Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:53:00 02/22/2010
Filed Under: Firearms, Mindanao peace process, Conflicts (general)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Former Mayor Adelbert Antonino, a member of the government panel talking peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), believes “carpetbagger profiteers” are out to sabotage the ongoing peace process.
“There are those who sell arms and they make profits out of the war. They don’t like peace, they don’t want this peace process,” Antonino, who, last week resigned as government peace panel member, told the Inquirer.
But Antonino, who was representing the local government units and the business sector in the government peace panel, refused to name names. He said these peace saboteurs are coming from both sides of the fence.
“I prefer to call them carpetbagger profiteers. They are people who sell arms and make profits out of war,” Antonino bared.
Aside from the so-called carpetbaggers, Antonino identified internal problems as another major stumbling block in the peace process.
He said some members of the government panel’s secretariat do not want to lose their jobs.
“The existence of the panel and the secretariat is just temporary. Once a peace agreement is reached, there’s no more peace panel and the secretariat is abolished. Unfortunately, some members wanted the peace process to continue to keep their job,” he said.
Antonino said he had asked the peace panel to look into the internal problems bugging the secretariat but to his dismay, the panel did nothing about it.
“I feel that the panel chair did not need me anymore. If I’m no longer needed, there’s no reason for me to stay. I would just betray the trust and confidence of the sectors I am representing,” he stressed.
Antonino resigned as peace panel member last week.
He revealed that prior to his resignation, some people in the secretariat “wanted to do it their way.”
He claimed he was a team player and that he believed that decisions should be made by the panel, not just by a single person.
Despite some kinks, everything was going on smoothly until the first meeting of the peace panels in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, late last year. Antonino claimed he failed to attend that meeting as he was hospitalized.
He said he had requested for a meeting with the secretariat to keep himself abreast of any development. His request was never granted.
Then he learned that somebody from the secretariat called up a meeting with local government officials in Zamboanga in December without informing him.
Antonino said he called up government peace panel chair Rafael Seguis, but he got the answer “I don’t know.”
Antonino said he was not blaming President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo or criticizing Seguis.
Antonio said he was still confident the government panel can work out a peace accord with the MILF despite the obstacles encountered along the way. Aquiles Z. Zonio, Inquirer Mindanao
Monday, February 22, 2010
Brother of former Ampatuan aide survives slay try
Inquirer Mindanao
First Posted 09:52:00 02/22/2010
Filed Under: Crime, Election Violence, Maguindanao Massacre
COTABATO CITY, Philippines— (UPDATE) A brother of a policeman-driver of Maguindanao massacre suspect Andal Ampatuan Jr. was shot outside his residence in Datu Piang, Maguindanao, on Sunday night, police and the victims relatives said Monday.
Esmael Ebus, 45, survived the attack by a lone assailant, sustaining three superficial gunshot wounds.
The victim, municipal engineer of Ampatuan town, is the older brother of Police Officer 1 Ranier Ebus, who executed an affidavit pointing to his former boss as the one who led local militiamen in the grisly November 23 massacre of 57 people.
Ebus was sitting in front of his home in Poblacion Datu Piang when the gunman arrived and without provocation fired at him, said Senior Superintendent Alex Lineses, acting Maguindanao police director.
“He sustained injuries in his abdomen,” Lineses said.
Ebus’s wife said doctors had declared him out of danger at a local hospital.
Lineses said police could still not say if the attack had anything to do with Ebus’s brother turning state witness.
The attack happened during a power outage in the town at around 7 p.m.
First Posted 09:52:00 02/22/2010
Filed Under: Crime, Election Violence, Maguindanao Massacre
COTABATO CITY, Philippines— (UPDATE) A brother of a policeman-driver of Maguindanao massacre suspect Andal Ampatuan Jr. was shot outside his residence in Datu Piang, Maguindanao, on Sunday night, police and the victims relatives said Monday.
Esmael Ebus, 45, survived the attack by a lone assailant, sustaining three superficial gunshot wounds.
The victim, municipal engineer of Ampatuan town, is the older brother of Police Officer 1 Ranier Ebus, who executed an affidavit pointing to his former boss as the one who led local militiamen in the grisly November 23 massacre of 57 people.
Ebus was sitting in front of his home in Poblacion Datu Piang when the gunman arrived and without provocation fired at him, said Senior Superintendent Alex Lineses, acting Maguindanao police director.
“He sustained injuries in his abdomen,” Lineses said.
Ebus’s wife said doctors had declared him out of danger at a local hospital.
Lineses said police could still not say if the attack had anything to do with Ebus’s brother turning state witness.
The attack happened during a power outage in the town at around 7 p.m.
Armed men rob vice mayor’s house, take hostages
By Edwin Fernandez
Inquirer Mindanao
First Posted 14:09:00 02/22/2010
Filed Under: Crime, robbery, Kidnapping, Maguindanao Massacre
SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao — Despite the presence of soldiers and policemen and the existence of a state of emergency, a band of about 20 persons still managed to sneak into this town, robbed the house of the vice mayor of another town, took his wife and son hostage and got away with the crime.
But Superintendent Alex Lineses, acting Maguindanao police director, said the quick response by a police team prevented what could have been a bloody robbery early Saturday.
Lineses on Monday said about 20 gunmen barged into the house of Vice Mayor Hadji Nasser Datumanong of Datu Saudi Ampatuan town at past 12 a.m. Saturday.
“They were apparently looking for firearms (in) the house,” Lineses said.
Using mobile phones, the neighbors alerted the police who quickly responded and arrived at the house of Datumanong.
As the policemen were approaching Datumanong’s house, they were fired upon by the robbers, triggering a brief firefight that left one suspect dead and another wounded, according to Lineses.
“The robbers only managed to bring small items not very valuable to the Datumanongs,” Lineses said.
Lineses admitted that the police could not be at all times in Shariff Aguak.
Datumanong was not in his home when the robbers struck.
As they fled, the robbers grabbed and used Datumanong’s wife and son as human shields against pursuing policemen.
The authorities later found the hostages abandoned in Barangay (village) Labu-labo, also in Shariff Aguak.
Lineses clarified that the Datumanongs have no hidden firearms.
Following the incident, Lineses ordered the assignment of police security escorts to Datumanong’s family in Shariff Aguak.
