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Southeast Asia

Not likely Sulu sultan acted alone

2013-03-15

It has now come to light that in the lead up to the Sabah "invasion", Jamalul Kiram III had been entertaining a string of rather interesting Filipino personalities at his home in a Manila suburb. There was, of course, Nur Misuari, the discredited former governor of Muslim Mindanao. And then there was Norberto Gonzales, national security adviser under former president Gloria Arroyo. Another colourful figure consorting with the sultan was Pastor "Boy" Saycon, a "political strategist" linked to Jose Cojuangco who had been a thorn at the side of his sister, the late president Corazon Aquino, and now of his nephew, President Benigno Aquino. Aquino has since launched an official investigation into a possible conspiracy linking at least some of these personalities to the Sabah misadventure.

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Southeast Asia

Aquino suspects sabotage of peace talks

2013-02-20

The standoff in Sabah has infuriated Philippine President Aquino, who suspects that the incident is intended to sabotage his administration’s peace initiatives with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), reliable sources said yesterday. The well placed sources said Malacañang believes Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III is not acting on his own in highlighting his family’s claim over Sabah. Kiram, the sources noted, is sick and is undergoing dialysis. Among those being considered by administration officials as possible instigators of Kiram are Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chieftain Nur Misuari, former national security adviser Norberto Gonzales and even the President’s uncle, former Tarlac congressman Jose “Peping” Cojuangco and his wife Margarita, who is running for senator under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). Up to 300 of Kiram's followers are holed up in Sabah and have been surrounded by Malaysian security forces. Kiram has said his followers would not leave because “Sabah is our home.” The sources said that the President was furious over the Sabah incident, as it came on the heels of progress achieved in the government’s peace initiative with the MILF. The sources said the standoff in Sabah may also be linked to the recent attacks by an MNLF faction identified with Misuari on Abu Sayyaf strongholds in Jolo, Sulu, ostensibly to secure the release of hostages. Misuari, who is running as an independent candidate for governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the May elections, points out that the government has not fully implemented the peace agreement signed with the MNLF in 1996. The sources suggested that the standoff in Sabah is seen as a way of derailing the peace process with the MILF. A military official earlier said Kiram’s Royal Sultanate Army began recruiting members over ten years ago. The official, who asked not to be named, said, “In the following years, they never gave the Philippine government any problem until this standoff in Sabah until they went to Lahad Datu and declared they have the right to stay in Sabah.” The official pointed out that even the reported armed encounter between the MNLF and Abu Sayyaf in Sulu looked like an acoustic war, with no bodies being found despite reports of casualties on both sides.

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Southeast Asia

Malaysia vows continued help for Philippine peace talks

2009-03-01

Malaysia has vowed to help the Philippines resume stalled peace talks with Muslim separatist rebels in the troubled southern region of Mindanao, a Philippine government official said Sunday. National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made the assurance during a meeting with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on the sidelines of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders' summit in Thailand. Gonzales said Arroyo asked Badawi to do something so that the negotiating panels of the Philippine government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would meet again as soon as possible. "President Arroyo asked for Malaysia's continued help in our peace talks," Gonzales told reporters. "The president wants the negotiations to resume and she asked Malaysia to take steps so that the two panels meet." Gonzales said Badawi responded favorably to Arroyo's request. "Prime Minister Badawi said Malaysia is always willing to help so they will help," he said. "They will try to facilitate (the resumption of peace talks), They will help in making sure the two panels will meet." Malaysia had been facilitating the negotiations between the Philippine government and the MILF since 2004. It also led an international team of peacekeepers monitoring a ceasefire between the two sides. But in November 2008, Kuala Lumpur pulled out its forces from Mindanao amid fighting between the MILF and the Philippines military. It expressed frustration over the slow progress in the peace negotiations. Peace talks between the two sides have been suspended since August 2008 when MILF rebels launched a series of deadly attacks in Mindanao, which triggered fighting with the military. More than 200 people were killed in the hostilities, which also forced more than 500,000 people to flee their homes. The guerrillas launched the attacks to protest a Supreme Court decision stopping the signing of a key agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF, which would have expanded a Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. The government eventually scrapped the agreement, and called for continued talks with the MILF to come up with a new deal. But the MILF is insisting that the agreement was already signed and should be implemented.

