Recalls sex abuse cases
By Ephraim Aguilar, Roy Gersalia
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 15:37:00 01/21/2009
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines--The women party-list Gabriela has joined other groups in opposing the staging of joint military exercises between the Philippines and the US in the Bicol region this April, fearing a full return of US military basing in the country and the culture of sexual abuse that once prevailed in Subic and Clark decades ago.
Going over records, Jenelyn Nagrampa, secretary general of Bikolana Gabriela, recalled their group filed 97 cases of rape and sexual assault against American soldiers in Clark and Subic, in which 15 of the victims were children.
She said this was before 1990 when the US bases in the country were closed down.
Nagrampa added that when the US military bases were in the country, more than 3,000 cases of abuse of women and children were filed by other sectors and individuals against US servicemen in Clark Air Field from 1980 to 1988.
"Sadly, justice was not served to any of the victims. None of the cases have been resolved. Others have not even been reported," she said.
"The public should be reminded that there was more than just one Nicole," she added.
Nicole was the victim in the much-publicized Subic rape case in 2005, wherein US Marine Daniel Smith was convicted while three others were acquitted. Smith is detained at the United Estates Embassy as he asked the Philippine Court of Appeals to review his case.
The Subic rape case is considered a landmark case, being the first case of a conviction among over 3,000 cases filed against US service members in the Philippines.
Nagrampa said Gabriela would file a resolution in the House of Representatives urging the government to ban US troops from coming to Bicol.
The annual joint military exercises, which Philippine Army officials said would include humanitarian projects, would be staged in three Bicol provinces -- Albay, Masbate, and Sorsogon--in April.
She added that if Balikatan would push through in Bicol, it might increase cases of women abuse, prostitution, and spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Earlier, Bishop Lucilo Quiambao of the Diocese of Legazpi expressed opposition to the coming of the US troops in Bicol, saying it might affect the moral condition of the people, especially women.
Nagrampa said that aside from the resolution to be filed in Congress, Gabriela would also step up its awareness campaign among women in areas covered by the exercises.
Tessa Lopez, spokesperson of Bayan-Bikol (Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, New Patriotic Alliance), said a massive rally has been scheduled for January 22 expected to coincide with the reported arrival of US Ambassador Kristy Kenney to Bicol.
"This is to show the urgency and seriousness of our call against Balikatan and the long-debated Visiting Forces Agreement," she added.
A Sorsogon-wide group named "Sorsoganon United Movement Against Balikatan at Para sa Kapayapaan" or "Sumaba ka" (Speak out) was launched over the weekend to seek a stop to the planned Balikatan exercises in the Bicol region.
The group joined other people's organizations, human rights advocates, and the Catholic Church in Legazpi City, which already took a position opposed to the exercises, said Jocelyn Bisuna, spokesperson of the region-wide alliance called Ban Balikatan.
"We hope that other formations like these will be formed at the soonest time possible in other Bicol provinces so that we can show the US troops that we do not want them here and we have not forgotten our history," added Bisuna.
Showing posts with label armed conflict. Show all posts
Showing posts with label armed conflict. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Friday, January 16, 2009
NDF: Hold Balikatan in flooded provinces
By Ephraim Aguilar
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 14:58:00 01/16/2009
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines--The communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF) in Bicol challenged the Philippine Army to hold the 2009 RP-US Balikatan exercises in provinces recently hit by flashfloods if their aim is purely humanitarian.
"Why is the 2009 Balikatan centered on Albay, Sorsogon, and Masbate, when these provinces have not really been hard hit by heavy rains, floods, and landslides unlike Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, or some areas in Mindanao?" Greg Bañares, NDF-Bicol spokesman, said in a statement released Friday.
"This only shows that the aim of US forces visiting Bicol is military in nature and not just humanitarian," Bañares said.
Over the week, storm surges and landslides triggered by heavy rains across the country have killed at least nine people and displaced nearly 200,000, according to disaster officials.
The tail-end of a cold front sweeping through the country's eastern seaboard has been bringing heavy rains across 11 provinces from northern Luzon to the eastern sections of the Visayas and Mindanao since last week.
Bañares claimed the aim of the joint military exercises to be held in April is to familiarize US forces with guerrilla conditions in the insurgency-torn Bicol region.
"May lumang kasabihan na, 'Mag-ingat sa mga Griyego na may dala-dalang regalo.'" [There is an old saying, ‘Beware of Greeks bearing gifts’],” he said.