Maguindanao is still under a state of emergency following the Maguindanao massacre in which 57 people were killed three months ago.
Lineses said that also on Saturday morning, operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation from Manila raided the warehouse of former Maguidanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. near Barangay Bagong looking for firearms and ammunition.
He said there was no coordination with his office when the raid was carried out. They went home empty handed, Lineses later learned.
Inquirer Mindanao
First Posted 14:09:00 02/22/2010
Filed Under: Crime, robbery, Kidnapping, Maguindanao Massacre
SHARIFF AGUAK, Maguindanao — Despite the presence of soldiers and policemen and the existence of a state of emergency, a band of about 20 persons still managed to sneak into this town, robbed the house of the vice mayor of another town, took his wife and son hostage and got away with the crime.
But Superintendent Alex Lineses, acting Maguindanao police director, said the quick response by a police team prevented what could have been a bloody robbery early Saturday.
Lineses on Monday said about 20 gunmen barged into the house of Vice Mayor Hadji Nasser Datumanong of Datu Saudi Ampatuan town at past 12 a.m. Saturday.
“They were apparently looking for firearms (in) the house,” Lineses said.
Using mobile phones, the neighbors alerted the police who quickly responded and arrived at the house of Datumanong.
As the policemen were approaching Datumanong’s house, they were fired upon by the robbers, triggering a brief firefight that left one suspect dead and another wounded, according to Lineses.
“The robbers only managed to bring small items not very valuable to the Datumanongs,” Lineses said.
Lineses admitted that the police could not be at all times in Shariff Aguak.
Datumanong was not in his home when the robbers struck.
As they fled, the robbers grabbed and used Datumanong’s wife and son as human shields against pursuing policemen.
The authorities later found the hostages abandoned in Barangay (village) Labu-labo, also in Shariff Aguak.
Lineses clarified that the Datumanongs have no hidden firearms.
Following the incident, Lineses ordered the assignment of police security escorts to Datumanong’s family in Shariff Aguak.
Maguindanao is still under a state of emergency following the Maguindanao massacre in which 57 people were killed three months ago.
Lineses said that also on Saturday morning, operatives of the National Bureau of Investigation from Manila raided the warehouse of former Maguidanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. near Barangay Bagong looking for firearms and ammunition.
He said there was no coordination with his office when the raid was carried out. They went home empty handed, Lineses later learned.
Two brief comments from our end related to the peace process in Mindanao.
First, we believe this period when parties are exchanging drafts for some kind of agreement on ways forward, is a good opportunity to present suggestions by civil society organisations. We have highlighted this to our fellow ICG colleagues, as well as to the Malaysian facilitator. All of you have worked on consultative processes or other initiatives to come up with an agenda for peace in Mindanao. We encourage you to address the parties directly (for those of you who haven't done so yet) and, in as much as possible, to come up with a consolidated joint proposal.
Second, we have been inquiring with friends from other contexts on additional ways for the participation of civil society in the peace process. We are happy to share with you a suggestion by Christine Bell, a researcher on peace, human rights, and the role of women in peace processes, who was active in the peace process in Northern Ireland. Her thoughts are as follow:
"If there is a chance that the elections stall things (and often people get elected by being ‘anti peace process’ – or the toughest negotiator), then our experience in Northern Ireland was that it was good that there were ‘parallel’ almost ‘official track 2’ fora for discussion and some sense of an ongoing peace process to be kept alive. If there is a strong post-election peace process, then these mechanisms widen participation.
In Northern Ireland we had the Dublin Forum for Peace and Reconciliation which took a large number of submissions and held hearings on matters such as self-determination, human rights, women’s rights etc, at an early stage of the process. Other processes have had ‘peace building commissions’. Some sort of parallel process could also address the ‘internal’ tensions [among parties and stakeholders], and provide some outlet for them. Post agreement we had the ‘civic forum’ which was to perform a similar function. In fact we also had a negotiating forum during the talks that was elected, but that had its own elections which required a much lower threshold for election to the forum meaning that women’s coalition and small loyalist parties were able to get elected to the talks. A forum could also or alternatively be created which enabled internal mind. Dialogue and Philippine-philippine political dialogue on Mind (this is quite ambitious). The general point is that it might be important to have some forum which has a strong public talking role which has some capacity to survive fluctuations in the peace process, in particular due to elections."
Please don't hesitate contacting us for any additional information or comments, or if you want to get in touch with Christine Bell directly.
In peace,
kristian herbolzheimer, cynthia petrigh
conciliation resources
Second, we have been inquiring with friends from other contexts on additional ways for the participation of civil society in the peace process. We are happy to share with you a suggestion by Christine Bell, a researcher on peace, human rights, and the role of women in peace processes, who was active in the peace process in Northern Ireland. Her thoughts are as follow:
"If there is a chance that the elections stall things (and often people get elected by being ‘anti peace process’ – or the toughest negotiator), then our experience in Northern Ireland was that it was good that there were ‘parallel’ almost ‘official track 2’ fora for discussion and some sense of an ongoing peace process to be kept alive. If there is a strong post-election peace process, then these mechanisms widen participation.
In Northern Ireland we had the Dublin Forum for Peace and Reconciliation which took a large number of submissions and held hearings on matters such as self-determination, human rights, women’s rights etc, at an early stage of the process. Other processes have had ‘peace building commissions’. Some sort of parallel process could also address the ‘internal’ tensions [among parties and stakeholders], and provide some outlet for them. Post agreement we had the ‘civic forum’ which was to perform a similar function. In fact we also had a negotiating forum during the talks that was elected, but that had its own elections which required a much lower threshold for election to the forum meaning that women’s coalition and small loyalist parties were able to get elected to the talks. A forum could also or alternatively be created which enabled internal mind. Dialogue and Philippine-philippine political dialogue on Mind (this is quite ambitious). The general point is that it might be important to have some forum which has a strong public talking role which has some capacity to survive fluctuations in the peace process, in particular due to elections."
Please don't hesitate contacting us for any additional information or comments, or if you want to get in touch with Christine Bell directly.
