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Southeast Asia

Balikbayan voice: Why Filipinos chose the 'dictator'

2016-05-24

[Rappler] Most of you will read articles in the media calling Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte a "fascist," "punisher," or "dictator." Some have even called the Filipino people "dumb" for even considering voting for him. It is completely understandable to be shocked and appalled at some of the things he has said, such as his death threats to criminals, and his seeming disregard for due process. You are probably wondering: how has this man amassed nearly double the number of votes compared to his closest rival? Why do so many Filipinos want this man to lead their country? Duterte has promised very basic but necessary changes in security and well-being for the Filipino people. Pretty good explanation for why he was elected at the link.

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Southeast Asia

US says it will work with controversial new Philippines leader

2016-05-11

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The United States said on Tuesday it would work with the apparent victor of the Philippines presidential election but declined to say if it had any concerns about the controversial policies advocated by maverick Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. "Washington respects the choice of the Philippine people. We gladly work with the leaders they’ve selected," State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said without identifying Duterte by name. When pressed about whether the United States had any concerns about positions advocated by the tough-talking Duterte, including extrajudicial killings to stamp out crimes and drugs, Trudeau repeated her statement that Washington respected the choice of the voters. "We look forward to working with the leader that the Philippines has elected," she said. An official winner had not yet been declared in the Philippines vote, but an unofficial count by an election commission-accredited watchdog showed he had a huge lead over his two closest rivals, both of whom conceded defeat. Trudeau said several of the presidential contenders had noted that a winner had been unofficially named and welcomed the fact that the vote had been conducted "smoothly and enjoyed historically high levels of participation." Duterte’s vows to restore law and order resonated with Philippine voters, but his incendiary rhetoric and advocacy of extrajudicial killings to stamp out crime and drugs alarmed many people, who saw it as harkening back to the country’s authoritarian past.

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Southeast Asia

Reds release three soldiers, militiaman in Mindanao

2016-05-06

[Inquirer] Maoist militants released three Philippine soldiers and a militiaman from captivity and turned them over to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and other city officials in a ceremony in a remote village of San Luis, Agusan del Sur on Tuesday. Two of the government troopers, Pfc. Diven Tawide and Pfc. Glenn Austria were separately taken at road checkpoints set by the New People’s Army in San Luis and Talacugon on April 3. The decision to also free Cpl. Jawad Awadi and militiaman Roy Perez was reached at the last minute during the handover program, according to NPA official Ka Omar Ibarra. They were caught in civilian clothes earlier that morning by the militants who were securing the vicinity of the venue in Barangay Balit. Ibarra blasted the Philippine military for not presenting to the public one of its NPA leaders, identified as Ricardo Manili, alias Ka Joker, and six other civilians who were seized at a military checkpoint in Esperanza. Ka Joker, who was supposed to lead the turnover ceremony, was arrested in the area still covered by the agreement on suspension of military operation to pave the way for the smooth release of the NPA "prisoners of war," Ibarra said.

