimentel said in Filipino.
Dureza also admitted during a Senate hearing last week that there is a need to amend the Constitution to make it suit the MOA-AD.
Senate Majority Leader Francis Pangilinan and Sen. Loren Legarda urged the government not to use the peace process as an excuse to extend Mrs. Arroyo’s term.
Sen. Manuel Roxas II said Esperon’s statements revealed the administration’s real agenda in pushing for the MOA.
“I hope nobody uses the MILF-MOA issue to advance something that has long been ignored by the people,” Legarda said in Filipino.
“The mere mention of Cha-cha raises public suspicion that politicians and the government are up to something,” she added.
Legarda believes that any move to change the Constitution will face rough sailing at the Senate.
“I don’t think any person can demand that Congress prioritizes Cha-cha to be able to have peace in Mindanao,” she pointed out.
Sen. Francis Escudero noted that the MOA-AD was a “poorly negotiated” agreement, like the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement or JPEPA.
Sen. Joker Arroyo and Escudero even sarcastically brought up the issue before the floor that lawyer Camilo Montesa, Liberal Party director general, was one of the crafters of the MOA. One of the opponents of the MOA, Senator Roxas, is the LP president.
The Senate Committees on Constitutional Amendments and Revision of Codes and Laws, and on Peace, Reconciliation, and Reunification, will tackle the resolution questioning the legality of the MOA.
In a statement, Pangilinan also scored Esperon for declaring that Charter change will happen within Arroyo’s term.
“Esperon’s statement on Cha-cha and the highly suspect moves of government negotiators only expose how out of touch with reality our government is when it comes to the fate of this controversial peace pact,” Pangilinan said.
“If they think that the people will readily swallow the garbage they will serve then they are wrong. Ignoring the sentiments of our citizens in the said peace pact will be the very reason this endeavor will not prosper,” Pangilinan warned.
“We already saw what can happen when we railroad Cha-cha. The people are vigilant, and they will not take a matter this serious sitting down,” Pangilinan said. “If government is really sincere in bringing peace all over the Philippines then it must not put first selfish interests before the welfare of this nation,” he said.
New commission for Muslims
A House-initiated measure that is now under Senate scrutiny seeks the creation of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos to replace the Office of Muslim Affairs, Speaker Prospero Nograles said yesterday.
House Bill 4253 or an “Act Creating the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos” will supplement government efforts for the “complete integration of Muslim Filipinos into the mainstream development.”
“Muslim Filipinos, our brothers, have the right to plot their destiny within the framework of the Philippine Constitution,” Nograles said, adding the measure will ensure that Muslim Filipinos “are not denied their rightful share of the fruits of national development.”
“It is our constitutional duty to ensure the rights and well being of our Muslim brothers,” Nograles said.
Under HB 4253, the proposed commission will absorb the duties and functions of the existing OMA and will remain under the Office of the President.
The measure was sponsored in plenary, jointly by the House committees on Muslim affairs, government reorganization, and appropriations headed by Reps. Pangalian Balindong, Erico Basilio Fabian and Edcel Lagman, respectively.
Among the signatories, apart from Nograles, are Deputy Speaker Simeon Datumanong and Reps. Judy Syjuco, Rufus Rodriguez, Balindong, Roilo Golez, Lagman, Mujiv Hataman, Datu Pax Mangudadatu, Fabian, and Ernesto Pablo.
Syjuco and Rodriguez, although non-Muslims, said the bill stresses the importance of Muslim Filipinos in nation-building with due regard to their beliefs, customs, traditions, institutions and aspirations.
Datumanong, who represents Maguindanao, said that the commission should make Muslim Filipinos, and other indigenous groups, “active participants in national development.”
A statement released by Nograles’ office said the proposed commission “must establish the criteria for allocating additional resources for education, economic and cultural development programs.”
“It also has the function of advising the President in the formulation, coordination, implementation and monitoring of policies, plans, programs and projects affecting Muslim Filipino communities,” the statement added.
“It would also act as the primary government agency through which Muslim Filipinos can seek government assistance and redress, and serve as medium through which such assistance may be extended to Muslim Filipinos.” – With Delon Porcalla
http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20080811135
3. Manila Times
Rebels torch houses in Sulu
Some 300,000 displaced by clashes – NDCC
By Al Jacinto, Correspondent
Muslim rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Monday burned down houses in the center of Tipo-Tipo town in Sulu province in southern Mindanao.
No injuries among Christian and Muslim civilians in the town were reported.
Police Senior Supt. Salik Macapantar confirmed the torching, which he said was apparently in protest of the holding of the scheduled August 11 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Macapantar told The Manila Times that police recovered from the scene a number of placards on which were written “No Elections.”
He said they had cleared Tipo-Tipo of the MILF insurgents as of 7 p.m. of Monday.
In neighboring North Cotabato province, clashes between government troops and other Muslim rebels have forced about 130,000 people to flee their homes, the government said.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council reported that 129,819 from 42 villages in North Cotabato have been displaced since the fighting began last week.
The refugees were being housed in 43 government evacuation centers in the province, said Glenn Raboza, an executive officer of the National Disaster Coordinating Council.
Most of them were from the towns of Aleosan, Midsayap and Pikit, which were hardest hit by the clashes, according to the council.
The government was providing water, sanitation and food to the displaced, Raboza said in a statement.
The Commission on Human Rights said it would send a team to North Cotabato to monitor the flight of the evacuees.
Its chairman, Leila de Lima, announced that she herself would fly to the province if the fighting there worsens.
She called on the the National Disaster Coordinating Council and its local counterparts and local government units to speed up help to the victims, especially the displaced.
Providing evacuation centers, De Lima added, is not enough.
“We must ensure that the proper standards of human rights are complied with,” she said.
The rights commission reminded the government that its primary duty under the Constitution is to serve and protect the people even when fighting insurgency and defending national security.
It also called on the legislature to pass bills on internal displacement and on grant of compensation to victims of crossfires.
The 10-man team from the rights watchdog will be headed by Commissioner Ma. Victoria Cardona, who is in-charge of the child-rights and woman-rights centers of the commission.