In peace,
kristian herbolzheimer, cynthia petrigh
conciliation resources
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Schedule as settled during the Execom & Expanded COL meetings
March 15, 2010
Deadline for submission by the RMCs of the reviewed MOP for consolidation by the Secretariat and subsequent approval by the Execom
April 5 to 6, 2010
Execom meeting
Venue to be announced
April 23 to 25, 2010
General Assembly/ Leaders Summit
Arrival is on 23 April
Venue to be announced
COL Cluster Caucus
Deferred due to successive schedules
The Vice Chairs for Central/Easter and Western shall be the lead conveners
--------
Operational Planning Schedules by RMC with Derek:
March 1 to 4, 2010
Dabaw & Rajah Buayan
March 9 to 12, 2010
Sibugay
March 16 to 19, 2010
Kutawato & Ranaw
April 1 to 4, 2010
Basilan and Samboangan
April 13 to 16
Sulu
Deadline for submission by the RMCs of the reviewed MOP for consolidation by the Secretariat and subsequent approval by the Execom
April 5 to 6, 2010
Execom meeting
Venue to be announced
April 23 to 25, 2010
General Assembly/ Leaders Summit
Arrival is on 23 April
Venue to be announced
COL Cluster Caucus
Deferred due to successive schedules
The Vice Chairs for Central/Easter and Western shall be the lead conveners
--------
Operational Planning Schedules by RMC with Derek:
March 1 to 4, 2010
Dabaw & Rajah Buayan
March 9 to 12, 2010
Sibugay
March 16 to 19, 2010
Kutawato & Ranaw
April 1 to 4, 2010
Basilan and Samboangan
April 13 to 16
Sulu
Gov’t, MILF reset talks for March
This summary is not available. Please
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RP is model for peacebuilding, Defense Secretary says
by Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews
Sunday, 21 February 2010 17:34
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/20 February-- The Philippines has become the model for peacebuilding efforts in the United Nations and in conflict-affected areas in the world, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales told a peace policy forum at the Ateneo de Davao University on Friday.
Gonzales says he does not know if he should be happy about it but “before Afghanistan and Iraq, it has been started here,” he said, adding the peace policy crafted in these areas were “actually derivatives of lessons learned from Mindanao.”
“The Philippines is the model when it comes to peacebuilding… Go to the United Nations, to areas of conflict. It’s the (Philippine) experience they’re using as guidelines,” said Gonzales.
Gonzales was apparently referring to peacebuilding experiences in Mindanao which are being followed elsewhere, such as the Bishops-Ulama Conference initiative which later inspired the holding of an Asian Bishops-Ulama gathering and recently, an invitation to Pakistan to share their experiences; the initiatives of peace advocacy groups and other sectors, including the military and recently, Mindanao’s state universities.
Gonzles, along with Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) chief Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer and Ariel Hernandez, executive director of Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc. (BMFI), was a panelist at the February 19 Peace Policy Forum on the theme “Transforming Conflict and Building Peace in Mindanao Towards Security Sector Reform: An Option or a Policy.”
The forum was preceded by the launching of “Soldiers for Peace: A Collection of Peacebuilding Stories in Mindanao” at the Ateneo de Davao University’s Finster Hall.
OP Kors!
Written by Bobby Timonera, one of the editors at MindaNews, and edited by MindaNews columnist Gail Ilagan, the book features 21 stories of soldiers who applied in their areas of operations the lessons learned in Operation Peace Course (OP Kors!) as well as documented personal stories of transformation of soldiers from warriors to peace-builders and conflict managers.
OP Kors!, a series of trainings on peacebuilding, was initiated by then BMFI Executive Director Hernandez (on leave while he sits as AnakMindanao’s second representative to Congress) and Ferrer, who were classmates at the Asian Institute of Management’s Bridging Leadership Program.
OP Kors! is part of the peace education component of the Peace Building Program of BMFI.
Although the peacebuilding initiatives have not reached a critical mass in the Armed Forces, it has been gaining headway among key officials and frontline soldiers in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.
Ferrer said the book has been their dream since 2007. “We wanted to capture the stories of the soldiers at the frontlines of building the peace,” he said.
Soldier for peace
“As we now move towards post-conlict, we want to equip our soldiers and officers on how to rebuild the social damage of the prolonged conflict,” he added.
He noted that in the protracted struggle of the New People’s Army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), “it could not be avoided that aside from the physical damage, (the conflicts) damaged our social cohesion as a people.”
“It is about time we equip our soldiers new tools, new knowledge to be responsible fighters – respecting human rights, becoming effective peace builders,” Ferrer, also referred to as “peacebuilding general,” said.
Roda Mangayayam of Baguio City, a 2nd Lieutenant who is a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s (PMA) Class 2007, gave a testimony of how it is to be a “soldier for peace.”
Mangayayam said they were “trained for combat” and “never have we dealt about peace. Never had we had that in our curriculum.”
She said she is very happy that a book has been published about their efforts and hopes that the other soldiers will be infected with the “virus of peacebuilding.”
Mangayayam said she prefers to say “we are soldiers for peace, not for war.”
Winning the peace
She urged the public to read the collection of stories “to know a bit of what is happening around us” and “beyond that, what is the meaning of what we are doing.”
“This is what we are doing join us, join us,” she said, adding, “I want you to be inspired as I am.”
On August 20 last year, commandants of the military training institutions joined staff officers of the AFP and the Philippine Army and representatives of various divisions of EastMinCom at a Peace Policy workshop in Davao City.
There, participants were introduced to the initiatives taken by Mindanao units to actively build peace in their respective areas of responsibility. Col. Ernesto R. Aradanas, commander of the 603 Infantry Brigade based in Camp Iranun (the former Camp Abubakar of the MILF), shared his publication project that details how his brigade undertakes an integrated program for peace building.
According to the book, “Soldiers for Peace,” the Camp Iranun model “demonstrates that peace building does not require retooling of official functions or the conscription of specialized equipment. It merely involves a change of attitude in the way soldiers do their regular jobs to be more open to listen to the people and help them establish conditions for peace in their communities.”
When Maj. Gen. Carlos B. Holganza assumed command of the largest combat division of the Philippine Army – the 10th Infantry Division -- on November 16, 2009, he said, “Our soldiers realize now that winning the peace is what counts most, not just winning the war. They know that they are not just supposed to be warriors, but noble warriors who will know not just how to fight, but when and whom and why we must fight.”
Peacebuilding general
At the end of the forum, a draft policy paper was presented to Gonzales, on the institutionalization of peace education in the AFP training and to include peacebuilding in the AFP merit system.