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Southeast Asia

Philippine jihadis denounce influential cleric for supporting democracy

2016-04-20

Don't make the mistake of assuming the "pro-democracy" cleric is a good man, however. [Mindanao Examiner] Filipino supporters of the Daesh in Lanao del Sur province denounced an influential cleric and branded him as murtad, or apostate, after he endorsed popular Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who is running for president and Binladen Agakhan Sharief who is gunning for vice governor in the restive Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. They condemned Sheikh Jamil Yahya, also known as Mutawwa, after he appeared in a political propaganda video uploaded April 14 on Binladen's Facebook page. In the clip, it was said that it is obligatory for all Muslims to vote for Binladen and Duterte in the May general elections. In the video, Yahya said, "Because we have to choose leaders in this election forcibly to Muslims, it is our obligatory as elder scholars to guide you the candidates that are obligatory to be helped and voted. If we don’t do this, you will blame us in the day of judgment." He said Muslims should vote for Binladen because he and his fellow clerics have witnessed the politician's "good deeds in line with the prosperity of the Muslims, its land and the religion of Islam." Yahya said that it is necessary for Muslims to vote for Duterte as well, because he had helped a lot of Muslims in Mindanao. In an Internet forum, the jihadis said they were shocked and saddened over Yahya's political endorsements. They quoted a Koran verse that says, "Until you did not fully cut ties with taghut (tyrants), you are not fully a Muslim, but kafir (infidel). You are obliged to be killed." One of the jihadis, named al-Ghareeb, said Yahya – like other prominent clerics branded by the Daesh as murtad deserved to be killed. He also quoted Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyyah who said that "a Muslim who made apostasy regarding few rules of the religion is worse than a kafir who has yet to even embrace those rules." "We denounce his (Yahya) wrongdoings. His revelation shows his true intention and what he did was totally not permissible in Islam. It is a shame to Allah," said al-Ghareed. Another of the group said that pious Muslims should "totally disregard" the practices of democracy as it is not divinely created by God, but by humans. Yahya's pronouncement came after members of the Khilafah Islamiyah Movement (KIM) in Lanao del Sur, now called "Dawlah Islamiyah" or Islamic State, declared Abdullah Maute - alias Abu Hasan - as their leader. In September 19, 2014, Yahya along with some members of the KIM led more than 100 civilians, including women and children, in pledging their loyalty to Daesh and even hoisted their black flag in Marawi City. Last February, a senior leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Abdullah Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, said that Yahya also had tried to convince him and other MILF leaders to support Daesh. Yahya also issued a fatwa against several Liberal party candidates for their alleged anti- Muslim stances on various issues. In May 2011, Yahya led a small rally outside the Golden Mosque in Manila and denounced the killing of Osama bin Laden. During the rally, he called the United States the number one terrorist in the world and the number one enemy of Islam.

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Southeast Asia

Davao mayor: Kidnap suspect in custody

2015-10-08

[Gulf Today] A suspect was arrested in the abduction of three foreigners and a Filipino woman from Davao del Norte province on September 21. This claim was made by Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who identified the suspect as Pandagon Adona, alias Banon, now undergoing interrogation following his arrest. Duterte said Adona was positively identified from security camera footage retrieved from the island resort known as the Garden City of Samal. Duterte said Adona was among the group of gunmen who stormed the resort and kidnapped the four. The mayor said he received the information from the military in his capacity as the chairman of the Southern Mindanao Peace and Order Council involved in tracking down the 11 suspects believed to have connections with or were themselves members of the Abu Sayyaf. Duterte also said that security forces have identified at least two "contacts" who hosted the suspects. One of the contacts yielded a mobile phone taken from an American and his Japanese wife who were injured when they evaded capture by leaping into the sea from their yacht when the suspects arrived.

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Southeast Asia

MNLF join search for kidnapped foreigners

2015-10-01

So they say. [Mindanao Examiner] Former Moro militants, whose leader is wanted on rebellion charges, have joined the search for three foreigners and a Filipino woman kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines. The Moro National Liberation Front said it is helping to locate Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Tess Flor who were abducted on September 21 from an upscale resort on Samal Island. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who is aiding in the search for the victims, has sought help from MNLF chief Nur Misuari to locate the four. The mayor, citing an intelligence report, claimed that the victims were being held by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu. MNLF spokesman Habib Mudjahab Hashim said Duterte and Misuari spoke on the phone. He said Duterte sought Misuari's assistance in locating or helping in efforts to free the victims. He said Misuari, who is hiding out in Sulu, has ordered his men to search for the hostages. Misuari is wanted for his alleged role in the September 2013 MNLF attacks in Zamboanga City that had displaced over 100,000 people. More than 200 people were killed in the siege. It is not known how Misuari would persuade the Abu Sayyafto free the victims.

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Southeast Asia

Mayor condemned after slain Maoist gets hero's burial

2015-07-13

[Gulf Today] A top leader of the communist New People's Army who was killed in a recent encounter with Philippine security forces was given a hero's burial that resulted in the denunciation of the outspoken mayor of Davao City in restive Mindanao as a "leftist". The controversy arose when Mayor Rodrigo Duterte allowed the coffin of Leoncio "Kumander Parago" Pitao to be given a parade along major streets in the city attended by 10,000 supporters who were wearing red T-shirts and carrying placards. The white coffin bearing Pitao's remains was also draped with the communist hammer and sickle flag. Duterte was widely condemned as a "communist" and an "NPA sympathizer" by his critics on social media for allowing a hero's burial for the militant who was killed along with his aide in a remote village of Davao City on June 27. The feisty mayor has remained unfazed by the criticisms, saying, "He (Pitao) was not a robber. He did not sell (illegal) drugs. He was there dreaming of a different system for the Filipino people. This is not a sin." Duterte defended his continuing dialogue with the Maoists, pointing out that as mayor, one of his important jobs was to ensure that Davao City was free from violence by NPA militants.