Joining her are lawyers, doctors and investigators from the agency.
De Lima said the commission had received unconfirmed reports from non-government organizations that local-government units are discriminating against Muslim evacuees by not giving relief goods to these displaced Filipinos.
Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral said the government had released P1.5 million for the evacuees through the provincial government of North Cotabato, plus 500 sacks of rice, food packs, mattresses, mineral water and canned goods.
Cabral added that social workers are encountering difficulties in reaching families in some areas hit by the fighting.
The stepped-up violence followed a decision last week by the Supreme Court to abort plans by the government for a broadened ancestral domain in the country’s restive South.
The ruling of the High Tribunal led to a number of MILF rebels occupying mainly Christian villages and towns in North Cotabato, a poor farming province.
While some of the insurgents vacated the villages after being told to do so by their leaders, others defied the order and started taking defensive positions.
The MILF, which supposedly commands 12,000 fighters, has been waging a nearly four-decade guerrilla war for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao.
It had been promised by the government, under a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain, a so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity. Manila fell short after the Supreme Court blocked the scheduled August 5 signing of the memorandum through a temporary restraining order.
-- Ira Karen Apanay, Jefferson Antiporda, Angelo S. Samonte and AFP
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2008/aug/12/yehey/top_stories/20080812top1.html
4. Malaya
Basilan town taken
130,000 flee C’bato fighting
Moro Islamic Liberation Front forces attacked Tipo-Tipo town in Basilan yesterday, occupying the municipal building, schools and a number of houses, a Marine officer said last night.
At least 15 MILF fighters, a Marine, a militiaman and two civilians were killed, Lt. Col. Leonard Vincent Teodoro of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 7 said.
At least 300 rebels entered the town around 8 a.m. and started withdrawing at 8 p.m. under aerial bombing. Government forces have yet to take full control of the town at press time, Teodoro said.
BY VICTOR REYES
MILITARY planes pounded for the second day yesterday areas forcibly occupied by Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in North Cotabato, raising the number of displaced persons to 130,000.
At least 2,000 Army, Navy and Air Force soldiers are being used against some 500 "marauding" rebels from the 105th Base Command under Umbra Kato, said AFP vice chief Cardozo Luna, head of a task force undertaking the clearing operations.
The military has been using various military aircraft, including MG-150 attack helicopters, for the air strikes since the start of the offensives Sunday. The government on Friday gave the rebels a 24-hour ultimatum to leave.
Luna said two of the 15 barangays the rebels have been occupying since last month have been cleared.
The barangays are in the towns of Aleosan, Midsayap, Tulunan, Pikit and Libungan.
The MILF’s 105th Command is based in Maguindanao.
Luna said the military would ensure there are no booby traps in the two cleared barangays before allowing the residents to return from evacuation centers or houses of relatives outside the conflict areas.
Luna also said there was no use for the rebels to resist. "I don’t think they can last. They have nowhere to get their resources and especially their ammunition."
"We want to resolve this as early as possible… we hope to finish this in one week’s time," he said.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said the government would not enter into any compromise with Kato who he said apparently duped government negotiators into believing that his men had started to withdraw from the area.
"There was movement of MILF forces, but we did not see any withdrawal. We only saw maneuvering of forces," Teodoro said.
"Law enforcement will not stop until the five towns of North Cotabato are cleared. Our objective here is to bring back the evacuees to their homes," he added.
Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said there will be no timeframe for the 105th Base Command to get out of the areas. He said the three 24-hour deadline extensions to Kato’s forces were enough.
LOSING CONTROL
Puno said the government has recorded a total of 14 harassment incidents by the MILF since Friday.
"At first, we did not expect an escalation of violence because they are committed to the peace process. But the MILF central command has lost its control over some of its men," Puno said.
Puno said apparently, even the MILF leadership has not been updated of latest developments in the field.
"Even the MILF spokesman said they are in the process of withdrawing, but we are not able to return the families to their homes," Puno said.
NOT A LOST COMMAND
Eid Kabalu, MILF civil military affairs chief, bewailed military pronouncements that Kato’s group "has degenerated into a plain bandit group and considered as a lost command."
"Umbra Kato is a legitimate commander of the MILF who heads the 105th Base Command... It’s not right to say ‘lost command’. It not also right to say he is not following (the MILF leadership). He is following but there are intervening factors why their repositioning last Friday was stalled," he said.
Asked if the MILF considers the government operations against Kato’s group an attack against the entire MILF organization, Kabalu said: "Precisely, but we are still opening our doors. We have continued contact with our counterpart through the CCCH."
On whether the MILF would be sending reinforcements for Kato’s group, Kabalu said: "Well, we’re watching carefully the situation right now." He said the MILF may consider sending reinforcements on Kato’s request but said Kato has not made such a request.
Luna said there were no indications so far of MILF reinforcements.
CASUALTIES
Luna said a soldier was killed and 12 others injured since the operations started. "On the other side, it’s undetermined," but he quoted information that the MILF had seven fatalities.
Luna also said the clashes were contained in the affected North Cotabato towns and "we don’t see it spreading across the Muslim areas."
Kabalu said the MILF suffered four dead and three wounded. He said there were many soldier-casualties but AFP officials were not announcing it.
A civilian was shot dead when a stray bullet hit a passenger bus on a main highway. Five civilians were also wounded in the crossfire.
MILF RECRUITMENT
South Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio said her office has received reports of massive recruitment efforts by the MILF in several areas in Mindanao.
Custodio did not name the areas but said many of her constituents have been approached.
She said the MILF are giving away IDs and promising P10,000 monthly allowance for those who sign up.
She said this is an apparent attempt at influencing the results of yesterday’s elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and a show of bad faith on the part of the MILF even as peace negotiations with the group are being pursued by the government.
RESOURCE-RICH AREAS
Custodio called attention to the fact that many areas that the MILF want covered by the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity hold valuable resources.
She warned that allowing these areas out of direct government control will create "bottlenecks" that will adversely affect the economy of all Mindanao provinces.
Among these areas, she said, are gold-and-copper-rich Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley and Palawan where there are substantial nickel deposits.