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Southeast Asia

Military explosives used in Manila bomb blast: police

2007-10-21

Military explosives were used in a huge bomb blast at a Manila shopping mall that left nine dead and 113 injured, Philippine police said Saturday. Evidence collected from Friday's Glorietta mall blast indicates that the bomb "contained RDX, the main chemical component of C4," the police said in a report to Philippines President Gloria Arroyo. In the Philippines C4 explosive is only used by the military. The report was delivered at a top-level security meeting between the president and her security advisers at police headquarters in Manila. Arroyo immediately ordered the country's police chief General Avelino Razon to check its source and pin-point the culprits. "Is that already definitive... or is there going to be another more detailed finding of what kind of explosive was used?" Arroyo said during the briefing. "We need regular information bulletins on the status of the investigation." Senior Superintendent Bert Ferro, who heads the police bomb data centre, said samples taken from the site leads him to "presume that those are of military ordnance components." A chemist from the centre told Arroyo that it was possible that more samples were being collected from the site, but "at this point in time, that is what we have." Razon said the government was putting up a two-million-peso (45,454-dollar) reward for any information leading to arrests. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, which came weeks after military intelligence foiled an alleged plot by Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants to bomb the southern port city of Zamboanga. National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said authorities were also looking at the Abu Sayyaf as possible suspects, noting that the group may have carried it out as part of their campaign to attract funding from international terrorist groups. The 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said Saturday it is "prepared to gather intelligence for the Philippine authorities if asked to do so," spokesman Eid Kabalu told AFP. "We would like to help out if asked. This could help the military at least eliminate some groups from their list of suspects," he said, adding that the offer was being made as a "sincere gesture" that could also help revive stalled peace talks.

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Southeast Asia

'RSM spokesman' owns up to Glorietta 2 blast

2007-10-20

A person who claimed to be the spokesman of the Rajah Sulayman Movement (RSM) on Saturday said the group was responsible for Friday’s attack in Makati City that left nine people dead and scores of others injured. A person who claimed to be the spokesman of the Rajah Sulayman Movement (RSM) on Saturday said the group was responsible for Friday’s attack in Makati City that left nine people dead and scores of others injured. In a text message to ABS-CBN News, the person who said he was RSM spokesman Ruben Omar Lavilla, alias Sheik Omar, demanded the release of founder Hilarion del Rosario Santos, alias Ahmed Santos. RSM is a terror organization whose members are allegedly composed of Christians who have converted to Islam and reportedly operates in Manila and northern Luzon. It was suspected of carrying out the Rizal bombing in 2000 and Valentine’s Day bombings in 2004. The text message said RSM had sought the help of Assistant Secretary Severo Catura assigned to the Office of the Executive Secretary but its demand had fallen on deaf ears. National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, meanwhile, said the government will verify if RSM was indeed responsible for the attack. Authorities are still verifying the authenticity of the sender and his claim. Lavilla, a former professor at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, is considered RSM’s religious, political and strategic leader. Based on the record of the intelligence community, Lavilla allegedly trained RSM’s recruits in the group’s hideout in Pangasinan and Tarlac province. In 2002, the military stormed RSM’s training bases in both provinces. It was reported that before the raid, Lavilla received P10 million from Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani. The money was purportedly meant for RSM’s "operational expenses." Since Santos’s capture in 2005, Lavilla served as the group’s spokesman.

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Southeast Asia

Blast in Philippine capital region might be terrorist attack: official

2007-10-19

The blast taking place in a shopping mall in the capital region of the Philippines Friday might be a terrorist attack, said a high-level security official of the country. "This is not an accident. We are looking into a possible terrorist attack," Norberto Gonzales, Philippine National Security Adviser told the media. "Legume! Bring me my cap and my saxophone! The game is afoot!" The explosion took place at around 1:30 p.m. local time (0530 GMT) in Glorietta, a classy shopping mall in the country's financial city of Makati, Metro Manila. The explosion ripped through the roof of the mall and damaged nearby shops. Debris from the blast were scattered on the streets. Eight people have been confirmed dead while 89 were wounded and 10 others are still missing in the blast according to reports as of 8:00 p.m. local time (1200 GMT). Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called for an emergency security meeting following the explosion and afterwards urged Filipinos to remain vigilant. "We urge all sectors to remain vigilant as the government steps up security measures to protect our people," she said in a statement. That'll be a first. "We assure everyone that a full blown investigation is now underway. The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are on highest alert and are fielding an additional 2000 personnel to secure our public places and to prevent a possible similar occurrence," the president added. The president also warned groups against exploiting the deadly blast for political gain. "I warn those who seek to exploit this incident to destabilize our government for their selfish political motives," she said. The blast occurred a week after the PNP revealed plans by Abu Sayyaf, an antigovernment Islamofascist militant group to launch attacks after Ramadan ended on Oct. 12. PNP chief Avelino Razon earlier admitted that before the explosion, the police had received information on planned bombings in Metro Manila. "We have reports in the past and we have taken actions on the report," he said. Nevertheless, the PNP said that they cannot categorically say if the explosion was the handiwork of terrorists.