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Southeast Asia

Pitao tipster to get P5.6M bounty

2015-06-30

[Inquirer] The person who tipped off the Philippine military regarding the whereabouts of New People's Army commander Leoncio Pitao will get the P5.6-million bounty offered for the capture, dead or alive, of the communist leader. Maj. Gen. Eduardo Año, commander of the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said the tipster directed security forces to Pitao's location, helping end a months-long operation targeting the most notorious communist guerrilla leader in Southern Mindanao. He said the military and the Philippine National Police would process the reward and release it to the tipster. Pitao, also known as "Commander Parago", was killed in a encounter with Army Special Forces on Sunday afternoon, according to Col. Harold Cabreros, commander of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade. Cabreros said, "He was cornered. His comrades left him behind and fled after the fighting." A woman believed to be Pitao's medic was also killed in the clash. She was indentified as Kyle Limpag of Compostella Valley province. Año said the killing of Pitao was a huge blow to the NPA in the Davao region. He said, "This is really a huge setback. This is going to be the fall of the NPA in the Davao region." NPA Southern Mindanao political director Simon Santiago said the insurgent group saluted Pitao for dedicating his entire life to "the service of the people." Santiago said Pitao, despite his deteriorating health, preferred to fight instead of seeking medical treatment in the city. He said, "The (military) are wrong when they say Parago's death will weaken the revolutionary movement." Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte consoled Pitao's family on Monday following confirmation of the militant leader's death. He described Pitao as a "warrior and a friend." Duterte said, "I assure the communists, as long as they are not combatants, that they can come here and commiserate with the family." Duterte said he believed Pitao's fall was "just a matter of time." “You cannot be lucky all the time. There’s always a time to die," he said.

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Southeast Asia

Two Mindanao cities on "heightened alert"

2014-06-30

Philippine security forces were placed on "heightened alert" particularly in two major cities in Mindanao over a potential terrorist threat from a bomb expert with connections to the Abu Sayyaf terrorists extremists. Officials confirmed the alert was raised for the cities of Davao and Zamboanga where security operations have resulted in the arrest of long-wanted Abu Sayyaf leaders. In Davao City, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said that President Aquino personally called him up to warn him about the threat posed by Abdul Basit Usman who was believed to have orchestrated recent bombing attacks in Mindanao. Duterte said the warning prompted him to call an emergency command conference of all police and military units and agreed to set up checkpoints, as well as the deployment of lawmen in plainclothes. Officials said the same security measures have been adopted in Zamboanga City to foil attacks following the recent arrest of three suspected Abu Sayyaf leaders linked to several abductions from a resort on the island state of Sabah in Malaysia. Meanwhile, the country’s intelligence community said that Usman continued to pose a serious threat to Mindanao after he was confirmed to have been alive. Usman, who carries a $1 million bounty offered by the US government, had reportedly been killed during an American drone attack at the Afghan/Pakistan border in 2010. But the Philippine military now say that Usman is alive and that he was reportedly training Abu Sayyaf terrorists militants and members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on the manufacture of improvised bombs used in a recent series of attacks in the area.

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Southeast Asia

NPA militants release captive Philippine soldier

2014-04-24

The communist New People's Army (NPA) released a soldier, who was held captive for 20 days, to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and peace advocates in southern Mindanao. Sgt. Jeric Bucio Curay was turned over to Duterte and to the members of the Third Party Facilitators who also negotiated for the safe release of the soldier. Major General Ariel B. Bernardo, commander of the Army's 10th Infantry Division, expressed his gratitude to the city mayor and peace advocates who negotiated for the safe release of the soldier. Curay was abducted in Barangay Andap in Laak on April 4. He was not armed when he was captured, Bernardo said. He added that Curay's abduction is a violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law.

