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2 female NPA rebels captured after clash in Davao del Norte town

Sergio Labrador
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2 female NPA rebels captured after clash in Davao del Norte town

Military troops have captured two female New People’s Army (NPA) rebels following an encounter in Sitio New Laslasakan, Barangay Palma Gil Talaingod, Davao del Norte, the Army’s 10th Infantry Division (ID) here said Thursday.

In an interview, Capt. Mark Tito, the 10ID spokesperson, said combined troops of the 1003rd Brigade clashed with the group led by alias Macky on Wednesday afternoon resulting in the capture of Masarinda Balite alias Alina, the medical and supply officer of the NPA Sub-Regional Guerilla Unit, Sub-Regional Committee 5, and her companion Odessa Dumol alias Ann.

He said Alina was found wounded and immediately provided first aid by the troops after the clash.

“The firefight lasted for 20 minutes,” Tito told the Philippine News Agency (PNA), adding that Alina was in stable condition.

He said the rebels also left behind three M16 assault rifles and an M4 rifle along their escape route as they fled in various directions.

Col. Consolito Yecla, the Army’s 1003rd Brigade commander, said the skirmish erupted when the group of alias Macky refused to surrender despite efforts from Ka Eloy, a surrenderer, who called on the remaining Indigenous People (IP) to accept the peace program offered by the government.

“We treat wounded enemies with compassion in keeping with International Humanitarian Laws. She will be turned over properly to the nearest hospital for proper medication,” Yecla added.

He once again urged the remaining active NPA members to return to the folds of the law and voluntarily surrender before becoming casualties on the ongoing focused military operations.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Ernesto C Torres Jr., the 10ID commander, lauded the efforts of the 56th, 27th, and 3rd Infantry Battalions for the successful conduct of joint operation which resulted in the capture of the two NPA members.

“To the remaining deceived individuals still wandering in the hinterlands of Talaingod, Davao Del Norte, and other areas in 10ID, your Philippine Army will be your guide out of that limbo. Now is the right time to go back, join the efforts of the government, help find a solution, and together we will win this peace as a nation. Let us unite against a common enemy, the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-NPA-National Democratic Front (NDF),” Torres said.

The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The National Democratic Front, meanwhile, has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and separate part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (PNA)

Sen. Bong Go officially announced withdrawing from the presidential race to avoid splitting the vote for administration candidates

Sergio Labrador
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Sen. Bong Go officially announced withdrawing from the presidential race to avoid splitting the vote for administration candidates

Senator Bong Go on Tuesday officially announced he was withdrawing from the presidential race to avoid splitting the vote for administration candidates.

The senator said he remains loyal to President Rodrigo Duterte and intends to “stay with him forever.”

“Nanatili akong tapat sa kanya at nangako akong sasamahan ko po sya habang buhay. Yun po ang pinangako ko sa kanya noon pa man,” Go said.

“Ayaw ko rin pong lalong magipit si Pangulong Duterte. Higit pa po sa tatay ang pagmamahal ko sa kanya. Matanda na po sya at marami na syang naibigay sa bayan kung kaya’t ayaw ko ng dagdagan pa ang kanyang problema,” he said.

“I am willing to make the supreme sacrifice for the good of our coutnry and for the sake of unity among our supporters and leaders,” Go said.

“In the past few days I realized my heart and mind are contradicting my actions Talagang nag-re-resist po ang aking katawan, puso at kaisipan. Tao lang po na nasasaktan at napapagod din,” the former special assistant to Duterte said.

“Sa ngayon po, yun po yung mga rason, that is why I am withdrawing from the race. Having said this, I leave my fare to God and the Filipino people,” Go said.

Bongbong Marcos ‘Unity Ride’ in Ilocos draws 100K participants

Sergio Labrador
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Bongbong Marcos ‘Unity Ride’ in Ilocos draws 100K participants

LAOAG CITY – Around 100,000 motorcycle riders wearing red shirts and holding flaglets dominated the Manila North Road in this northern part of Luzon on Sunday as a show of unity and support for presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (BBM).

In an interview, Maj. Eddie Puyat, police chief of Paoay town, said the Philippine National Police (PNP) initiated a traffic management plan and alerted all police units with the help of the Provincial Mobile Force Company and their force multipliers in the barangays to ensure a smooth flow of traffic and secure the participants.

While he admitted that it is hard to control a huge crowd particularly in terms of implementing health and safety protocols, Puyat appealed to all concerned participants to do their share in preventing the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

“The event went smoothly and it did not cause too much traffic because they have designated several pit stops,” Puyat said.