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Southeast Asia

Philippine govt gives MILF more time to surrender beheaders

2007-07-27

War is coming to Basilan. Lots more at linky. Acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales on Wednesday said the government has extended the ultimatum imposed by the government against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), DZMM reported. Correspondent Ruby Tayag said that according to Gonzales, the government had given the armed secessionist group more time to validate the list of suspects in the beheading of 10 members of the 1st Marine Brigade in Al-Barka town in Basilan province after a clash between the military unit and a MILF group last July 10. Gonzales said the MILF would have to be able to determine if the people included on the list are its members. He said the separatist group should surrender its men involved in the gruesome act. The extension was given to the separatist group days after the Armed Forces of the Philippines poured troops to Basilan. There are already four Marine and Army battalions deployed to the province. Senior Superintendent Salik Macapantar, Basilan Police Provincial Office director, said at least 1,000 families have already evacuated from Al-Barka town's Barangay Guinanta. Thousands of residents from other barangays including, Linuan, Macalang, Danapah, Kailih and Cambug have also left their homes and started building temporary huts in nearby towns, particularly Lamitan. Temporary evacuation centers have already been put up in nearby Tipo-Tipo municipality and other areas in the province. The villages left their homes after the military poured troops into Basilan province. A greater number of troopers were deployed to Al-Barka town, where the perpetrators of the beheading of 10 slain members of the 1st Marine Brigade are believed to be hiding. Brig. Gen. Juancho Sabban, deputy commander of the AFP Western Mindanao Command, said there are three battalions of the Philippine Marines already placed in the province. The Marine battalions are being reinforced by an Army battalion. The police in the province have also been put on standby in case an additional force is needed. Sabban said there are already "selected" targets that have been pinpointed by the military in the province. The military official said the "punitive actions" of the military is only against the bandits responsible in the beheading of the Marines. Macapantar, meanwhile, said the police in Basilan are on a stand by status. He said the police can help in sealing off Basilan island through checkpoints once the punitive actions start. As early as Saturday, the MILF placed its troops on a "high alert" status in anticipation of military offensives in their known territories in Basilan. The separatist group had also warned that the looming war in Basilan may also happen in other provinces in Mindanao. The group said the MILF has hundreds of sympathizers in several provinces, particularly those inside ARMM.

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Southeast Asia

Philippines: MILF receives final ultimatum

2007-07-22

Philippine security officials issued a final ultimatum on Saturday for Muslim rebel leaders to turn in their men responsible for killing 14 marines, 10 of them beheaded, by Sunday or face "punitive action" from government forces poised to strike. The military is ready to launch operations against the rebels on southern Basilan island, after obtaining authorization from the policy-making National Security Council, acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales and armed forces chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon both said. Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels have acknowledged attacking a convoy of marines who were returning from a search for a kidnapped Italian priest on southern Basilan island on July 10, killing 14, but denied guerrillas decapitated 10 of them.