"This will also affect the shipping lines in the cities of Cotabato and Zamboanga," said Custodio as she noted that three municipalities in her district - Tupi, Polomolok and Kabacan - are likewise being claimed by the MILF for inclusion in the BJE.
While some of the barangays are dominated by Muslims and Lumads, Custodio said there was no armed conflict there for over two decades until recently when supposed elements of MILF "lost command" clashed with government troops.
ONLY SOLUTION
Members of the government and MILF joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities agreed to find ways to end the conflict without further damage, said Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Sealana, who heads the government’s CCCH.
"The only solution here is for Umbra Kato to pull out," he said.
Hermogenes Esperon Jr., presidential adviser on the peace process, expressed confidence the clashes would not disrupt peace negotiations.
Esperon said the government forces had no recourse but to enforce the law in order to evict "the recalcitrant rebel forces."
He also said the military action is proof that the government "is always ready to defend the people in North Cotabato or any part of the country threatened by lawless elements." – With Raymond Africa, Peter Tabingo, Jocelyn Montemayor and Reuters
http://www.malaya.com.ph/aug12/news1.htm
5. Manila Bulletin
GMA revives Charter change
Cha-cha plan will not succeed – Lacson
GMA endorses Cha-cha as part of MILF talks
By DAVID CAGAHASTIAN
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday endorsed Charter change to create a federal government that will allow Muslims in Mindanao to govern their ancestral domain. A Palace spokesman said this was part of the peace negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
"We advocate federalism for long lasting peace in Mindanao," Mrs. Arroyo told visiting Swiss President Pascal Couchepin in Malacañang.
The Swiss Institute for Federalism and the Philippines have been working to promote federalism and study its effects on Philippine society.
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said Mrs. Arroyo’s endorsement of Charter change to create a federal government is part of the peace process with the MILF.
Dureza said the memorandum of agreement (MoA) between the government and the MILF would need a change in the Constitution to grant the "Bangsamoro" governance and control over the proposed ancestral domain.
The formal signing of the MoA on ancestral domain between the peace panels of the government and the MILF was stopped by the Supreme Court, pending questions on its constitutionality.
Dureza said that once the Supreme Court injunction on the signing of the agreement on ancestral domain is lifted, negotiations on how the MILF will govern the ancestral domain will follow.
He said the present course of negotiations will lead to a Bangsamoro ancestral domain governed by a federal government.
"You can’t do it -- if that’s the trajectory -- unless you amend the Constitution," he said.
Dureza said Charter change and a shift to federalism could benefit the whole country but this revived fears of another campaign to amend the Constitution to lift term limits, especially that of the President.
"It’s the way forward, not only for the MILF. It would also provide opportunities for others to avail (themselves) of the effects of federalism," Dureza said.
He said many local politicians have been pushing for more local authority and decentralization.
Dureza allayed fears that efforts to change the Constitution would lead to the lifting of term limits of public officials and extend Mrs. Arroyo’s stay in power beyond 2010.
Dureza said fears that the lifting of term limits could be included in the proposed amendments to the Constitution are unfounded.
He said he prefers holding a Constitutional Convention to amend Charter change, although the government is leaning towards the passage of two separate resolutions in the Senate and the House of Representatives to amend a specific provision in the Constitution to accommodate the granting of ancestral domain to the MILF.
http://www.mb.com.ph/MAIN20080812132312.html
6. The Daily Tribune
AFP pounds MILF positions
08/12/2008
As Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters dug in for a lengthy battle, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) yesterday pounded rebel Muslim positions in the south as fighting intensified, eyewitnesses said.
At the same time, a Mindanao congressman, Rep. Darlene Custodio-Antonino also yesterday bared that the MILF has been recruiting members all over Mindanao, with IDs as proof of their MILF membership, which entitles each card-holder P10,000 monthly.
The military shot off a barrage of artillery and mortar fire from a muddy mound next to a highway, while helicopter gun ships swooped low over trees firing rockets.
It was the biggest flare up of violence between the two sides since Aug. 4, when the Supreme Court ordered the government to drop plans to establish an extended Muslim homeland in many parts of Mindanao.
The decision saw a number of MILF rebels take control of mainly Christian villages and towns in North Cotabato province.
The military says 1,500 MILF rebels have “dug in” in remote villages in North Cotabato province, and the fighting has forced more than 22,000 people from their homes and into government refugee centers.
Despite a government ultimatum to leave, many rebels began building defensive positions in some of the villages surrounded by thick forest.
Military vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna said the rebels were “well dug” in and more than 2,000 troops were involved in the operation, including artillery units and helicopter gunships.
Two villages have been secured by the AFP, it was learned. More are expected to be placed under government control.
Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno yesterday also confirmed that the number of evacuees displaced from their homes after heavily armed MILF rebels occupied at least nine barangays from five towns of North Cotabato increased by more than 20 times as a result of the series of hostilities between military elements and MILF guerrillas who refused to vacate those areas.
In a press conference at Camp Crame, Quezon City, Puno said the MILF did not abide by its pledge of a pull-out. Instead the rebels only “manuevered” themselves around those places.
“The MILF said that they were in the process of withdrawing their forces,” he stressed.
According to the DILG chief, this has prompted government forces to “enforce the law” by launching offensives against the elements of the 105th Base Command under the leadership of Commander Umbra Kato.
“It appears that the MILF leadership has difficulty in convincing them (to leave the place),” Puno said.
The DILG chief said that government negotiators have extended the 24-hour ultimatum at least three times and yet, the MILF rebels have refused to withdraw from the five towns.
While government authorities estimated that the rebel forces in those area could reach 800 when they first issued the 24-hour deadline, Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang, AFP deputy chief of staff, now claims there are about 500 secessionists in the affected areas.
Branding them as “lawless” elements, Puno stressed that the government has no recourse but to launch “clearing” operations against the MILF rebels to allow the residents to return to their homes.
The DILG chief also said that the government will still continue to negotiate with the MILF leadership in a last ditch effort to convince the Kato group to vacate its fighters’ positions.
Authorities have closed the main road linking Cotabato and Davao City in Mindanao, and set up military check points, but the MILF has also taken control of the other end of the road, sources in Cotabato said.