Organized by various riding groups, the Unity Ride that lasted seven hours started in Paoay town at 5:10 a.m. and passed through the towns of Currimao, Batac, San Nicolas, Sarrat and Laoag City.

According to Ryan Remigio of Team BBM Filipinas, over 100,000 individuals registered for the Ilocos activity which was also staged in various parts of the country including Bataan, Cavite, Abra, and La Union provinces.

A similar Unity Ride was held in Ilocos Sur last Nov. 7, drawing more or less 8,000 participants as claimed by organizers.

During the motorcade, some Ilocanos came out of their houses to cheer on the passing motorists while repetitively chanting, “BBM! BBM!” The elders likewise chanted, “Marcos, Marcos pa rin!”

Along the way, a number of homes and business establishments played on speakers the “Bagong Lipunan” hymn, a popular patriotic song during the administration of the late former President Ferdinand Marcos, the father of Bongbong.

Ilocos Norte Provincial Board member Saul Lazo, a motorcycle riding enthusiast who participated in the activity, said in an interview, “the event is one for the books”, as he noted the overwhelming support of his province mates and other volunteers. (PNA)

ALSO WATCH: ABRA CARAVAN

Nabbed NPA leader brain of terrorism in Surigao Norte

Sergio Labrador
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Nabbed NPA leader brain of terrorism in Surigao Norte

BUTUAN CITY – The arrested top commander of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Northeastern Mindanao was behind the series of terroristic activities and economic sabotage that has destroyed millions of pesos in businesses and livelihood in Surigao del Norte.

In a statement Tuesday, the Army’s 30th Infantry Battalion (30IB) said Gelan Ybañez alias Weng, leader of the Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda Platoon 16B NPA Guerilla Front 16 Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee, and his group were responsible for the attack in Sison, Surigao del Norte earlier this year that sowed fear among its residents.

On January 28, an undetermined number of fully-armed NPA guerrillas simultaneously harassed the municipal police station of Sison and the residence of the town mayor.

Combined military and police forces repelled the attacks.

Ybañez was arrested Sunday night in Barangay Poblacion, Bayugan City, Agusan del Sur by military and police personnel.

A .45-caliber pistol and a fragmentation grenade were also seized from the NPA leader.

Ybañez is charged with violation of Republic Act (RA) 9208 as amended by RA 10364, or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, as well as attempted murder, multiple attempted murder, and attempted homicide.

In February, the NPA leader also led the burning of two units of heavy equipment used at the construction of a farm-to-market road in Binocaran, Malimono town, according to the military.

A total of PHP5.9 million worth of heavy equipment were destroyed during the attack.

In June, the 30IB said Ybañez’s group destroyed a prawn farm in Purok 1, Barangay Pili, Malimono.

Some PHP8.5 million worth of cultured prawns were destroyed during the attack.

“We are thankful for the support the communities provided to our troops. The arrest of Ybañez will pave the way for continued development interventions in communities that will bring lasting peace,” Lt. Col. Ryan Charles Callanta, the 30IB commander, said in a statement.

He said the support of the civilians indicates that communities in Surigao del Norte are tired of the terroristic activities of the NPA.

“The 30IB troopers will continue to carry out its mission through the conduct of military operations to secure communities and the residents,” Callanta said.

He also urged the remaining NPA guerrillas in Surigao del Norte to surrender so they could benefit from the Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program of the government.

The Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

The National Democratic Front, meanwhile, has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and separate part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (PNA)

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Sergio Labrador
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Missing ‘sanctions’ for NPA killers led to peace talks collapse

Sergio Labrador
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Missing ‘sanctions’ for NPA killers led to peace talks collapse

MANILA – The Communist Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) disinclination to impose sanctions on communist guerrillas killing government workers and civilians led to the collapse of peace negotiations, President Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday.

In a speech delivered in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, Duterte said he had terminated the peace talks with the CPP’s political wing, the National Democratic Front (NDF), because it did not want to hold its members accountable for their killing spree.

“Bumagsak ‘yung peace talks. Lahat nang binigay na mga proposal, at binigay ko rin sa military, sabi ko you study, pero ako talaga, pagtanggap ko, hindi na (The peace talks were stalled. All the proposals — which I asked the military to study — were unacceptable). And there was this one missing ingredient to arrive really at a peaceful resolution of the country. ‘Yung accountability, wala (There’s no accountability),” he said during the joint meeting of the National Task Force (NTF) and Regional Task Force (RTF) to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (ELCAC).

Duterte lamented that the CPP wanted to craft a peace deal with the government that has a “missing ingredient,” which he said is the agreement to punish members of the communist movement’s armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), for killing people.