Gonzales said he would read the proposal but added, “rest assured that any effort on peacebuilding, the Department of National Defense will always be behiWehat can we do?
Ferrer said the Armed Forces has, for the last 40 years of the insurgencies in the country, “been applying military force but nothing has changed.”
Ferrer attended a peace course in the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute, the first soldier to ever attend that course and has since been sending his officials to attend the summer course.
His efforts in Basilan and later at the 1st Infantry Division in Zamboanga, have earned for him the titled “peacebuilding general.” As such, he vows to continue his work beyond retirement.
He said he could be part of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) “to promote peace in our country.”
Ferrer is up for retirement on January 23, 2012.
Ferrer also there is a role for peacebuilding soldiers even if Mindanao does achieve peace: as peacekeeping forces here in the Philippines or be part of the United Nations’ peacekeeping forces.
Transforming Energy
Professor Rudy Rodil, former vice chair of the government peace panel negotiating with the MILF until August 2008, said “we have not broken away from the cycle of violence.”
Rodil noted that “energy cannot be destroyed (but) energy can be transformed.”
The negative energies created by the protracted conflicts, he said, have become bigger and bigger “so how do you now transform that rather than (perpetuate) the cycle of violence?”
He said the cycle of violence caused by colonization created a major problem whose historical roots are so deep.
He said the reaction of the majority of the Filipinos to the already initialed Memorandum of Agreement on Ancesral Domain (MOA-AD) of the government and MILF peace panels, was “not new.”
“It is not the Constitution, not the SPCPD (Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development), not the MOA-AD – many of whom reacted even before reading it – that is the problem,” said Rodil.
“We are dealing here with a body of emotional energy that is (released when) triggered by certain events,” he said.
He said all sectors must be involved to help transform the conflict. “Ibalik ang kapatiran” (Let’s go back to brotherhood/sisterhood).
Aside from Rodil, the other reactors were Irene Santiago, executive director of the Mindanao Commission on Women who was a member of the government peace panel negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front from 2001 to 2003; and Prof. Saturnina Rodil of the Mindanao State University, who handles “inner peace” sessions of OP Kors; Mindanao Business Council chair Vicente Lao; 6th Infantry Division chief Maj. Gen. Anthony Alcantara and 10th ID Deputy Division Commander Brig. Gen. Romeo Fajardo.
The forum, anchored by Tina Monzon-Palma of ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) will be aired next month. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)
Sunday, 21 February 2010 17:34
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/20 February-- The Philippines has become the model for peacebuilding efforts in the United Nations and in conflict-affected areas in the world, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales told a peace policy forum at the Ateneo de Davao University on Friday.
Gonzales says he does not know if he should be happy about it but “before Afghanistan and Iraq, it has been started here,” he said, adding the peace policy crafted in these areas were “actually derivatives of lessons learned from Mindanao.”
“The Philippines is the model when it comes to peacebuilding… Go to the United Nations, to areas of conflict. It’s the (Philippine) experience they’re using as guidelines,” said Gonzales.
Gonzales was apparently referring to peacebuilding experiences in Mindanao which are being followed elsewhere, such as the Bishops-Ulama Conference initiative which later inspired the holding of an Asian Bishops-Ulama gathering and recently, an invitation to Pakistan to share their experiences; the initiatives of peace advocacy groups and other sectors, including the military and recently, Mindanao’s state universities.
Gonzles, along with Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) chief Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer and Ariel Hernandez, executive director of Balay Mindanaw Foundation Inc. (BMFI), was a panelist at the February 19 Peace Policy Forum on the theme “Transforming Conflict and Building Peace in Mindanao Towards Security Sector Reform: An Option or a Policy.”
The forum was preceded by the launching of “Soldiers for Peace: A Collection of Peacebuilding Stories in Mindanao” at the Ateneo de Davao University’s Finster Hall.
OP Kors!
Written by Bobby Timonera, one of the editors at MindaNews, and edited by MindaNews columnist Gail Ilagan, the book features 21 stories of soldiers who applied in their areas of operations the lessons learned in Operation Peace Course (OP Kors!) as well as documented personal stories of transformation of soldiers from warriors to peace-builders and conflict managers.
OP Kors!, a series of trainings on peacebuilding, was initiated by then BMFI Executive Director Hernandez (on leave while he sits as AnakMindanao’s second representative to Congress) and Ferrer, who were classmates at the Asian Institute of Management’s Bridging Leadership Program.
OP Kors! is part of the peace education component of the Peace Building Program of BMFI.
Although the peacebuilding initiatives have not reached a critical mass in the Armed Forces, it has been gaining headway among key officials and frontline soldiers in conflict-affected areas in Mindanao.
Ferrer said the book has been their dream since 2007. “We wanted to capture the stories of the soldiers at the frontlines of building the peace,” he said.
Soldier for peace
“As we now move towards post-conlict, we want to equip our soldiers and officers on how to rebuild the social damage of the prolonged conflict,” he added.
He noted that in the protracted struggle of the New People’s Army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), “it could not be avoided that aside from the physical damage, (the conflicts) damaged our social cohesion as a people.”
“It is about time we equip our soldiers new tools, new knowledge to be responsible fighters – respecting human rights, becoming effective peace builders,” Ferrer, also referred to as “peacebuilding general,” said.
Roda Mangayayam of Baguio City, a 2nd Lieutenant who is a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s (PMA) Class 2007, gave a testimony of how it is to be a “soldier for peace.”
Mangayayam said they were “trained for combat” and “never have we dealt about peace. Never had we had that in our curriculum.”
She said she is very happy that a book has been published about their efforts and hopes that the other soldiers will be infected with the “virus of peacebuilding.”
Mangayayam said she prefers to say “we are soldiers for peace, not for war.”
Winning the peace
She urged the public to read the collection of stories “to know a bit of what is happening around us” and “beyond that, what is the meaning of what we are doing.”
“This is what we are doing join us, join us,” she said, adding, “I want you to be inspired as I am.”
On August 20 last year, commandants of the military training institutions joined staff officers of the AFP and the Philippine Army and representatives of various divisions of EastMinCom at a Peace Policy workshop in Davao City.