Fighting between rebel Muslims and troops has forced about 130,000 people to flee their homes.
The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said 129,819 people had been displaced from 42 villages in North Cotabato province since the fighting began last week.
The refugees are being housed in 43 government evacuation centers in the Mindanao province, said Glenn Raboza, NDCC executive officer.
The government has been providing water, sanitation and food to them, he said in a statement.
For its part, the Palace yesterday defended the military offensive being conducted by the joint military and police troops in central Mindanao, saying the offensive is limited to a splinter renegade group of the MILF and not against the entire MILF forces.
Press Secretary Jesus Dureza described the offensive as a law-enforcement operation designed to flush out the MILF renegades in about 22 barangays of North Cotabato.
Out of 22 barangays, the AFP confirmed 12 barangays are being occupied by the faction of MILF Commander Kato and about 500 to 800 members of his troops.
“The objective is to remove the renegade forces in the area that they occupied and protect the civilians” Gen. Jorge Segovia, acting AFP command center chief and military spokesman for the North Cotabato conflict, told Palace reporters in a phone-patch interview.
Segovia said the group of Kato, who has been reported as harassing, burning houses and looting civilian areas in the province, has defied the agreement reached by the ceasefire committees to withdraw from the occupied areas.
“From what they claimed as repositioning, these are actually military maneuvers rather than pulling out of the area. There is indication from the ground that they are not withdrawing,” he said.
Segovia said the military opted to do away with the military operation and use the law enforcement function of the police, with the AFP’s assistance, in order to minimize the collateral damage to civilians.
“Our commanders have the leeway to use their judgment to proportionate and justifiable force,” he said.
Dureza said the government is taking a strong position in dealing with the intransigence of Kato and his group of renegades who defied the MILF leadership and refused to abide by the withdrawal arrangements brokered by ceasefire committees of both GRP and MILF, with the assistance of LGUs and international monitoring team and other stakeholders.
“We have been patiently waiting for compliance from that group, based on the agreement on peaceful withdrawal of MILF troops, to no avail,” Segovia said.
“They refused to budge, while they assured the MILF leaders that they will pull out, they have not done so. Repositioning was actually tactical maneuverings on their part,” he said.
For Makati Mayor and United Opposition (UNO) president Jejomar Binay, it is a matter of warning that the Arroyo administration may use an escalation of hostilities between government troops and secessionist rebels as a basis to declare martial law.
Binay said such a declaration would advance the administration’s “hidden agenda,” which is to extend Mrs. Arroyo’s stay in power beyond 2010.
“The Mindanao situation presents a win-win scenario for the administration. If the accord on ancestral domain is upheld by the Supreme Court, they can proceed with amending the Constitution which they say is needed for the agreement to be effective,” he said.
But should the agreement be discarded, Binay said the MILF will have the basis to resume their offensives. “Should the hostilities escalate and reach areas outside Mindanao , the administration will have the basis to declare emergency rule,” he said.
Both scenarios have one objective, Binay said, and it is to extend Mrs. Arroyo’s stay in power.
The opposition leader noted the high-profile role of former AFP chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr. in the on-going conflict.
Meanwhile, the United States yesterday said it wants to see a final peace agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF despite the aborted territorial deal and the fresh armed conflict between the two sides.
US Embassy Deputy Press Attache Karen Schinerer told the Tribune that the US government not only supports the ongoing Mindanao peace process, but also the review of the 1996 peace accord between the government and the former secessionist group Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
Washington, through the government-funded US Institute of Peace, plays a supporting role in the Malaysian-brokered GRP-MILF peace talks.
The US government has also pledged financial assistance for Mindanao development once a peace agreement is signed.
“The US supports the conclusion of a negotiated peace agreement between the government of the Philippines and the MILF, as well as the ongoing review of the 1996 peace agreement with the MNLF,” Schinerer said. With Gina Peralta-Elorde, Ben Gines, Jr. Charlie V. Manalo, Gerry Baldo, Michaela P. del Callar and AFP
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20080812hed1.html
7. Abante
MILF NAG-IIPON NG PUWERSA!
Nina ERALYN PRADO at NILO MARASIGAN
IHindi lamang sa North Cotabato kundi maging sa iba pang bahagi ng Mindanao lalaganap ang karahasan.
Ito ang ibinabala kahapon ni South Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio matapos ibunyag ang umano’y pagpapalakas ng puwersa ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) sa pamamagitan ng pinasiglang recruitment ng mga bagong miyembro kung saan nag-aalok pa umano ng P10,000 kada buwan ang sesesyunistang grupo para sa mga sasali.
“MILF were recruiting in some areas in Mindanao at namimigay sila ng IDs and P10,000 per month were given to residents,” ayon pa kay Custodio.
Aminado ang kongresista, na bagama’t malayo sa kanyang distrito ang bakbakan sa pagitan ng MILF at mga sundalo, ang presensiya ng mga MILF sa ilang mga lugar ay nagbibigay ng takot sa mga tao.
“There are movements all over Mindanao and they’re scaring a lot of people,” diin pa ni Custodio.
Tinukoy ng lady solon ang mga bayan ng Tupi, Polo Moluk at Tampakan sa South Cotabato na madalas namamataan ang ilang miyembro ng MILF.
May pangamba ang kongresista na ang pagkilos na ito ng MILF ay pahiwatig lamang ng kagustuhan nitong sakupin ang Mindanao para na rin sa kanilang pansariling interes.
Idinagdag pa ng kongresista na ang kapalpakan at kahinaan pa rin ng gobyerno ang ugat ng kasalukuyang kaguluhan sa Mindanao partikular ang patuloy na pamamayagpag ng MILF.
MILF bumaon na sa North Cotabato
Hindi nangyari ang pangakong kusang pag-pullout ng mga rebeldeng MILF, diumano’y mga ‘lost commandos’, na umokupa sa ilang bayan ng North Cotabato at sa halip ay lalong bumaon ang mga ito, dahilan upang mahirapan ang pulisya at militar na agad silang maitaboy.