He said he would just “fight forever” with the NPA fighters rather than enter into a peace pact that does not contain any provisions that will hold them responsible for killing state forces, government personnel, and innocent individuals.

“The accountability, whatever, if they have any against us or against them, wala (it’s not there). At ayaw nilang idiscuss iyan. Sabi ko, wala na (And they don’t want to discuss it. I said, no more [peace talks]). No peace talks. We will fight forever, if ako ang masunod (if I’d be asked what to do),” Duterte said.

Duterte said he had already accepted the fate of the stalled peace negotiations, stressing that he could not allow NPA rebels to continue launching attacks against government troops and civilians.

“Kaya ako, hindi talaga. Sabi ko may kulang dito (So, I said no. I said there’s a missing [ingredient]. One ingredient is really the sanctions sa ano, yung mga insurgent (for insurgents killing people). Hindi tayo. Tayo ang gobyerno eh. Hindi naman tayo papatay kung walang rason (The sanctions could not be applied to us. We are in the government. We are not killing people without any reason),” he said.

Duterte, nevertheless, said he has “high hopes” that his government would be able to maintain peace and order in the country despite the termination of talks with the communists.

He also lauded the NTF-ELCAC and RTF-ELCAC for their efforts to address the insurgency problem.

“I am certain that you will champion the security of our fellow Filipinos, despite the forces that try to prevent us from becoming stronger and more progressive nations,” Duterte told the NTF-ELCAC and RTF-ELCAC. “The good that you have done is significant in building and restoring the people’s trust and confidence in government.”

Duterte also commended them for extending the “much-needed” social services to conflict-affected areas “with strong sense of urgency and concern.”

“Your quick response for the needs of our kababayans speak well of your faithfulness to duty and love of country,” he said. “We all deserve in this life what we aspire for. Your important work in peace-building and fighting extremism has also paved the way for the improved well-being of our people.”

The peace talks between the national government and NDF have been intermittent since 1986.

Duterte held a series of peace talks with the NDF, but decided to scrap the negotiations following the NPA’s relentless attacks against government troops and civilians.

He formally ended the peace dialogue with the NDF through Proclamation 360 inked on Nov. 23, 2017.

The termination of talks was followed by the Dec. 5, 2017 signing of Proclamation 273 which declared the CPP-NPA as a terror group.

The CPP-NPA has been listed as a terror organization by the Philippines, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

The NDF has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the Anti-Terrorism Council on June 23, 2021, citing it as “an integral and separate part” of the CPP-NPA created in April 1973. (PNA)

Madlos killed in ambush, not during encounter – CPP spokesperson Marco Valbuena

Sergio Labrador
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Madlos killed in ambush, not during encounter – CPP spokesperson Marco Valbuena

THE Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) rejected on Monday, November 1, the military’s claim that Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos, one of the group’s top leaders, was killed in an encounter with government troops in Bukidnon over the weekend.

In a statement, CPP spokesperson Marco Valbuena said Madlos was executed during an ambush while they were on their way to the hospital to seek medical treatment.

“Ka Oris was not killed in an armed encounter. He was ambushed on the road between Impasug-ong town proper and the national highway at 8 p.m. of October 29,” Valbuena said.

“He and his medical aide were riding a motorcycle on their way to seek medical treatment. This is according to his wife, Ka Maria Malaya,” he added.

Valbuena maintained that Madlos and his companion during the ambush, Eighfel “Ka Pika” Dela Peña, were unarmed and “were not in a position to give battle.”

He said they are not certain yet if they were ambushed while riding a moving motorcycle, or if they were forced to stop before being executed.

“To conceal their crime of murdering unarmed revolutionaries, the 4th ID staged aerial strikes four hours later, dropping bombs on the mountains of Barangay Dumalaguing, Impasug-ong, Bukidnon to create a false picture of an armed encounter,” said Valbuena.

He said the families of the killed communist rebels were in a position to demand an independent autopsy examination on their body “to determine the actual circumstances of their killing.”

“We support the wishes of the families to have the bodies of Ka Oris and Ka Pica be immediately released to them in order for them to conduct a proper wake and give all those who knew Ka Oris the opportunity to pay their last respects,” he added.

But Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson Colonel Ramon Zagala maintained the legitimacy of the military operation on Saturday, October 30, which resulted in the death of Madlos and Dela Peña.

“Being at the top leadership of the NPA (New People’s Army), he is protected 24/7 by more or less 40 NPAs. It is unlikely he will move without these armed elements as claimed by the NPA,” he said.