There, participants were introduced to the initiatives taken by Mindanao units to actively build peace in their respective areas of responsibility. Col. Ernesto R. Aradanas, commander of the 603 Infantry Brigade based in Camp Iranun (the former Camp Abubakar of the MILF), shared his publication project that details how his brigade undertakes an integrated program for peace building.
According to the book, “Soldiers for Peace,” the Camp Iranun model “demonstrates that peace building does not require retooling of official functions or the conscription of specialized equipment. It merely involves a change of attitude in the way soldiers do their regular jobs to be more open to listen to the people and help them establish conditions for peace in their communities.”
When Maj. Gen. Carlos B. Holganza assumed command of the largest combat division of the Philippine Army – the 10th Infantry Division -- on November 16, 2009, he said, “Our soldiers realize now that winning the peace is what counts most, not just winning the war. They know that they are not just supposed to be warriors, but noble warriors who will know not just how to fight, but when and whom and why we must fight.”
Peacebuilding general
At the end of the forum, a draft policy paper was presented to Gonzales, on the institutionalization of peace education in the AFP training and to include peacebuilding in the AFP merit system.
Gonzales said he would read the proposal but added, “rest assured that any effort on peacebuilding, the Department of National Defense will always be behiWehat can we do?
Ferrer said the Armed Forces has, for the last 40 years of the insurgencies in the country, “been applying military force but nothing has changed.”
Ferrer attended a peace course in the Mindanao Peacebuilding Institute, the first soldier to ever attend that course and has since been sending his officials to attend the summer course.
His efforts in Basilan and later at the 1st Infantry Division in Zamboanga, have earned for him the titled “peacebuilding general.” As such, he vows to continue his work beyond retirement.
He said he could be part of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) “to promote peace in our country.”
Ferrer is up for retirement on January 23, 2012.
Ferrer also there is a role for peacebuilding soldiers even if Mindanao does achieve peace: as peacekeeping forces here in the Philippines or be part of the United Nations’ peacekeeping forces.
Transforming Energy
Professor Rudy Rodil, former vice chair of the government peace panel negotiating with the MILF until August 2008, said “we have not broken away from the cycle of violence.”
Rodil noted that “energy cannot be destroyed (but) energy can be transformed.”
The negative energies created by the protracted conflicts, he said, have become bigger and bigger “so how do you now transform that rather than (perpetuate) the cycle of violence?”
He said the cycle of violence caused by colonization created a major problem whose historical roots are so deep.
He said the reaction of the majority of the Filipinos to the already initialed Memorandum of Agreement on Ancesral Domain (MOA-AD) of the government and MILF peace panels, was “not new.”
“It is not the Constitution, not the SPCPD (Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development), not the MOA-AD – many of whom reacted even before reading it – that is the problem,” said Rodil.
“We are dealing here with a body of emotional energy that is (released when) triggered by certain events,” he said.
He said all sectors must be involved to help transform the conflict. “Ibalik ang kapatiran” (Let’s go back to brotherhood/sisterhood).
Aside from Rodil, the other reactors were Irene Santiago, executive director of the Mindanao Commission on Women who was a member of the government peace panel negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front from 2001 to 2003; and Prof. Saturnina Rodil of the Mindanao State University, who handles “inner peace” sessions of OP Kors; Mindanao Business Council chair Vicente Lao; 6th Infantry Division chief Maj. Gen. Anthony Alcantara and 10th ID Deputy Division Commander Brig. Gen. Romeo Fajardo.
The forum, anchored by Tina Monzon-Palma of ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) will be aired next month. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)
New IMT head of mission determined to do his job
by Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews contributor
Thursday, 18 February 2010 23:30
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews/18 February) -- The expanded task of the International Monitoring Team is “a tall order,” but Maj. Gen. Datuk Baharom bin Hamzah, the new head of mission of the IMT is determined to “do the job.” Gen. Hamzah, a member of the eight-man Reconnaissance Team sent by Malaysia’s Ministry of Defense to do a final check on the facilities of the 60-man IMT contingent that will be sent to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), announced his optimism on the peace process in front of around 50 representatives of various peace organizations.
The four batches of IMT contingents sent to Mindanao had managed to reduce violent incidents involving government soldiers and guerrillas of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed group of the MILF, from more than 700 in 2004 to only about seven in 2008.
Unlike IMT-1 to IMT-4 which were tasked to monitor only the truce, Hamzah’s team, IMT-5, has three added tasks: Humanitarian, rehabilitation and development; Socio-economic Assistance; and Civilian Protection.
“It is a tall order, but we have to do the job,” he told representatives of peace organizations in an “informal welcome” dinner with the members of the Reconnaissance Team headed by LGen. Datuk Raja Mohamed Affandi bin Raja Mohamed Noor, the chief of staff of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
Noor’s short message to representatives of 18 peace organizations was filled with optimism on the success of the peace process despite an apparent deadlock in the peace negotiations with the MILF rejecting government’s offer described as “no more than the ARMM” (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao).
“When I walked around here, I felt there is this strong spirit that everyone is looking for a long and sustainable peace,” he said while thanking the government for trusting the IMT tasks to Malaysian soldiers. “Thank you so much to the Philippine government for trusting the Malaysians to do this task.”
Noor expressed confidence they would be able to provide an “environment conducive for the talks” to continue, adding they will deploy the “best 20” Malaysian soldiers who will be joining the IMT with other delegations from Libya, Brunei Darussalam, and Japan.
“We have our best team of 20 people here, but they cannot perform their best without the support of the non-government organizations,” he said while asserting that “in any peace process, it is the NGO that serves as the backbone—it (peace process) is driven by NGOs.”
Col. Dickson Hermoso, once head of the secretariat of the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH) and commander of the 7th Infantry Battalion during the war in 2008, said “there are only two secrets” to a successful ceasefire monitoring: “First, you have to involve the civil society organizations (CSO) and, second, a well-placed IMT.”
Hermoso explained that an active participation of the CSOs will help push the peace process forward amid the fact that “there are powder kegs in the minds of many Army and MILF forces.”
With the active participation of the CSOs in the peace process, Hermoso told the IMT contingents that “there will no longer be lonely days for IMT—doing the job will be a lot of fun.”
Maj. Carlos Sol Jr., head of the secretariat of the government panel in the JCCCH, said “we will do everything to make Mindanao peaceful and developed” while also announcing that they already have “reactivated and strengthened the local monitoring teams” that government and the MILF organized in all conflict affected areas of Mindanao.