Bishop Lucilo Quiambao of the Legazpi Diocese, in a local television news interview, warned the government not to allow US forces to get involved in armed battles and to protect civilians who might be caught in the crossfire.
He also warned that prostitution might worsen with the presence of the American troops, endangering people's morality, especially the youth.
The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan, New Patriotic Alliance) welcomed Quiambao's opposition to the 2009 Balikatan.
"Even the good bishop does not believe that the US troops will only be engaged in humanitarian missions because in every Balikatan exercise, war games and even actual combat operations are part of the package," said Tessa Lopez, Bayan-Bicol spokesperson.
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 14:58:00 01/16/2009
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines--The communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF) in Bicol challenged the Philippine Army to hold the 2009 RP-US Balikatan exercises in provinces recently hit by flashfloods if their aim is purely humanitarian.
"Why is the 2009 Balikatan centered on Albay, Sorsogon, and Masbate, when these provinces have not really been hard hit by heavy rains, floods, and landslides unlike Catanduanes, Camarines Norte, or some areas in Mindanao?" Greg Bañares, NDF-Bicol spokesman, said in a statement released Friday.
"This only shows that the aim of US forces visiting Bicol is military in nature and not just humanitarian," Bañares said.
Over the week, storm surges and landslides triggered by heavy rains across the country have killed at least nine people and displaced nearly 200,000, according to disaster officials.
The tail-end of a cold front sweeping through the country's eastern seaboard has been bringing heavy rains across 11 provinces from northern Luzon to the eastern sections of the Visayas and Mindanao since last week.
Bañares claimed the aim of the joint military exercises to be held in April is to familiarize US forces with guerrilla conditions in the insurgency-torn Bicol region.
"May lumang kasabihan na, 'Mag-ingat sa mga Griyego na may dala-dalang regalo.'" [There is an old saying, ‘Beware of Greeks bearing gifts’],” he said.
Bishop Lucilo Quiambao of the Legazpi Diocese, in a local television news interview, warned the government not to allow US forces to get involved in armed battles and to protect civilians who might be caught in the crossfire.
He also warned that prostitution might worsen with the presence of the American troops, endangering people's morality, especially the youth.
The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan, New Patriotic Alliance) welcomed Quiambao's opposition to the 2009 Balikatan.
"Even the good bishop does not believe that the US troops will only be engaged in humanitarian missions because in every Balikatan exercise, war games and even actual combat operations are part of the package," said Tessa Lopez, Bayan-Bicol spokesperson.
Chiz raises fear on ‘hidden agenda’in Bicol war games
LEGAZPI CITY—Opposition Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero said he remained wary of other items in the agenda that may be concealed from the public about the 2009 Balikatan Exercises, which will be staged in three Bicol provinces in April.
The 2009 Balikatan is a joint Filipino-American military exercise, which Philippine Army officials said would focus on medical missions and engineering works in the provinces of Albay, Masbate and Sorsogon.
However, recognizing that the humanitarian missions will benefit the people, Escudero urged caution on the part of the government to make sure the RP-US military exercises will not leave any Filipino disadvantaged.
“Our government better make sure that this exercise will adhere to the terms it has been devoted to and not use it as front for other endeavors that may antagonize and stir indifference from various sectors,” said Escudero, who hails from Sorsogon, one of the planned sites of the Balikatan.
Escudero expressed fear that the Balikatan would be used to allow US forces to interfere with the Philippine government’s war on communist rebels in the Bicol region.
“The Balikatan should avoid, at all cost, any intervention that may straddle in our internal affairs,” he said in a statement. “Any outside force touching it (insurgency fight) meddles with our sovereignty.”
The Communist Party of the Philippines Sunday ordered its armed wing, the New People’s Army, to increase tactical offensives against government targets to protest the Balikatan.
A rally was set on Jan. 22 to protest the planned holding of the Balikatan in Bicol, said Tessa Lopez, spokesperson of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance) in Bicol.
“The past years the Balikatan had been in Mindanao, now, since Bicol is still considered a hotspot of communist insurgency, it is here,” Lopez said.Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
The 2009 Balikatan is a joint Filipino-American military exercise, which Philippine Army officials said would focus on medical missions and engineering works in the provinces of Albay, Masbate and Sorsogon.
However, recognizing that the humanitarian missions will benefit the people, Escudero urged caution on the part of the government to make sure the RP-US military exercises will not leave any Filipino disadvantaged.