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Southeast Asia

MNLF urges UN, OIC to intervene in Sabah

2013-03-04

As violence spread in Sabah, the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) were urged yesterday to intervene and initiate negotiations between Malaysia and the Sultanate of Sulu. The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which made the request, however, said the Philippine government should be excluded from the negotiations. MNLF leader Nur Misuari also urged Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to stop sending more troops to Sabah and "tone down your voice." Misuari said he and his clan are the true owners of Sabah and the Malaysian state of Sarawak. He said history would bear out that Sabah and Sarawak were the original properties of his great, great grandfather. Any wars between then and now? Poland used to be about half a country over before the second World War, and Russia used to own the entire Soviet Union -- plus satellites -- before they lost the Cold War. Habib Mujahab Hashim, chairman of the MNLF'S Islamic Command Council, said their organization could serve as mediator between the Sulu sultanate's army and Malaysian forces. He said OIC members Brunei or Indonesia could mediate on behalf of the organization of Islamic states. Hashim urged the UN, through its committee on human rights and the International Committee of the Red Cross, to send representatives to Sabah to observe measures being carried out by Malaysian forces against Filipinos. The sultanate of Sulu claims much of Sabah, as ancestral land, and receives an annual payment from Malaysia. The sultanate wants the payment to be increased. Misuari arrived in Davao City Saturday night for a meeting with Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. He said, "The blood of our brothers in Sabah is sacred. I hope Najib will not persecute our civilians in Sabah as it will trigger bigger trouble and it will drag us into war, and I don't like that. I am calling on Najib to please tone down your voice. All of us want peace. We do not want war." He said the Sabah conflict could be settled in a "brotherly way... to the best interest of everybody." The MNLF chief said his grandnephew is a relative of the Malaysian prime minister, whom he considered a friend. Misuari admitted that some of those who went to Lahad Datu were his relatives and members of his group, but denied instigating the trip to Sabah. He said, "How can that be? I was in Africa for more than a month with my wife and I have nothing to do with the move of the sultan." He emphasized that sending "only 200" men to Sabah "is not my style." Philippine president Aquino was reportedly furious and suspected that certain quarters instigated the Lahad Datu incident to sabotage the peace process with the MNLF's breakaway group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Misuari said, "I pity the President. He does not know what he is talking about. He will become a laughingstock in the whole world." Misuari noted reports that he would be arrested for the Sabah incident. He said, "They blame me for it. Why am I being blamed for this? They said I financed it. But where would I get the money to finance a takeover?" Vice Mayor Duterte said there was no evidence linking Misuari to the incident in Sabah. He said, "I'm very sure that Nur Misuari would not do that."

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Southeast Asia

Probe ordered on 'MILF takeover' of chromite mine in Philippines

2006-08-05

The ceasefire committees of the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have ordered a probe on the alleged takeover by the MILF of the base camp and minesite of a chromite mining firm in Banay-banay, Davao Oriental on July 21. Peace Process Undersecretary Ramon Santos, Just what every nation needs: an Undersecretary for Peace Processors chair of the government’s Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and Von Al Haq, chair of the MILF’s CCCH, With a grand name like Von al Haq and a grand title like CCCH Chairman for MILF, this gentleman likely doesn't sleep in too many fleabag hotels... told MindaNews by telephone shortly before their departure for Kuala Lumpur Monday that they would have the matter investigated. "We'll get right on it...right after lunch!" Alexander Benedicto, chair of the Heritage Resources and Development Corporation (HRDC), the firm operating the chromite mines, told MindaNews he has also reported the matter to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, head of the Regional Peace and Order Council, and that Duterte has vowed to look into the situation. He'll get right on it as well...right after he makes sure his bodyguards are personally loyal to him and gets the brake lines in his car inspected. The HRDC also asked Environment Secretary Angelo Reyes to “intervene and to order all agencies to investigate” the alleged takeover. She'll need to get in touch with the enviro ofice in Brussels, and c'est la vie, it's Aout, everyone's on holiday. Benedicto told MindaNews the MILF members were reportedly hired by a councilor and construction firm owner from Pangasinan.

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