Atty. Mary Ann Arnado, secretary-general of the Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), host of the “informal welcome” for the Malaysians, also assured her group’s support to the IMT, saying there are still other organizations willing to help the peace process and among them are those whose application for membership in the civilian protection component (CPC) are still pending approval by the peace panels.
The MPC and the Non-violent Peace Force are part of the CPC. Other organizations seeking recognition as part of IMT’s civilian protection task are the Initiatives for International Dialogue, Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, Saligan Mindanao and two others. (Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews contributor)
Thursday, 18 February 2010 23:30
COTABATO CITY (MindaNews/18 February) -- The expanded task of the International Monitoring Team is “a tall order,” but Maj. Gen. Datuk Baharom bin Hamzah, the new head of mission of the IMT is determined to “do the job.” Gen. Hamzah, a member of the eight-man Reconnaissance Team sent by Malaysia’s Ministry of Defense to do a final check on the facilities of the 60-man IMT contingent that will be sent to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), announced his optimism on the peace process in front of around 50 representatives of various peace organizations.
The four batches of IMT contingents sent to Mindanao had managed to reduce violent incidents involving government soldiers and guerrillas of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, the armed group of the MILF, from more than 700 in 2004 to only about seven in 2008.
Unlike IMT-1 to IMT-4 which were tasked to monitor only the truce, Hamzah’s team, IMT-5, has three added tasks: Humanitarian, rehabilitation and development; Socio-economic Assistance; and Civilian Protection.
“It is a tall order, but we have to do the job,” he told representatives of peace organizations in an “informal welcome” dinner with the members of the Reconnaissance Team headed by LGen. Datuk Raja Mohamed Affandi bin Raja Mohamed Noor, the chief of staff of the Malaysian Armed Forces.
Noor’s short message to representatives of 18 peace organizations was filled with optimism on the success of the peace process despite an apparent deadlock in the peace negotiations with the MILF rejecting government’s offer described as “no more than the ARMM” (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao).
“When I walked around here, I felt there is this strong spirit that everyone is looking for a long and sustainable peace,” he said while thanking the government for trusting the IMT tasks to Malaysian soldiers. “Thank you so much to the Philippine government for trusting the Malaysians to do this task.”
Noor expressed confidence they would be able to provide an “environment conducive for the talks” to continue, adding they will deploy the “best 20” Malaysian soldiers who will be joining the IMT with other delegations from Libya, Brunei Darussalam, and Japan.
“We have our best team of 20 people here, but they cannot perform their best without the support of the non-government organizations,” he said while asserting that “in any peace process, it is the NGO that serves as the backbone—it (peace process) is driven by NGOs.”
Col. Dickson Hermoso, once head of the secretariat of the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH) and commander of the 7th Infantry Battalion during the war in 2008, said “there are only two secrets” to a successful ceasefire monitoring: “First, you have to involve the civil society organizations (CSO) and, second, a well-placed IMT.”
Hermoso explained that an active participation of the CSOs will help push the peace process forward amid the fact that “there are powder kegs in the minds of many Army and MILF forces.”
With the active participation of the CSOs in the peace process, Hermoso told the IMT contingents that “there will no longer be lonely days for IMT—doing the job will be a lot of fun.”
Maj. Carlos Sol Jr., head of the secretariat of the government panel in the JCCCH, said “we will do everything to make Mindanao peaceful and developed” while also announcing that they already have “reactivated and strengthened the local monitoring teams” that government and the MILF organized in all conflict affected areas of Mindanao.
Atty. Mary Ann Arnado, secretary-general of the Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), host of the “informal welcome” for the Malaysians, also assured her group’s support to the IMT, saying there are still other organizations willing to help the peace process and among them are those whose application for membership in the civilian protection component (CPC) are still pending approval by the peace panels.
The MPC and the Non-violent Peace Force are part of the CPC. Other organizations seeking recognition as part of IMT’s civilian protection task are the Initiatives for International Dialogue, Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society, Saligan Mindanao and two others. (Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews contributor)
Peace advocates welcome IMT
By Mukhlis Mamengkog
Cotabato City/February 18 – The Civil Society Organizations warmly welcomed the International Monitoring Team (IMT) yesterday in a meeting held at the Pacific Heights Restaurant, this city, at 6:30 p. m. yesterday.
In his welcome message, Murshied Mascud, chairperson of the Kutawato Regional Management Committee of the Consortium of the Bangsamoro Civil Society, Inc. (CBCS) said that Mindanawans lost a lot when the IMT left Mindanao for almost two years.
Mascud added that the people of Mindanao are now very happy that the IMT is already back here.
“It is another milestone for all Mindanawans to have the IMT now back. We are so very lucky,” Mascud said.
“The IMT, because of its desire to help us, is now here sacrificing with us,” he also said.
“The Malaysians have ever since been very helpful to both the Filipino and the Bangsamoro people,” Mascud stressed.
“We express gladness and big satisfaction for having you, IMT, now in our homeland,” Fr. Angel Calvo, chairperson of the Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW), the largest network of peace advocates in Mindanao, said.
Calvo said that the “coming back of the IMT is one of the signs of hope,” as he expressed his commitments to work with the IMT.
Atty. Mary Ann Arnado, secretary-general of the Mindnao Peoples Caucus (MPC), a triple-people’s organization that organized the Bantay Ceasefire (BC), and currently a member of the IMT, also welcomed the IMT.
Arnado said it has been a tradition of the MPC to welcome the IMT as the group also did it in 2004. She and her group are looking forward to meaningfully working with the IMT.
A law practitioner, Arnado expressed her group’s readiness to extend any assistance to the IMT for it to succeed in its mission for peace in Mindanao. She also disclosed that there are still many organizations that want to work with the IMT.
“I felt not only welcomed here but felt everybody wants sustainable and lasting peace,” said Lt. Gen. Datuk Raja Mohammed Affendi bin Raja Mohamed, Chief of Staff of the Malaysian Armed Forces Headquarters, in his message.
“We are maybe far from each other but we are not…, we left Mindanao but never in our hearts and prayers,” he added.
The General commended the great role and work of the non-government organizations (NGOs) in the search for peace, saying that in any process the NGOs should take a great part or they should be part of all processes.