“Our government better make sure that this exercise will adhere to the terms it has been devoted to and not use it as front for other endeavors that may antagonize and stir indifference from various sectors,” said Escudero, who hails from Sorsogon, one of the planned sites of the Balikatan.
Escudero expressed fear that the Balikatan would be used to allow US forces to interfere with the Philippine government’s war on communist rebels in the Bicol region.
“The Balikatan should avoid, at all cost, any intervention that may straddle in our internal affairs,” he said in a statement. “Any outside force touching it (insurgency fight) meddles with our sovereignty.”
The Communist Party of the Philippines Sunday ordered its armed wing, the New People’s Army, to increase tactical offensives against government targets to protest the Balikatan.
A rally was set on Jan. 22 to protest the planned holding of the Balikatan in Bicol, said Tessa Lopez, spokesperson of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance) in Bicol.
“The past years the Balikatan had been in Mindanao, now, since Bicol is still considered a hotspot of communist insurgency, it is here,” Lopez said.Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
NPA apologizes to Masbate gov, says she wasn’t target
LEGAZPI CITY—ADMITTING IT WAS behind the explosion of two roadside bombs Sunday that wounded Masbate Gov. Elisa Kho and a security aide, the New People’s Army (NPA) apologized to the provincial executive, saying she was not the target of the attack.
Greg Bañares, spokesperson of the communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF) in Bicol, said the NPA’s Jose Rapsing Command had ambushed a police patrol car and did not expect Kho’s vehicle to be just behind it.
“The attack was not intended for Governor Kho as the police have been claiming. We apologize to her,” said Bañares in a phone interview with the Inquirer.
Bañares said it was not true the patrol car, which belonged to the 507th Provincial Police Mobile Group (PPMG), was part of Kho’s convoy.
He said the NPA also fired on the PPMG vehicle, wounding five of its passengers.
“Our comrades did not fire on Kho’s vehicle, a civilian car, and we let it withdraw safely from the scene,” Bañares said.
He said the attack was part of the increased tactical offensives ordered by the Communist Party of the Philippines ahead of the 2009 Balikatan exercise in Bicol. (See story below)
One of the NPA rebels suspected of being behind the attack was identified by Bicol police director Chief Supt. Paterno Bangui as Joel Atibago, a former member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu). Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Greg Bañares, spokesperson of the communist-led National Democratic Front (NDF) in Bicol, said the NPA’s Jose Rapsing Command had ambushed a police patrol car and did not expect Kho’s vehicle to be just behind it.
“The attack was not intended for Governor Kho as the police have been claiming. We apologize to her,” said Bañares in a phone interview with the Inquirer.
Bañares said it was not true the patrol car, which belonged to the 507th Provincial Police Mobile Group (PPMG), was part of Kho’s convoy.
He said the NPA also fired on the PPMG vehicle, wounding five of its passengers.
“Our comrades did not fire on Kho’s vehicle, a civilian car, and we let it withdraw safely from the scene,” Bañares said.
He said the attack was part of the increased tactical offensives ordered by the Communist Party of the Philippines ahead of the 2009 Balikatan exercise in Bicol. (See story below)
One of the NPA rebels suspected of being behind the attack was identified by Bicol police director Chief Supt. Paterno Bangui as Joel Atibago, a former member of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu). Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Monday, January 12, 2009
Suspect in Masbate gov’s ambush named
By Ephraim Aguilar
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 12:44:00 01/12/2009
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY--One of the suspected communist rebels behind the failed assassination attempt on Masbate Governor Elisa Kho Sunday has been identified, a police official said.
Chief Superintendent Paterno Bangui, Bicol police director, in a press conference Monday, identified one of the suspects as a certain Joel Atibago, a former Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) member.
Police said they were also checking on Ayabit Yanson of Gahit village, who prepared the food for the armed perpetrators.
The governor and one of her security aides were wounded in the ambush.
Kho and her convoy were traveling along the national road toward Masbate City when members of the New People's Army (NPA) detonated two improvised bombs in Barangay (village) Gahit in Cataingan town.
Kho and a bodyguard suffered cuts from glass shards that hit them from the shattered windshield of the vehicle.
Bangui also said that the National Democratic Front, through its Bicol spokesman Greg Bañares, owned up to the ambush in a press release aired on late night television news Sunday.