Matapos umanong palawigin nang palawigin (tatlong ulit) ang orihinal na 24-oras na deadline na ibinigay ng pamahalaan ay nagmaniobra lamang at nagbago ng posisyon ang mga rebelde upang lalong makabaon sa kinubkob na mga barangay sa limang bayan ng lalawigan.
“Since Friday, we have yet to see the pull out that was agreed upon by the MILF. What has been accomplished so far by the 105th Base Command of the MILF is literally maneuvering of its units in other barangays, thus, widening the scope of the conflict and causing more civilians to evacuate,” pahayag ni PNP chief Dir. Gen. Avelino Razon.
Sa panig ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), iniulat ni vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna na patuloy ang air strikes sa posisyon ng MILF lost commandos at unti-unti na umanong nakakalapit ang ground troops sa natukoy na mga barangay.
Hindi naman makumpirma hanggang kahapon ang ulat na nagtaas diumano ng MILF flag ang mga rebelde sa isa sa kanilang inokupang barangay.
Sa pinakahuling ulat, dalawa sa 15 MILF-occupied barangay ang nabawi na ng militar. “They are resisting heavily. They’re firm that they should be in those lands,” ani Luna.
130 libong residente lumikas
Mula sa orihinal na bilang na 6,457 pamilyang inilikas noong Biyernes, lumobo na ito sa 18,633 pamilya o halos umabot sa 130,000-katao ang naobligang lumikas dahil sa pagtindi ng madugong bakbakan ng mga rebelde at tropa ng pamahalaan sa mga bayan ng Pikit, Pigkawayan, Aleosan, Midsayap at Libungan.
Matapos mabigo ang ikatlong 24-oras na deadline sa mga rebelde upang lisanin ang inokupang mga barangay at makabalik sa kani-kanilang tahanan ang mga sibilyan ay ito ang pahayag kahapon ni Local Government Sec. Ronaldo Puno, “Wala kaming naibalik sa kanilang tirahan, dumami pa ang na-displaced na family.”
http://www.abante.com.ph/issue/aug1208/default.htm
8. Abante-Tonite
5 BATA HINABOL NG LUPA!
Nilo Marasigan
Nalibing nang buhay ang may limang elementary pupils nang matabunan ng lupa sa naganap na landslide sa bayan ng T’boli sa South Cotabato.
Kinilala ang mga nahugot na biktima sa gabundok na gumuhong lupa na sina Jemwel Haus, 9-anyos, grade 2 pupil; Alvin Tano, 10, grade 5; Jerson Lamban, 8, grade 1; Resty Haus, 5; at Benjie Dinyal, 5, pawang estudyante ng Disawo Elementary School sa bayan ng T’boli.
Sa ulat kahapon sa Camp Crame ng Police Regional Office 12 (Central Mindanao), naganap ang insidente bandang alas-4:30 ng hapon sa Sitio Lamiok-el, Disawo, T’boli.
Sina Jayson delos Santos (kaliwa) at Eduardo Santos. (Jasper Barcelon)
Papauwi na umano ang mga naglalakad na estudyante buhat sa kanilang paaralan sa may paanan ng bundok nang bigla na lamang rumagasa ang toneladang gumuhong lupa.
Sa bilis ng pangyayari ay hindi na umano nagawa pang makaiwas ng mga batang paslit nang tumabon sa mga ito ang magkahalong lupa at bato.
Ang landslide ay isang anyo ng paggalaw o pagkilos ng lupa katulad ng pagguho ng mga bato, na maaaring mangyari sa kapatagan at mga lugar na malapit sa dagat. Maaaring bunsod ito ng walang tigil na pag-ulan o bagyo na magdudulot ng malakihang pag-agos ng putik o mudslide.
Ipinapayo na kapag mayroong landslide ay magkaroon ng evacuation plan ang isang mag-anak patungo sa isang ligtas na lugar.
Kapag may oras pa, patayin ang mga de-kuryenteng gamit sa bahay sa mga main switch nito. Magtakda ng escape routes sa bawat isang kuwarto sa loob ng bahay.
http://www.abante-tonite.com/issue/aug1208/crime1.htm
9. Pilipino Star Ngayon
Giyera dahil sa MOA
Nina Gemma Garcia at Malou Escudero
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Isinisi kahapon ni Sen. Mar Roxas ang nangyayaring kaguluhan ngayon sa Mindanao sa Memorandum of Agreement ng pamahalaan at Moro Islamic Liberation Front sa ancestral domain na pansamantalang pinigil ng Korte Suprema sa bisa ng Temporary restraining order.
Kaugnay nito, nagsampa ng mosyon si Roxas, pangulo ng Partido Liberal, sa Korte Suprema para tuluyan nang ibasura ang MOA.
Sinabi ni Roxas na “nagsalita na ang taumbayan at hindi sila papayag na basta na lang matsa-chop-chop ang bansa natin gawa nitong MOA na produkto ng pamimilit at panloloko.”
Iginiit ni Roxas na labag sa Konstitusyon ang MOA dahil gagawa ito ng isang estado sa loob ng Pilipinas.
“Matagal nang ninanais nating lahat, mas lalo ang mga taga-Mindanao, ng kapayapaan at katahimikan. Ngunit paano magkakaroon ng kapayapaan kung ang kasunduan mismo ay hindi dumaan sa konsultasyon ng mga maaapektuhan nito?” ani Roxas.
Sumasama si Roxas sa petisyon ng mamamayan ng North Cotabato sa pangunguna nina Governor Jesus Sacdalan at Vice-Governor Emmanuel Piñol at mamamayan ng Zamboanga City sa pangunguna nina Mayor Celso Lobregat at kongresistang sina Isabelle Climaco at Erico Fabian. Dahil sa naturang petisyon ay nagpalabas ng TRO ang mataas na hukuman na pumigil sa paglalagda sa MOA sa Malaysia noong Agosto 4.
http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Bansa&p=50&type=2&sec=54&aid=2008081145
10. Journal
FLIGHT
By: Alfred P. Dalizon
Clashes displace Cotabato families
FIGHTING between security forces and about 500 Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas occupying five towns in North Cotabato forced the evacuation of some 130,000 people as troops pressed the drive to retake the villages, officials said yesterday.