“And the most important part of the process is that ‘there is talk’,” he told some 50 peace advocates from different organizations who have been very active in all peace processes in Mindanao especially in the ceasefire monitoring work.
Col. Dickson Hermoso, of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said the presence of the NGOs and the IMT were among other secrets why the number of skirmishes dramatically went down in the past years.
Previously, the IMT’s mission was only to monitor the implementation of the ongoing Agreement on the General Cessation of Hostilities (AGCH) of 1997 and the Agreement on the Rehabilitation and Development of the Conflict Affected Areas in Mindanao.
The new mandate of the IMT now includes the Civilian Protection Component.
Cotabato City/February 18 – The Civil Society Organizations warmly welcomed the International Monitoring Team (IMT) yesterday in a meeting held at the Pacific Heights Restaurant, this city, at 6:30 p. m. yesterday.
In his welcome message, Murshied Mascud, chairperson of the Kutawato Regional Management Committee of the Consortium of the Bangsamoro Civil Society, Inc. (CBCS) said that Mindanawans lost a lot when the IMT left Mindanao for almost two years.
Mascud added that the people of Mindanao are now very happy that the IMT is already back here.
“It is another milestone for all Mindanawans to have the IMT now back. We are so very lucky,” Mascud said.
“The IMT, because of its desire to help us, is now here sacrificing with us,” he also said.
“The Malaysians have ever since been very helpful to both the Filipino and the Bangsamoro people,” Mascud stressed.
“We express gladness and big satisfaction for having you, IMT, now in our homeland,” Fr. Angel Calvo, chairperson of the Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW), the largest network of peace advocates in Mindanao, said.
Calvo said that the “coming back of the IMT is one of the signs of hope,” as he expressed his commitments to work with the IMT.
Atty. Mary Ann Arnado, secretary-general of the Mindnao Peoples Caucus (MPC), a triple-people’s organization that organized the Bantay Ceasefire (BC), and currently a member of the IMT, also welcomed the IMT.
Arnado said it has been a tradition of the MPC to welcome the IMT as the group also did it in 2004. She and her group are looking forward to meaningfully working with the IMT.
A law practitioner, Arnado expressed her group’s readiness to extend any assistance to the IMT for it to succeed in its mission for peace in Mindanao. She also disclosed that there are still many organizations that want to work with the IMT.
“I felt not only welcomed here but felt everybody wants sustainable and lasting peace,” said Lt. Gen. Datuk Raja Mohammed Affendi bin Raja Mohamed, Chief of Staff of the Malaysian Armed Forces Headquarters, in his message.
“We are maybe far from each other but we are not…, we left Mindanao but never in our hearts and prayers,” he added.
The General commended the great role and work of the non-government organizations (NGOs) in the search for peace, saying that in any process the NGOs should take a great part or they should be part of all processes.
“And the most important part of the process is that ‘there is talk’,” he told some 50 peace advocates from different organizations who have been very active in all peace processes in Mindanao especially in the ceasefire monitoring work.
Col. Dickson Hermoso, of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said the presence of the NGOs and the IMT were among other secrets why the number of skirmishes dramatically went down in the past years.
Previously, the IMT’s mission was only to monitor the implementation of the ongoing Agreement on the General Cessation of Hostilities (AGCH) of 1997 and the Agreement on the Rehabilitation and Development of the Conflict Affected Areas in Mindanao.
The new mandate of the IMT now includes the Civilian Protection Component.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Civilian protection in peacekeeping
On the 27th of October 2009, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed an Agreement on Civilian Protection.
The agreement reconfirms the parties’ commitment to observe the Human Rights Law and the International Humanitarian Law.
By signing this important agreement, both the GRP and the MILF assume all the obligations under the Convention on Human Rights and the International Humanitarian Law.
This, in a special way, has elevated the peace talks between the GRP and the MILF into a higher plane.
What is Civilian protection, especially in areas of conflict?
By definition, Civilian protection refers to all activities aimed at obtaining full respect for the rights of the individuals and communities in accordance with the letter and spirit of the relevant bodies of law, international humanitarian law, and refugee law.
The objective of civilian protection agreement is to reduce the risk and extent of harm to civilians and non-combatants during the actual conflict or during military operations.
The protection of civilians and non combatants is a foremost duty of government and the liberation front.
Both the Human Rights Law and the International Humanitarian Law impose duties on all the parties to the conflict. They also set limits on the methods and means of warfare, particularly as they impact the vulnerable groups.
Worldwide, there is a growing concern over the impact of internal conflict on the non combatants, especially women and children.
Today, the international community requires combatants, government and rebels alike, to respect the dignity and right to life of non-combatants, the wounded and sick, and the prisoners of war.
The principle of civilian protection is anchored on human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the four Geneva Conventions, the additional Protocol II covering non-international armed conflict, and the Philippine Constitution.
In short, the agreement on civilian protection takes the protection of the civilian population as the cornerstone.
With this agreement the question now centers on the so-called ‘collateral damage’ to non-combatants.
Concretely, the debate revolves around the issue of whether or not a degree of ‘collateral damage’ is acceptable.
In the past, the legitimacy of ‘collateral damage’ was premised on the ‘greater’ good and proportional damage.
The theory was debunked following the lost of the Americans in the Vietnam War.
The slogan, “In order to save the village, we had to destroy it,” was the epitome of the abandoned principle of collateral damage.
In view of the on-going discussion on the terms of reference (TOR) for the combatants on the civilian protection, there are basic questions that need to be answered.
1. Should combatants avoid military encounters in civilian communities?
2. In times of population displacement, do the protagonists provide safe passage to fleeing non-combatants?
3. Do the protagonists allow the non-combatants and the internally displaced unhampered access to relief and rehabilitation assistance?
4. Do the protagonists allow or assist in the return of the displaced to their areas of origin?
Notwithstanding the outcome of the present talks, the Civilian Protection (CP) is a good development and should become more robust as more people participate in the process, particularly of the Local Government Units and Civil Society, including the Private Sector (Business).
The Agreement on Civilian Protection, no doubt, provides challenges to both the protagonists and the stakeholders.
The protagonists and stakeholders must think through and beyond the conflict with a view to a common vision of individual rights and responsibilities.