Bangui said Bañares’ statement pointed to the Jose Rapsing Command of the NPA based in Masbate province as the one behind the slay attempt. Bangui claimed that the NDF apologized to Kho for its "mistake" in its statement.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer tried to verify this with Bañares but he has not responded as of posting time.
The Khos are a well-known political family in the province. Kho replaced her husband, Representative Antonio Kho, as governor in 2007. Son Wilston is the youngest mayor of Cataingan town, having been elected at the age of 21.
The island has long been known for rough and often violent politics. Masbate was the only province placed under Commission on Elections control in the Bicol Region during the 2007 elections.
Masbate is one of the hotbeds of communist insurgency in the Bicol region, which will be the venue of joint Philippine and United States military exercises, called Balikatan (shoulder to shoulder), in April.
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 12:44:00 01/12/2009
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY--One of the suspected communist rebels behind the failed assassination attempt on Masbate Governor Elisa Kho Sunday has been identified, a police official said.
Chief Superintendent Paterno Bangui, Bicol police director, in a press conference Monday, identified one of the suspects as a certain Joel Atibago, a former Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) member.
Police said they were also checking on Ayabit Yanson of Gahit village, who prepared the food for the armed perpetrators.
The governor and one of her security aides were wounded in the ambush.
Kho and her convoy were traveling along the national road toward Masbate City when members of the New People's Army (NPA) detonated two improvised bombs in Barangay (village) Gahit in Cataingan town.
Kho and a bodyguard suffered cuts from glass shards that hit them from the shattered windshield of the vehicle.
Bangui also said that the National Democratic Front, through its Bicol spokesman Greg Bañares, owned up to the ambush in a press release aired on late night television news Sunday.
Bangui said Bañares’ statement pointed to the Jose Rapsing Command of the NPA based in Masbate province as the one behind the slay attempt. Bangui claimed that the NDF apologized to Kho for its "mistake" in its statement.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer tried to verify this with Bañares but he has not responded as of posting time.
The Khos are a well-known political family in the province. Kho replaced her husband, Representative Antonio Kho, as governor in 2007. Son Wilston is the youngest mayor of Cataingan town, having been elected at the age of 21.
The island has long been known for rough and often violent politics. Masbate was the only province placed under Commission on Elections control in the Bicol Region during the 2007 elections.
Masbate is one of the hotbeds of communist insurgency in the Bicol region, which will be the venue of joint Philippine and United States military exercises, called Balikatan (shoulder to shoulder), in April.
Masbate gov hurt in ambush by suspected NPAs
By Ephraim Aguilar and Jonas Soltes, Inquirer Southern Luzon
LEGAZPI CITY—SUSPECTED COMMUNIST rebels ambushed and wounded Masbate Gov. Elisa Kho at 11:30 a.m. yesterday in Cataingan town.
Masbate Police Director Teodore Sindac said Kho and her convoy were traversing the national road toward Masbate City when members of the New People’s Army (NPA) detonated two explosive devices along the road in Barangay Gahit.
Sindac said Kho was wounded in the eyebrow as glass shards from her car’s windshield hit her face. Her security escorts were unharmed.
Sindac said Kho proceeded to the family-owned Khokha Beach in Cataingan after the ambush.
Masbate police and Army troopers from the 9th Infantry Battallion immediately launched a pursuit operations to capture the perpetrators.
Sindac said the rebels were reported to have fled to the upland villages of San Rafael and Cadulauan, both in Cataingan.
Samar police alerted
Checkpoints were set up at the town boundary while the Samar provincial police were alerted to the possible withdrawal of the rebels to that province, which is across from Masbate island.
The Khos are a well-known political family in the province. Kho replaced her husband, Rep. Antonio Kho, as governor in 2007. Son Wilston is the youngest mayor of Cataingan town, having been elected at the age of 21.
The family defeated another political clan in Masbate, the Espinosas.
Masbate is one of the hotbeds of communist insurgency in the Bicol region, which will be the venue of joint Philippine and United States military exercises, called Balikatan, in April. (See related story on Page A)
Birthday celebration
Two days before the ambush, Kho joined in the celebration of her husband’s birthday which was highlighted by the distribution of 50 cows to farmers
Sandra Cam, former police drug asset and admitted “jueteng” bagwoman along with former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chair Efraim Genuino reportedly attended the party.
Ako Bikol, a nongovernment organization chaired by property developer Elizalde Co, spearheaded the giving away of the cows at Khokha Beach together with local government officials. Recipients included two farmers from each of the 20 municipalities and one city of Masbate.