Philippine National Police chief Director General Avelino I. Razon Jr. said the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanaowas peaceful despite the fighting.
“The latest report from ARMM police director, Chief Supt. (Joel) Goltiao said that the ARMM elections is generally peaceful and there have been no untoward incidents except the isolated case in Basilan ,” Razon said. A gunbattle erupted between MILF rebels and Marines in Basilan Sunday leaving scores wounded.
Office of Civil Defense executive director Glenn Rabonza said that as of 6 a.m. yesterday, a total of 18,633 families living in the towns of Aleosan, Midsayap, Tulunan, Pikit and Lubungan had been displaced. They were forced to flee after about 500 heavily-armed MILF rebels led by one Commander Umbra Kato forcibly occupied their villages. Rabonza said the evacuees are now staying in 43 different evacuation centers in the province which are under government control.
The fighting so far has left one soldier dead and 10 others wounded. Unconfirmed reports said the MILF suffered at least 30 casualties but only two bodies have so far been recovered.
Interior Secretary Ronaldo V. Puno gave a different figure. He said that as of last week, 1,560 families composed of more than 6,000 individuals were brought to government evacuation centers following the MILF occupation.
“As of yesterday morning, the report which I found very alarming is that there are 16,000 families who have evacuated with a total population of 77,401. There was actually a ten-fold increase in evacuees and about 150 percent increase in the number of individuals,” Puno told a press conference at Camp Crame.
He said the number of evacuees continues to grow amid the clearance he and Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro gave Task Group Enforcement to drive the MILF rebels away from the occupied areas they occupied.
“Today, you’re hearing of such activity going on. The objective is to clear the five towns in North Cotabato,” he said
Teodoro said they are fully prepared for the emergency situation. “We have sufficient stocks of basic necessities and we’re undertaking logistical planning to ensure adequate supply of basic necessities,” he said.
Apart from Task Group Enforcement, Task Group Evacuation and Task Group Negotiation are also pursuing missions in the province.
“We gave a 24-hour ultimatum last Thursday which expired 10 a.m. Friday. Upon the issuance of ultimatum, the task force on negotiations went to persuade those who have caused the evacuation, to convince the MILF groups that have taken over the territory to withdraw from the areas they occupied,” Puno said.
Puno said the MILF agreed to withdraw but requested a 24-hour extension which was granted, then a second 24-hour extension which again was granted and then, a third 24-hour extension.
http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?issue=2008-08-12&sec=1&aid=69798
11. Business World
Risk aversion hits investments
Bangko Sentral reports May net FDI outflow of $95 million
A CONTINUED DETERIORATION in global financial markets led to more foreign investments flying out of the Philippines last May, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) yesterday said.
Central bank data showed a foreign direct investment (FDI) outflow of $95 million for the month. This was turnaround from April’s net inflow of $269 million and was the first reversal recorded in 11 months.
The Bangko Sentral attributed the outflow to firms’ repayments of loans to foreign investors, which it said amounted to $152 million.
Results of the January-May period remained in surplus, but the net inflow of $725 million was significantly lower than the $2.3 billion recorded 12 months earlier.
"This developed as the investment environment turned more cautious due to concerns about global financial market fragilities and the downturn in many advanced economies including the US," the BSP said.
The net inflow for the first five months came largely in the form of equity capital amounting to $322 million.
Gross equity capital placements for the period hit $461 million. The funds mainly went to the manufacturing sector, particularly in the areas of shipbuilding and repair as well as manufacture of auto electronics parts and components.
Investors also channeled their funds to sectors such as services, mining, real estate, and finance, as well as in the construction of hotels and power plants.
Most of the investments came from Japan, the United States, Singapore, Germany, Malaysia and South Korea.
Outflows in equity capital, mainly capital repatriations of nonresident investors from holding firms in the Philippines, amounted to $139 million.
Reinvested earnings during the January-May period were 4.7% lower at $161 million.
Other capital, which consists of intercompany borrowing or lending between foreign direct investors and their subsidiaries and affiliates in the country, recorded net inflows of $242 million. This was lower than last year’s $586-million net inflow.
The BSP expects reduced investment inflows this year, with the FDI forecast to hit $2.6 billion by yearend, down from an earlier projection of $4.2 billion and last year’s tally of $2.7 billion.
Net foreign portfolio investments or so-called "hot money" inflows are likewise expected to be lower, at $1.1 billion by yearend, from an earlier forecast of $3.2 billion and last year’s $3.5 billion. — Gerard S. dela Peña
http://bworldonline.com/BW081208/content.php?id=001
12. Business Mirror
WESM price shocks mitigated
By Paul Anthony A. Isla
Reporter
THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has decided to suspend certain rules of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in order to mitigate the impact of the sudden increase of power rates at the power market, Francis Saturnino Juan, the commission’s executive director, said on Monday.
In an interview, he also clarified that the regulatory body could not intervene and suspend market operations, as it is only the Philippine Electricity Market Corp. (PEMC), the market operator, or the National Transmission Corp. (Transco), the system operator, that can do so.
Juan said the ERC has decided to just indefinitely suspend Rule 3.5, Article 3 of the WESM Rules, effectively shielding consumers from having to pay for expensive electricity due to volatilities in the spot market.
Rule 3.5, Article 3 of the WESM Rules says any distribution utility (DU) with an existing transition supply contract with the National Power Corp. (Napocor), but which opted to become a direct WESM member, shall no longer enjoy the 20-percent allowance over its contracted capacity with Napocor. Anything above that contracted capacity must be paid at the price of WESM.
The rule added that all imbalances beyond the 100-percent contracted level of said DUs shall be deemed taken from the WESM.
The suspension of this rule will allow the DUs to apply as rate the Time-Of-Use (TOU) rates of Napocor as the applicable rate for the said month, cushioning the prices from market volatility.
Juan quickly added that the said rule will, however, be reinstated once the National Transmission Corp. completes the repair works on the San Jose Substation.
Lasse Holopainen, president of PEMC, earlier said the PEMC—operator of WESM—will seek the ERC intervention to mitigate the possible impact of the spike in power rates last month at the power market.