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Southeast Asia

Philippines again declares 'all-out war' against rebels

2006-06-19

Not the rebels we're hoping for, but it's something MANILA President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines has abruptly declared that she has found a way to eliminate a stubborn Communist insurgency through a strategy of "all-out war" coupled with development programs to discourage peasants from joining the revolution. Numbering no more than 10,000, the Communist guerrillas spread across the archipelago country have waged a Maoist rebellion for almost four decades, captivating the poor masses in the countryside, and surviving the state's repeated attempts to crush them. Administration officials were upbeat about the prospects for peace after Arroyo's announcement over the weekend, but some analysts outside the government warned of the possibility of increased human rights violations while others were skeptical about a strategy that has proven to be ineffective in the past. One analyst even went so far as to declare that this would crush Arroyo, not the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People's Army, or the CPP-NPA. "The CPP-NPA has done enough in setting back peace and development for more than 30 years," said Ignacio Bunye, Arroyo's spokesman. "The time has come to finally defeat this threat through a combination of military operations, law enforcement and pro-poor programs," he said, adding that Arroyo "is determined to accomplish what past administrations have failed to do." Arroyo's national security adviser, Norberto Gonzales, declared on television Monday: "They want war so we will give it to them." On Friday, Arroyo promised to release 1 billion pesos, or $18.7 million, in emergency funds and ordered the Budget Department to find even more to improve one of Southeast Asia's least equipped armed forces. Avelino Cruz, Arroyo's defense secretary, said part of the money would be used to provide basic services, potable water and schools to poor communities. Founded in 1969, the New People's Army has grown from a ragtag band of radical university students into one of the most enduring Communist insurgencies in the world. Its members adhere to what the group calls "Marxism- Leninism-Mao Zedong Thought," taking advantage of the country's rugged terrain, capitalizing on extreme poverty in the rural areas, and exploiting the blunders and the repression of past regimes, particularly that of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, to widen its base. Today, it claims to have a presence in 70 out of 79 Philippine provinces, with government estimates of its forces ranging from 7,000 to 10,000. Its fighters make several attacks each week against government targets as well as businesses who refuse to pay what the rebels call "revolutionary taxes." The rebels effectively run many communities that the government cannot reach, dispensing their own brand of justice, teaching students and peasants their version of Philippine history, and implementing their own agrarian program that often entails forcibly taking land away from landlords. Their influence is such that politicians, even Arroyo herself, have to deal with them, especially during elections, when politicians can only enter Communist-controlled territories after paying certain amounts. In many areas outside the capital, public officials deal with the New People's Army all the time. It is this dynamic between the rebels and local politicians, as well as the corruption, low morale and lack of equipment in the Philippine military that skeptics say could prove critical in the success or failure of Arroyo's offensive. "Unless you are prepared to accept the unlikely notion that local politicians suddenly found wisdom and agreed with President Arroyo's view of the Communists, the all-out war will fail because it is no different from previous unsuccessful attempts to defeat them," said Benito Lim, an expert on governance and security issues at the Ateneo de Manila University. Amando Doronila, a political analyst, said Arroyo's war initiative "sharpens the administration's tendency toward strong-arm rule." In an article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Monday, Doronila wrote that Arroyo was using the anti-communism stance "as a polarizing issue upon which the Arroyo administration seeks to mobilize broad political support to ensure serving out its term till 2010." Many here believe that this strategy against the rebels is meant to drain support from Arroyo's political enemies, who have allied themselves with the Communists in seeking Arroyo's ouster, because she allegedly cheated in the 2004 elections. Already, Senator Panfilo Lacson, a major opposition figure, has said he supported the government's policy against the communists, but questioned Arroyo's approach. "If she really wants to develop the country, she should improve our education system, for instance," Lim said. "How many Huey helicopters can a billion pesos buy? One? How can you defeat this insurgency with that?" Instead, he said, "the anti-communist scare has made administration hostage to alliance with the military for regime maintenance and survival." More likely, he said, this "will crush her administration more than it will the insurgency." Rafael Mariano, a leftist congressman, said "a purely military solution will not solve the insurgency problem. Addressing the root cause of the armed conflict, like landlessness and injustice, over the negotiating table remains as a viable solution."