Balikatan link
Rep. Reno Lim of Albay’s 3rd district condemned the slay try but dismissed speculation it was meant to protest the coming Balikatan exercises on the island.
Lim was one of the officials who announced the holding of the joint RP-US military games in Bicol in a press conference last week.
Masbate is the second poorest province in the country with about 80 percent of its residents living below the poverty line.
The island has long been known for rough and often violent politics. Masbate was the only province placed under Commission on Elections control in the Bicol region during the 2007 elections.
Placer attack
Communist rebels in Masbate exploded a roadside bomb and instigated firefights with government soldiers when President Macapagal-Arroyo and her Cabinet held a cabinet meeting in Placer, another town in Masbate, to assess the damage caused by recent Typhoon “Frank.”
No one was hurt in the blast, which police suspect was caused by a land mine.
A fourth-class municipality, Placer is a known hotbed of insurgency.
After a Christmas holiday ceasefire, the NPA leadership has reportedly ordered its fighters to step up attacks on government forces. Recently, a land mine was reportedly used to ambush a police car in Rizal province, the eastern flank of Metro Manila.
LEGAZPI CITY—SUSPECTED COMMUNIST rebels ambushed and wounded Masbate Gov. Elisa Kho at 11:30 a.m. yesterday in Cataingan town.
Masbate Police Director Teodore Sindac said Kho and her convoy were traversing the national road toward Masbate City when members of the New People’s Army (NPA) detonated two explosive devices along the road in Barangay Gahit.
Sindac said Kho was wounded in the eyebrow as glass shards from her car’s windshield hit her face. Her security escorts were unharmed.
Sindac said Kho proceeded to the family-owned Khokha Beach in Cataingan after the ambush.
Masbate police and Army troopers from the 9th Infantry Battallion immediately launched a pursuit operations to capture the perpetrators.
Sindac said the rebels were reported to have fled to the upland villages of San Rafael and Cadulauan, both in Cataingan.
Samar police alerted
Checkpoints were set up at the town boundary while the Samar provincial police were alerted to the possible withdrawal of the rebels to that province, which is across from Masbate island.
The Khos are a well-known political family in the province. Kho replaced her husband, Rep. Antonio Kho, as governor in 2007. Son Wilston is the youngest mayor of Cataingan town, having been elected at the age of 21.
The family defeated another political clan in Masbate, the Espinosas.
Masbate is one of the hotbeds of communist insurgency in the Bicol region, which will be the venue of joint Philippine and United States military exercises, called Balikatan, in April. (See related story on Page A)
Birthday celebration
Two days before the ambush, Kho joined in the celebration of her husband’s birthday which was highlighted by the distribution of 50 cows to farmers
Sandra Cam, former police drug asset and admitted “jueteng” bagwoman along with former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chair Efraim Genuino reportedly attended the party.
Ako Bikol, a nongovernment organization chaired by property developer Elizalde Co, spearheaded the giving away of the cows at Khokha Beach together with local government officials. Recipients included two farmers from each of the 20 municipalities and one city of Masbate.
Balikatan link
Rep. Reno Lim of Albay’s 3rd district condemned the slay try but dismissed speculation it was meant to protest the coming Balikatan exercises on the island.
Lim was one of the officials who announced the holding of the joint RP-US military games in Bicol in a press conference last week.
Masbate is the second poorest province in the country with about 80 percent of its residents living below the poverty line.
The island has long been known for rough and often violent politics. Masbate was the only province placed under Commission on Elections control in the Bicol region during the 2007 elections.
Placer attack
Communist rebels in Masbate exploded a roadside bomb and instigated firefights with government soldiers when President Macapagal-Arroyo and her Cabinet held a cabinet meeting in Placer, another town in Masbate, to assess the damage caused by recent Typhoon “Frank.”
No one was hurt in the blast, which police suspect was caused by a land mine.
A fourth-class municipality, Placer is a known hotbed of insurgency.
After a Christmas holiday ceasefire, the NPA leadership has reportedly ordered its fighters to step up attacks on government forces. Recently, a land mine was reportedly used to ambush a police car in Rizal province, the eastern flank of Metro Manila.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Masbate gov hurt in ambush
Aide also injured
By Ephraim Aguilar, Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net, Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 14:49:00 01/11/2009
INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines--(UPDATE 4) The governor of Masbate and one of her security escorts were slightly wounded after they were ambushed by alleged New People's Army (NPA) rebels before noon Sunday, a police official said.