“We have discussed this concern with the regulator,” said Holopainen, adding that measures have already been tossed around to mitigate the possible high prices at the WESM caused by congestion in the power transmission lines after the San Jose transformer of Transco sustained damage.
Based on PEMC’s initial computations, the PEMC official noted the effective settlement price for July averaged at P18 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) with settlement surplus, or P9 per kWh without settlement surplus.
If billed, Holopainen said the price spikes would impact Meralco customers by around P1/kWh.
Holopainen said the WESM operations in July have 63 price intervals in question, which are being reviewed and recalculated.
“The prices have resulted from a major transmission problem—San Jose—which effectively cut our market in half. Now, not only has this caused us a lot of problems, in terms of recalculating everything, but there are about 60 intervals—which is under discussion now with the regulator as to whether there should be an intervention,” added Holopainen.
He said distribution utilities like Meralco can actually opt to apply the TOU rates of National Power Corp.
Holopainen quickly added that another option would be PEMC setting an administered price based on what is provided for under WESM Rules.
He warned that repairs on transmission facilities would take until September or October this year.
Holopainen stressed the need for stakeholders and the ERC to come up with a solution that will mitigate the impact on consumers.
“What we’re having is an unusual situation, which is not related to generation or fuel-supply problems as what was experienced in the past,” said Holopainen.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/08122008/headlines01.html
II. POLITICAL
Moro rebels stand ground; Air Force bombs hideouts
By Nikko Dizon, Tarra Quismundo, Allison Lopez
Mindanao Bureau, Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:10:00 08/12/2008
Most Read
COTABATO CITY—Marauding bands of Moro rebels Monday occupied portions of a highway in North Cotabato province, stopping passenger buses, while other guerrillas raised their own flags to signify their goal of independence, as peacekeepers struggled to end fighting that has left 13 people dead.
For the second straight day, Philippine Air Force attack aircraft swept into action, pummeling suspected rebel hideouts with rockets and 260-lb and 500-lb bombs, a PAF official said.
In one area, fighting spilled over to the marshes, the military said.
The Armed Forces deputy chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna, claimed government forces had “liberated” seven barangays (villages) but the guerrillas—whom Cardozo called “a marauding breakaway MILF group” led by commander Umbra Kato—continued to resist elsewhere.
In Congress, South Cotabato Rep. Darlene Antonino-Custodio said she had received “credible reports” that the MILF was offering as much as P10,000 and identification cards to prospective recruits in her district.
Speaking to reporters in Camp Aguinaldo by phone, Luna said there was fighting both on land and in marshes and that soldiers had to use pumpboats because the marshlands were flooded.
“They are resisting heavily. They would like to make it firm to themselves that they should [have] those lands,” Luna said.
But Luna was confident that the resistance of Kato’s men numbering about 500 would “not last.” He expressed doubts about their ability to replenish their supplies, including ammunition.
“We want to resolve this as early as possible. We don’t want to count days … We won’t give a deadline. The earlier we finish this, the better,” Luna said.
Rebels digging in
Fighting over several days has so far resulted in 13 dead, according to reports from military and local officials. They included one soldier, two militiamen, three civilians and seven rebels. Witnesses earlier said they saw three soldiers dead in one area but this was not confirmed.
“The fighting has been continuous. We expect them to hold their ground,” Lt. Diosdado Carreon, commander of the 40th Infantry Battalion in North Cotabato, told reporters.
Luna said Baliki village in Midsayap, Dualing and Dungguan in Aleosan, Kolambog in Pikit and three villages in Pigcawayan town “were liberated already but were still being cleared of possible booby-traps.”
North Cotabato Gov. Jesus Sacdalan said while some areas were considered liberated, clashes broke out in other villages, such as in Takepan and Dalingaoen, in Pikit town.
Highway occupied
Sacdalan said the fighting in Pikit started after a rebel band occupied portions of the Cotabato-Davao highway and harassed commuters.
Susan Valencia, 27, a bus passenger, said about 10 gunmen blocked their vehicle and ordered the driver not to proceed.
“One bus attempted to proceed but was fired upon by the rebels,” she said.
“The exchange of gunfire has placed the Cotabato-Davao highway perilous to motorists,” Luna said, adding the military had shut down traffic in the portion of highway where skirmishes were taking place.
Air strikes called in
Maj. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesperson of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), said the military again launched air strikes to flush out the rebels occupying areas of Takepan and Dalingaoen.
“Our troops on the ground asked for the air support to drive away the rebels because they were too near the highway,” he said.
Later in the day, soldiers and policemen on armored personnel carriers escorted at least eight buses through the highway.
Luna said unless the highway was cleared of the rebels, no traffic would be allowed on the Takepan and Dalingaoen portions.
Emergency meeting
Ghazali Jaafar, MILF political affairs chief, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone that members of the ceasefire committee, including the Malaysian-led international monitoring team, held an emergency meeting to try and resolve the crisis.
“We are not going to war. We are giving primacy to the peace talks,” Jaafar said.
He said it appeared Kato was only waiting for the deployment of the Joint Monitoring Action Team (JMAT) of peacekeepers before withdrawing completely.
PAF bombers and attack helicopters dropped rockets and bombs on rebel positions in a combined 20 flying hours of air strikes, according to a senior official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the information.
Altogether, OV-10 Broncos, MG-520 attack helicopters and SF-260 propeller planes delivered 20 rockets and 260-pound and 500-pound bombs on suspected MILF positions.
Mounted 50-cal. machine guns also fired several rounds to identified targets, said the official in a late afternoon update.
He said there had yet to be “an official report of casualties/damages incurred against the enemies.”
MILF flags hoisted
Bolstering air power in Mindanao, the PAF also sent additional bomber planes and night-capable helicopters to North Cotabato Monday.
The 15th Strike Wing in Sangley Point, Cavite, sent two more OV-10 Bronco bombers to the battle area while the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing in Mactan sent two additional night-capable UH-1H choppers to augment four Hueys already on site.
The night-capable Hueys are not equipped for bombing missions but may undertake night-time troop transport, evacuation, supply and reconnaissance.