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Southeast Asia

Estrada tells US court he never got secret files

2006-06-08

OUSTED President Joseph Estrada has denied receiving classified US government documents from a former Philippine National Police officer and a former US intelligence analyst found guilty of spying in the United States. In a deposition he sent to the lawyer of Michael Ray Aquino in the US, Estrada also said he neither solicited nor did he encourage either Aquino or Leandro Aragoncillo to filch US government files to pass on to him. “I never had an agreement with Leandro Aragoncillo, Michael Ray Aquino or anybody else to access classified US government documents in order to obtain information for myself or others or for any other purpose,” Estrada said. Aquino was a former PNP officer who fled to the US years ago to escape charges in the murder of public relations man Salvador “Bubby” Dacer and the latter’s driver, Emmanuel Corbito. Aragoncillo is a former US Marine who joined the Federal Bureau of Investigation as an intelligence analyst and at pne point worked in the white house. He recently pleaded guilty to espionage for illegally obtaining classified information on Philippine leaders from White House computers and passing these on to Aquino, who in turn allegedly passed them on to Estrada and other personalities in the Philippines, including Senator Panfilo Lacson and former House Speaker Arnulfo “Noli” Fuentebella. Estrada sent the deposition last week to Marc Berman, Aquino’s lawyer. Berman is expected to present Estrada’s deposition to the New Jersey court hearing the espionage case against Aquino when the trial resumes on June 15. The American lawyer had been working to be allowed by the court to depose Aquino’s alleged contacts in the Philippines. The proceedings are usually videotaped to be played back in the US court. Estrada, however, gave a written deposition. In the paper he sent to Berman, Estrada said he was “not inclined at the moment to travel to the United States in the case entitled United States v Michael Ray Aquino.” In other words; Cruise-on ta Luzon! I never received classified US Government documents or information from Leandro Aragoncillo and/or Michael Ray Aquino by e-mail, telephone or text messages,” Estrada said in the deposition dated May 23. He said he didn’t even know that Aquino or Aragoncillo had access to US government files and were willing to steal these. “Michael Ray Aquino and/or Leandro Aragoncillo never told or even suggested that he/they were willing or able to access US government documents,” Estrada said. I know nuttin! In previous pronouncements to the local media, however, Estrada had said that there was nothing classified in the documents on the Philippine situation prepared by US authorities that he had seen. “There was nothing new but US Embassy reports to Washington about our economy, peace and order, corruption, human rights violations. I read them all in our newspapers every day,” Estrada was quoted as saying. Estrada had told the Inquirer that he had shown the documents to people in the administration like Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor and National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales. “If those were classified, why would I show them?” Estrada had said. The "Fools Defense" Pflip style.

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Southeast Asia

MILF to hunt down Islamic militants in Mindanao

2006-05-31

Hope they don't get confused with these MILFS Muslim separatists holding peace talks with the Philippine government have agreed to hunt down 53 Islamic militants as a sign of their sincerity to end a 30-year-old conflict. A list containing the names was recently handed over to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) by the government, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said. Under a "cooperation framework" signed with the government in 2002 the MILF said it would help Manila "interdict or arrest terrorist elements" operating in its areas, Kabalu said. "We have a list of criminal elements the government has submitted to us to be apprehended," he told reporters late Sunday in Cotabato on the insurgency-wracked island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. MILF officials were now "validating" the list, which includes the names of renegade Muslim rebels with possible links to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) as well as Khadaffy Janjalani, leader of the Abu Sayyaf. militants blamed for the Philippines' worst terrorist bombings and a spate of kidnappings, while the JI is said to be linked to Al-Qaeda. The JI has also been blamed for the deadly October 2002 bombings in Bali that killed over 200 people. Tens of thousands of members and supporters of the MILF, which has been waging a separatist rebellion in Mindanao since 1978, have gathered at one its camps near Cotabato for three days of peace talks that opened on Sunday. Kabalu said he was hopeful a final peace agreement will be signed this year but intelligence reports that foreign JI members are undergoing bomb-making training in MILF camps have been a persistent thorn in the negotiations. The MILF has denied the reports, but security analysts say JI elements appear to be increasingly infiltrating Islamic liberation movements, including the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf. The Abu Sayyaf, which is on the US State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations, has been on the run from a massive military operation in its island stronghold of Jolo. Its numbers have dwindled to a few hundred from a high of over 1,000 in 2000, but Janjalani and his key lieutenants are believed to have eluded military troops and are now hiding out in MILF-controlled parts of Mindanao. Asked whether the MILF will arrest one of its commanders if found to be shielding those on the list, Kabalu said: "Yes, of course. That is the mandate of the AJAG (Ad Hoc Joint Action Group)." Kabalu's comments came a month after both sides agreed during exploratory talks in Malaysia to "bolster the joint campaign against lawlessness and criminality." After the list is verified, Kabalu said MILF units would either operate on its own and arrest those named on it or would team up with government forces. "We have the option to operate unilaterally and then turn them over to the military," Kabalu said. National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales last month confirmed that the government was working with the MILF and that the joint action group has resulted in several arrests. But he declined to name who had been detained saying it could affect ongoing operations.