Governor Elisa Kho's convoy was traveling along the national highway in Gahit village, Cataingan town on her way to Masbate City, when suspected NPA guerillas detonated two improvised bombs by the roadside as her vehicle passed, said Chief Superintendent Paterno Bangui, Bicol Region police chief.
Kho and a security escort, who could not be immediately identified, were slightly wounded by the glass shards from the shattered windshield of their vehicle, but both have been declared out of danger, Bangui told INQUIRER.net.
The motive for the attack is under investigation, Bangui said.
Masbate province in the Bicol peninsula is one of the priority areas in the campaign of government security forces to defeat the NPA, the
armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), by the end of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's term in 2010.
Police have also placed checkpoints near the boundary of Cataingan while the Samar provincial police have been alerted on the possible withdrawal of fleeing rebels to their province which is across Masbate island, said provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Theodore Sindac.
Sindac said Kho was not rushed to a hospital and has been safely housed at the family-owned Khokak beach in Cataingan town.
The Kho family is a known political dynasty in the province. Kho replaced now Representative Antonio Kho as governor while their son, Wilston, is the mayor of Cataingan and is also the youngest mayor, having been elected at 21.
Repeated calls by the Philippine Daily Inquirer to the Kho family were left unanswered.
Masbate is one of the hotbeds of communist insurgency in the Bicol region, which will be the venue for the 2009 Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises between Filipino and American troops in April.
Representative Reno Lim of Albay's 3rd district condemned the slay try, prompting authorities to hasten the investigation and pursuit operations.
Lim dismissed possible speculations that the ambush was related to the holding of the joint Filipino-American military exercises in Bicol, which was strongly opposed by the communist National Democratic Front.
Lim was one of the officials who announced the holding of Balikatan in Bicol in a press conference last week.
By Ephraim Aguilar, Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net, Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 14:49:00 01/11/2009
INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines--(UPDATE 4) The governor of Masbate and one of her security escorts were slightly wounded after they were ambushed by alleged New People's Army (NPA) rebels before noon Sunday, a police official said.
Governor Elisa Kho's convoy was traveling along the national highway in Gahit village, Cataingan town on her way to Masbate City, when suspected NPA guerillas detonated two improvised bombs by the roadside as her vehicle passed, said Chief Superintendent Paterno Bangui, Bicol Region police chief.
Kho and a security escort, who could not be immediately identified, were slightly wounded by the glass shards from the shattered windshield of their vehicle, but both have been declared out of danger, Bangui told INQUIRER.net.
The motive for the attack is under investigation, Bangui said.
Masbate province in the Bicol peninsula is one of the priority areas in the campaign of government security forces to defeat the NPA, the
armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), by the end of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's term in 2010.
Police have also placed checkpoints near the boundary of Cataingan while the Samar provincial police have been alerted on the possible withdrawal of fleeing rebels to their province which is across Masbate island, said provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Theodore Sindac.
Sindac said Kho was not rushed to a hospital and has been safely housed at the family-owned Khokak beach in Cataingan town.
The Kho family is a known political dynasty in the province. Kho replaced now Representative Antonio Kho as governor while their son, Wilston, is the mayor of Cataingan and is also the youngest mayor, having been elected at 21.
Repeated calls by the Philippine Daily Inquirer to the Kho family were left unanswered.
Masbate is one of the hotbeds of communist insurgency in the Bicol region, which will be the venue for the 2009 Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises between Filipino and American troops in April.
Representative Reno Lim of Albay's 3rd district condemned the slay try, prompting authorities to hasten the investigation and pursuit operations.
Lim dismissed possible speculations that the ambush was related to the holding of the joint Filipino-American military exercises in Bicol, which was strongly opposed by the communist National Democratic Front.
Lim was one of the officials who announced the holding of Balikatan in Bicol in a press conference last week.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Rebels bomb Globe cell site in Albay
By Ephraim Aguilar
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 16:42:00 01/09/2009
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—Suspected New People's Army rebels bombed the cell site of a telecommunications firm Thursday evening in Malilipot town, Albay, police reported Friday.
The Albay police said that at around 8 p.m., security guard Alan Bongales noticed a dog barking inside the cell site compound of Globe Telecom located in the village of San Jose.
When he went outside to check, 10 unidentified heavily-armed men pointed guns at him, forced him to open the gate, and dragged him 15 meters away from the cell site.