In a press conference in Manila, North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Pinol said MILF guerrillas in some parts of his province were seen raising their flags.
“Initially, we did not pay attention to those flags. Now, we are interpreting that as a prelude to their declaration of independence...and self-reliance,” he said.
Pinol called for the creation of a commission composed of various Mindanao stakeholders to review the stalled government peace deal with the MILF calling for the establishment of an independent Bangsamoro homeland in the south.
Antonino said the reported MILF recruitment was taking places in areas where the guerrillas had no influence.
“[Potential recruits] are being given IDs and being offered P10,000 … I believe these are credible reports at this point. I’m having them verified,” she said. Reports from Edwin Fernandez, Charlie Señase, Jeoffrey Maitem and Nash Maulana, Inquirer Mindanao, and Norman Bordadora in Manila
Excellent, Comelec says of high-tech ARMM polls
By Julie Alipala, Kristine L. Alave
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:20:00 08/12/2008
MANILA, Philippines—Despite sporadic violence and technical glitches, the Commission on Elections Monday declared the computerized balloting in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) an “excellent” exercise.
Comelec Chair Jose Melo said 50 to 60 percent of the 1.5 million registered voters cast ballots in 1,901 precincts equipped with two sets of computers each where they either blotted circles beside the names of their candidates or touched screens for their selections.
Results of the vote for governor, vice governor and 24 members of the regional legislative assembly are expected to be announced on Wednesday.
Melo said he was “very happy” with the results of the landmark polls—the first in the country where computers were used to cast ballots. If successful, the system will be used in the 2010 national elections.
In 1996 and 1998, the counting of votes was done electronically, but these exercises were riddled with problems and subsequently dropped.
Director General Avelino Razon of the Philippine National Police reported that Monday’s balloting was “generally peaceful.”
Suspected MILF attack
The only report of violence came from Tipo-Tipo on Basilan island across the channel from Zamboanga City when suspected fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) attacked the town proper and burned houses and a bridge.
Tipo-Tipo Mayor Tong Istarul said two civilians were killed, including one identified as Lintaran Indanan, 50. Two policemen were missing and a soldier was reported wounded in the assault that began at 8:45 a.m. and lasted until 5 p.m.
Election authorities said the attack was election-related and that balloting in three barangays (villages) there were recommended to be declared a failure.
Melo said that initial reports received at around 11 a.m. showed that the turnout in Basilan was 10 percent.
Lanao del Sur, Shariff Kabunsuan, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi had around 60-percent participation rate, Melo said.
Melo said the number of voters who went to the polls exceeded his expectations. “As we have said, anything between 30-40 percent, will be good already. But now we are hitting 50 percent. We can say it’s excellent,” he said.
“Maybe they heeded our calls to go out and vote. They were really curious on how the voting was to be done,” he added.
Turnout better than in past
Teopisto Elnaz, Comelec regional director, said the turnout in this elections was better than in previous exercises, where the average was around 30-40 percent.
Maguindanao residents, who used the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) system supplied by Smartmatic-Sahi Technologies Inc., voted using an electronic voting pad and touch-screen technology. Their votes were directly stored inside the machine.
Residents of Shariff Kabunsuan, Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, or about 80 percent of the ARMM voters, used the Optical Mark Reader technology (OMR) by Avante International Technology Inc.
Voters from these areas shaded the oval space beside the name of their chosen candidates printed in a special ballot. The ballots were scanned and recorded in designated counting centers.
‘Smashing success’
Sen. Richard Gordon, chair of the Senate committee on electoral reforms, said voters in Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan were really eager to try the new technologies.
“It was a smashing success. It’s something to look forward to. It shows that Filipinos can conduct clean and honest elections,” Gordon said in a briefing with Melo at the Comelec.
The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting Monday said it was also satisfied with the conduct of the balloting in the region dubbed as the “cheating capital” of the Philippines.
Henrietta de Villa, PPCRV chair, said Monday’s elections were a definite improvement compared to past exercises.
“So far, comparatively, I see an improvement. With the automated machines, we did not see voters who had difficulty with it because they tried to study the machines beforehand,” De Villa said.
“Definitely the anomalies were lessened because the human handling was also lessened,” she said in an interview.
Ballot box snatching
Melo reported incidents of ballot box snatching in two villages of Sumisip, Basilan, and in Lanao del Sur. He said unidentified armed men wrested the ballot boxes away from election officials on their way to the precincts in Barangay Tumahubong and Barangay Baiwas.
Barangay Tumahubong has five precincts and 1,566 voters while the second village has one precinct and 330 voters.
Melo said the Comelec had yet to declare failure of elections in the two villages. “We will wait for the election results. If the results will be affected, we will call for special elections,” he explained.
The Comelec said that in Akbar, Basilan, the town mayor initially refused to hand over ballot boxes containing election paraphernalia to the board of election inspectors (BEI).
But eventually, the mayor surrendered the ballot boxes, he said, and the Comelec appointed police personnel and civil servants to act as BEI.
Incidents of power failure
There were also reports of power failure in Sulu, but Comelec officials said the service providers had brought generators for such emergencies.
Melo said there were fears about the security situation in three villages in Shariff Kabunsuan, namely Ganta, Lower Taviran and Bagumbayan, which borders North Cotabato, where the MILF and the military have been figuring in clashes since weekend.
Melo said officials there were considering transferring the precincts in the three towns to safer areas. However, there were threats from the MILF, who said the Comelec and its partners could not move with police and military escorts.
Precincts across the ARMM opened around 7 p.m. and voting started smoothly, Melo said. Two hours after the voting booths closed at 3 p.m., the Comelec started to receive results from the voting centers.
Inside the Comelec session hall, service provider Smartmatic-Sahi, which was in charge of consolidating election results, installed a projection screen showing the status of transmission by province, town and precincts in real time.
Melo said the Comelec in Manila, where the regional board of canvassers is based, may proclaim winners of the gubernatorial and vice gubernatorial race by Wednesday. With reports from Edwin Fernandez, Charlie Señase, Jeoffrey Maitem, Nash Maulana, Richel Umel and Ed General, Inquirer Mindanao
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