“We are expecting the communist terrorist group to continue to misdirect the public on the circumstances of this huge loss in the CPP-NPA leadership. As such, we are firm and will stand by our troops on the ground on the legitimacy of this successful encounter,” he added.

Dolomite beach fit for swimming by December

Sergio Labrador
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Dolomite beach fit for swimming by December

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said on Wednesday that it was working double time for the Manila Bay dolomite beach to be reopened to the public and be fit for swimming by December.

“It’s within reach. Basically, we can see that we can beat the deadline earlier. The real objective is to finish it not by the end of administration but within the year,” DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns Benny Antiporda said in a press briefing.

Antiporda said the DENR was completing all necessary nourishment and rehabilitation works in the dolomite beach, including making its waters fit for swimming.

Manila Bay’s fecal coliform level was around 300 million most probable number per 100 milliliters (mpn/100ml) when the rehabilitation works started in 2018. The goal is to reduce the coliform level to about 200 mpn/100ml or below before 2021 ends.

“We’ll do our best before the end of the year, before the Christmas season so Juan Dela Cruz (the people) can enjoy it. It’s just that our situation is fragile because of the pandemic,” he added.

The Manila Bay dolomite beach reopened to the public on October 16 following the implementation of the Alert Level 3 in the National Capital Region. It accepted visitors daily from 5:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Manila Bay Inter-Agency Task Force then closed it anew on Oct. 29, 2021 to Nov. 3, 2021 in observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

In the latest development, DENR Undersecretary for Environment and International Environment Affairs Jonas Leones said the dolomite beach would remain closed until further notice due to rehabilitation works.

He said the decision to open the dolomite beach would be based on the advice of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases on the Covid-19 pandemic situation.

“If the pandemic situation improves, we assure that we would open not only the dolomite area but the entire baywalk,” Leones said.

He added that the DENR would also provide geo-engineering interventions and additional sewage treatment plants as part of the rehabilitation and nourishment initiatives in the area.

With an estimated cost of P398 million, the dolomite beach was created by covering the 500-meter stretch baywalk in the coast of Manila Bay with thousands of metric tons of dolomite from Alcoy, Cebu.

Sign the Petition: Recall the Nobel Prize of Maria Ressa v.​2

Sergio Labrador
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Sign the Petition: Recall the Nobel Prize of Maria Ressa v.​2

Since the first post was removed as it nears the 200,000 signatures, then we will start again.

We, the Filipino people, ask the Nobel Prize for Peace Committee to nullify the award given to Maria Ressa. Time and again, she deliberately provides false information about the country. We encourage you to validate our claims. The award is giving a negative image to both genuine journalism and the Nobel Committee. The Philippines continues to enjoy free speech, contrary to what Ressa is telling the world.

FROM CHANGE.ORG


AND ANOTHER PETITION FROM avaaz.org

From Bambit Gaerlan

“Thanks to this deep alignment of vision, I’m happy to announce that we’ve received $15 million in an investment round led by Omidyar Network.”– Change.org Founder and CEO Ben Rattray, May 2013.
The petition for rescinding the Nobel Peace Price given to Maria Ressa never stood a chance. Between Omidyar and Aunty Loida, biased media both here in the Philippines and abroad will have enough fodder for this country’s destabilization.

San Juan City provides free medicines to residents

Sergio Labrador
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San Juan City provides free medicines to residents

MANILA – The San Juan City government has launched its “Libreng Gamot Para Sa Makabagong San Juan” program that will provide free medicines to residents.

Residents who are currently under medication, such as for diabetes and hypertension, may avail of free medicines, according to a Facebook post.

Also included are antibacterial, antihistamines (allergy), antiasthma, antitussives (cough), proton pump inhibitors (for stomach acid), micronutrient drugs, and vitamins.

The “Makabagong San Juan” medicine booths located at the city hall’s atrium are operational 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays to Fridays.

Patients are required to consult with their doctors or at nearby health centers and present a prescription indicating name, age, gender, address, date, and the name and quantity of the prescribed drugs.

Up to three prescriptions may be presented while the patients’ representatives must have authorization letters and identification cards.

Only five people at a time are allowed to enter a medicine booth in adherence to Covid-19 safety protocols, with queue numbers provided at the waiting area.

The city government will strictly impose the no prescription, no medicine policy.

Apart from the city hall booths, residents may also avail of free medicines at village health centers.

If the prescribed drugs are not available in booths, residents may go to the Public Assistance Center, which can provide financial aid to buy medicines from private pharmacies. (PNA)

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