Ten minutes later, a bomb exploded.
The security guard was unharmed while the perpetrators fled towards Barangay Binitayan of the same town, police said.
The communist rebels have been attacking Globe facilities in remote villages purportedly due to the telecommunication firm’s failure to pay protection money.
Southern Luzon Bureau
First Posted 16:42:00 01/09/2009
INQUIRER.net
LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—Suspected New People's Army rebels bombed the cell site of a telecommunications firm Thursday evening in Malilipot town, Albay, police reported Friday.
The Albay police said that at around 8 p.m., security guard Alan Bongales noticed a dog barking inside the cell site compound of Globe Telecom located in the village of San Jose.
When he went outside to check, 10 unidentified heavily-armed men pointed guns at him, forced him to open the gate, and dragged him 15 meters away from the cell site.
Ten minutes later, a bomb exploded.
The security guard was unharmed while the perpetrators fled towards Barangay Binitayan of the same town, police said.
The communist rebels have been attacking Globe facilities in remote villages purportedly due to the telecommunication firm’s failure to pay protection money.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
NPA kills man tagged in activist’s slaying
15 December 2007
LEGAZPI CITY—CALLING IT THE SERVING of “revolutionary justice,” the New People’s Army in Bicol on Friday claimed responsibility for the killing Wednesday in Ligao City of the bodyguard of a former Albay governor.
The victim, identified by police as Expedito Ribaya, was driving a pick-up truck and was on his way home after attending a meeting at the Bahamas Irrigators Association, of which he was president, when he was shot several times in the body.
Florante Orobia, spokesperson of the NPA in Albay, said Ribaya was one of those behind the murder of Bayan Muna provincial coordinator Rodolfo Alvarado last year.
He said Ribaya was killed in an “arrest” operation conducted by guerrillas Dec. 12.
In an e-mail press statement, Orobia said Ribaya was supposed to face trial after his arrest but since he was heavily armed, the team of rebels decided to shoot him.
Orobia said a “deep investigation” conducted by the NPA’s Santos Binamera Command proved that Ribaya directly conspired with military death squads in killing Alvarado, who was a Bayan Muna party-list nominee.
He said Ribaya served as a lookout.
Alvarado, 53, was shot by a lone gunman aboard a motorcycle on New Year’s Eve last year.
Orobia said while Ribaya was one of the bodyguards of former Albay Gov. Fernando Gonzalez, he was also an active military agent.
Along with Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon, the Bicol Region is one of the areas in the country with the most extrajudicial killings from the time President Macapagal-Arroyo assumed office in 2001. Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
LEGAZPI CITY—CALLING IT THE SERVING of “revolutionary justice,” the New People’s Army in Bicol on Friday claimed responsibility for the killing Wednesday in Ligao City of the bodyguard of a former Albay governor.
The victim, identified by police as Expedito Ribaya, was driving a pick-up truck and was on his way home after attending a meeting at the Bahamas Irrigators Association, of which he was president, when he was shot several times in the body.
Florante Orobia, spokesperson of the NPA in Albay, said Ribaya was one of those behind the murder of Bayan Muna provincial coordinator Rodolfo Alvarado last year.
He said Ribaya was killed in an “arrest” operation conducted by guerrillas Dec. 12.
In an e-mail press statement, Orobia said Ribaya was supposed to face trial after his arrest but since he was heavily armed, the team of rebels decided to shoot him.
Orobia said a “deep investigation” conducted by the NPA’s Santos Binamera Command proved that Ribaya directly conspired with military death squads in killing Alvarado, who was a Bayan Muna party-list nominee.
He said Ribaya served as a lookout.
Alvarado, 53, was shot by a lone gunman aboard a motorcycle on New Year’s Eve last year.
Orobia said while Ribaya was one of the bodyguards of former Albay Gov. Fernando Gonzalez, he was also an active military agent.
Along with Southern Tagalog and Central Luzon, the Bicol Region is one of the areas in the country with the most extrajudicial killings from the time President Macapagal-Arroyo assumed office in 2001. Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
Friday, August 31, 2007
Army bares NPA threat to attack mine firm
LEGAZPI CITY--THE PHILIPPINE Army in Bicol yesterday confirmed intelligence reports saying that the New People’s Army (NPA) was planning to attack Lafayette Philippines Inc. to stop the controversial mining firm’s operations in Rapu-Rapu town.