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Southeast Asia

Philippines acknowledges JI presence, sez they're contained

2006-04-23

Malacañang confirmed yesterday fresh warnings of terror attacks by al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) extremists in the country but assured the people that they have been contained. "The warning against the JI is well taken, but we believe this is old stuff and does not reflect the stable situation that is obtaining on the ground," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said. Bunye also pointed out that the allegations that JI militants were being given refuge by some Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders in Mindanao have been properly addressed. Though admitting reports of the JI presence in Mindanao, Bunye said its forces have been contained by authorities there. Bunye said perpetual vigilance against terror has been the prime concern of the government and it has never discounted the threat posed by terrorists. "Working with our allies, we have been gaining solid ground in uprooting homegrown and foreign terror cells within our territory, and we shall never put our guard down," Bunye said. He stressed "President Arroyo has spared no effort to ensure that terrorists are kept at bay while communities are kept alert." A noted regional security analyst, Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, revealed the other day that the JI currently has 100 foreign militants hiding in Mindanao who have trained an additional 400 to 500 fighters for new attacks. Gunaratna, head of the Singapore-based International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, also said the JI militants were being given refuge by rogue guerrilla leaders of the MILF. In the three-day international experts’ conference on counterterrorism in Cebu that ended yesterday, Gunaratna urged Southeast Asian governments to launch joint military and intelligence operations against the JI to head off new attacks. He said the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia should develop a "new platform" in its fight against the JI, and deploy joint forces to track down the extremists at their jungle bases. Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor added that Philippine security officials were aware of the presence of JI militants holding out in the dense jungles of central Mindanao as early as 2001. "But as to how many they are, we don’t really know and they are indeed a security concern," Defensor said. He said efforts to deny the presence of the JI in Mindanao would be futile and embarrassing for the government. "There have been terrorist operatives and they may even number 100 but there have been continuous operations against them," Defensor noted. He also downplayed insinuations that the MILF was giving refuge to the JI militants. He said the claims against the MILF have been addressed by the government in the course of its peace initiatives with the Muslim secessionist group. Defensor said President Arroyo had even praised the MILF for its efforts to contain terrorism in the southern Philippines. National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales said the government has been effective in addressing threats posed by terror groups in the region. Gonzales stressed the war against terror groups like the JI has yet to be won. "The Jemaah Islamiyah militants have been with us. What we can say is that this is a continuing threat. It is difficult to talk of numbers. So what my office will do is check these figures," Gonzales said. He said security forces are able to neutralize the threat but stressed "the dynamics of terrorists are different." "They can always regroup and it takes two or three of them to launch an attack. That is the reality of it," he said. While the government has largely decimated the Abu Sayyaf rebel group, Gonzales said the JI is capable of resurrecting the bandit group and launch terror attacks anywhere in the country. He said that even the Rajah Sulaiman Group of terrorists is not yet off of the country’s threat board. "We are dealing with fanatical individuals and so it is actually not enough to dismantle their infrastructures. We have to capture all of them. They cannot be neutralized just like that," Gonzales said. "While we have been effective in addressing these threats and arresting people, vigilance should be there," he stressed. The JI has been blamed for the October 2002 bombings in the Indonesian resort of Bali which killed 202 people and for deploying suicide bombers in another attack on the resort island last year, killing 20 civilians. The Abu Sayyaf, on the other hand, gained notoriety for kidnapping foreigners. The bandit group is also blamed for the spate of bombings in Mindanao and Metro Manila, including the firebombing of a passenger ferry off Manila Bay in February 2004 in which over a hundred passengers perished. Regional security officials admit the JI continues to operate jungle camps in Indonesia and in Mindanao, where they are training the Abu Sayyaf and other homegrown terrorists. On the sidelines of the three-day anti-terror conference in Cebu on Saturday, Gunaratna revealed the existence of a JI faction led by Malaysian Noordin Mohammad Top. He said Top’s faction is closely working with the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf. Another group led by Indonesians Umar Patek and Dulmatin is reportedly being sheltered by the MILF. The three JI leaders are all accused of playing key roles in the Bali bombings.

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