The firm operates an open-pit copper and zinc mine in the island-town.
Col. Muhammad Nur Askalani, commander of the 902nd Infantry Brigade based in Villahermosa, Daraga, Albay, said military officers had received the information from civilian sources and other intelligence units on the island.
NPA directive
Earlier, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) criticized President Macapagal-Arroyo’s family for its control of the lucrative mining industry and ordered NPA rebels to attack and stop mining operations in the country.
Communist spokesperson Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal announced a directive from the CPP to stop the operations of mining firms, mostly foreign corporations, in various parts of the country.
Defense shield
Askalani said that despite security threats authorities were confident that the military had enough forces in Rapu-Rapu to prevent any sabotage of the mining firm’s operations.
Lafayette officials expressed alarm at the intelligence report, saying it shouldn’t be ignored.
“The rebels could attack anytime,” said one official, who asked that he not be identified for lack of authority to speak on the matter.
Lafayette representatives snubbed the invitation to the forum organized by the multisectoral Save Rapu-Rapu Alliance (Sara) in cooperation with the provincial government on Tuesday.
The forum was designed to discuss the environmental and socioeconomic impact of the mining activity in Rapu-Rapu.
Protest march
Sara proceeded with a protest march from the Bicol University in Daraga town to the Legazpi City seaport to demand a stop to Lafayette’s operations.
Bishop Lucilo Quiambao of the Archdiocese of Legazpi, who was present in the forum, said his stand now against the mining issue had hardened after the government allowed the full resumption of the firm’s operations.
He said he had asked the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines to write all congressmen and senators to help repeal or amend the Mining Act of 1995. The law, he said, was putting the country at a disadvantage.
Mining
Quiambao added that he would start a signature campaign throughout his diocese to build a stronger consensus against destructive mining.
John Concepcion, one of the conveners of Sara representing the militant Karapatan-Bikol, said large-scale mining was a form of human rights violation that the government should not take for granted.
“Large-scale mining violates the economic rights of the people since it threatens the livelihood of fishermen and farmers. It also infringes on our social rights since it destroys the environment,” Concepcion said.
He added that it was the people who should benefit from the country’s natural resources and not the foreign-owned giant mining firms. Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
The firm operates an open-pit copper and zinc mine in the island-town.
Col. Muhammad Nur Askalani, commander of the 902nd Infantry Brigade based in Villahermosa, Daraga, Albay, said military officers had received the information from civilian sources and other intelligence units on the island.
NPA directive
Earlier, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) criticized President Macapagal-Arroyo’s family for its control of the lucrative mining industry and ordered NPA rebels to attack and stop mining operations in the country.
Communist spokesperson Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal announced a directive from the CPP to stop the operations of mining firms, mostly foreign corporations, in various parts of the country.
Defense shield
Askalani said that despite security threats authorities were confident that the military had enough forces in Rapu-Rapu to prevent any sabotage of the mining firm’s operations.
Lafayette officials expressed alarm at the intelligence report, saying it shouldn’t be ignored.
“The rebels could attack anytime,” said one official, who asked that he not be identified for lack of authority to speak on the matter.
Lafayette representatives snubbed the invitation to the forum organized by the multisectoral Save Rapu-Rapu Alliance (Sara) in cooperation with the provincial government on Tuesday.
The forum was designed to discuss the environmental and socioeconomic impact of the mining activity in Rapu-Rapu.
Protest march
Sara proceeded with a protest march from the Bicol University in Daraga town to the Legazpi City seaport to demand a stop to Lafayette’s operations.
Bishop Lucilo Quiambao of the Archdiocese of Legazpi, who was present in the forum, said his stand now against the mining issue had hardened after the government allowed the full resumption of the firm’s operations.
He said he had asked the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines to write all congressmen and senators to help repeal or amend the Mining Act of 1995. The law, he said, was putting the country at a disadvantage.
Mining
Quiambao added that he would start a signature campaign throughout his diocese to build a stronger consensus against destructive mining.
John Concepcion, one of the conveners of Sara representing the militant Karapatan-Bikol, said large-scale mining was a form of human rights violation that the government should not take for granted.
“Large-scale mining violates the economic rights of the people since it threatens the livelihood of fishermen and farmers. It also infringes on our social rights since it destroys the environment,” Concepcion said.
He added that it was the people who should benefit from the country’s natural resources and not the foreign-owned giant mining firms. Ephraim Aguilar, Inquirer Southern Luzon
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