From peace and development perspective, the more the process is coherent and has integrity, the better it becomes in terms of protecting lives and respecting rights.
The agreement reconfirms the parties’ commitment to observe the Human Rights Law and the International Humanitarian Law.
By signing this important agreement, both the GRP and the MILF assume all the obligations under the Convention on Human Rights and the International Humanitarian Law.
This, in a special way, has elevated the peace talks between the GRP and the MILF into a higher plane.
What is Civilian protection, especially in areas of conflict?
By definition, Civilian protection refers to all activities aimed at obtaining full respect for the rights of the individuals and communities in accordance with the letter and spirit of the relevant bodies of law, international humanitarian law, and refugee law.
The objective of civilian protection agreement is to reduce the risk and extent of harm to civilians and non-combatants during the actual conflict or during military operations.
The protection of civilians and non combatants is a foremost duty of government and the liberation front.
Both the Human Rights Law and the International Humanitarian Law impose duties on all the parties to the conflict. They also set limits on the methods and means of warfare, particularly as they impact the vulnerable groups.
Worldwide, there is a growing concern over the impact of internal conflict on the non combatants, especially women and children.
Today, the international community requires combatants, government and rebels alike, to respect the dignity and right to life of non-combatants, the wounded and sick, and the prisoners of war.
The principle of civilian protection is anchored on human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the four Geneva Conventions, the additional Protocol II covering non-international armed conflict, and the Philippine Constitution.
In short, the agreement on civilian protection takes the protection of the civilian population as the cornerstone.
With this agreement the question now centers on the so-called ‘collateral damage’ to non-combatants.
Concretely, the debate revolves around the issue of whether or not a degree of ‘collateral damage’ is acceptable.
In the past, the legitimacy of ‘collateral damage’ was premised on the ‘greater’ good and proportional damage.
The theory was debunked following the lost of the Americans in the Vietnam War.
The slogan, “In order to save the village, we had to destroy it,” was the epitome of the abandoned principle of collateral damage.
In view of the on-going discussion on the terms of reference (TOR) for the combatants on the civilian protection, there are basic questions that need to be answered.
1. Should combatants avoid military encounters in civilian communities?
2. In times of population displacement, do the protagonists provide safe passage to fleeing non-combatants?
3. Do the protagonists allow the non-combatants and the internally displaced unhampered access to relief and rehabilitation assistance?
4. Do the protagonists allow or assist in the return of the displaced to their areas of origin?
Notwithstanding the outcome of the present talks, the Civilian Protection (CP) is a good development and should become more robust as more people participate in the process, particularly of the Local Government Units and Civil Society, including the Private Sector (Business).
The Agreement on Civilian Protection, no doubt, provides challenges to both the protagonists and the stakeholders.
The protagonists and stakeholders must think through and beyond the conflict with a view to a common vision of individual rights and responsibilities.
From peace and development perspective, the more the process is coherent and has integrity, the better it becomes in terms of protecting lives and respecting rights.
Nepal’s Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction (MoPR)
Nepal’s Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction (MoPR)
1. Sadhoran Sapkota, Joint Secretary
2. Deependra Nath Sharma, Joint Secretary,
3. Surya Bahadur Thapa, Undersecretary,
4. Harihar Sharma, Undersecretary,
5. Hari Prasad Dawadi, Undersecretary,
6. Krishma Prasad Paudel, Undersecretary, and
7. Mukesh Regmi, Computer Engineer joined the high delegation of Secretary Neupane.
1. Sadhoran Sapkota, Joint Secretary
2. Deependra Nath Sharma, Joint Secretary,
3. Surya Bahadur Thapa, Undersecretary,
4. Harihar Sharma, Undersecretary,
5. Hari Prasad Dawadi, Undersecretary,
6. Krishma Prasad Paudel, Undersecretary, and
7. Mukesh Regmi, Computer Engineer joined the high delegation of Secretary Neupane.
Buliok 7 years after the war: Painful imprints still linger
by Keith Bacongco/MindaNews
Saturday, 13 February 2010 09:51
BARANGAY BULIOK, Pagalungan, Maguindanao (MindaNews / February 12) - The rubble, the bullet-riddled walls, the bomb craters have remained. And though not visible, the wounds of war have yet to heal for thousands of residnents who were forced to leave their homes when government forces bombarded this village during the Eid’l Adha congregational prayer on February 11, 2003. A village official narrates their hardships at the evacuation center in nearby Pikit town in North Cotabato, some 15 kilometers from here.
Villagers recall the incident as “treacherous attack against the Moro people,” happening as it did on Eid’l Adha, the Islamic feast of the holy sacrifice.
The barangay official took a deep breath before describing the first bomb dropped beside the mosque where they were holding the congregational prayer.
“The Imam never finished the prayer; they ran for their lives from the rain of bombs and mortar shells,” he recalled as he took another deep breath and bowed his head. The explosions reportedly left three persons dead.
Seven years ago, government forces attacked Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) positions here as well as in nearby villages of Pikit. The government earlier said that they were hunting down members of the dreaded Pentagon kidnap-for-ransom gang who were reportedly hiding in Liguasan Marsh. Later, government forces went out to flush the MILF in the area.
The fighting displaced thousands of people from several barangays of Pagalungan and Pikit. About a hundred evacuees, mostly children, died in the evacuation centers due to diseases.
For 60-year old Tuwaw Abdulrhakman, the war in 2003 left nothing but hardship as they lost farm animals and their houses were destroyed due to relentless aerial and artillery bombing.
“We have not fully recovered from the war even if it was seven years ago. Look at our house, this was not like this before the war. We have not availed of the rehabilitation program,” Abdulrhakman told MindaNews as she points to the dilapidated walls of their shanty.
She recalls that two days before the attack, they were advised by the village chief to evacuate because the military was already in nearby Barangay Rajahmuda and would launch ground assault anytime. “Hindi na namin kayang magpaiwan kasi wala na ring pumapasok na supply ng pagkain kasi hinaharang ng mga sundalo sa Rajahmuda,” (We couldn’t stay behind because food supply was getting scarce as this was barred by soldiers in Rajahmuda), she recounted. “Ayaw na namin ng gulo para makabawi na talaga kami.Nakakapagod mag-bakwit” (We don’t like war so we can move on. We’re tired of evacuating).
Abdulrhakman stayed at the evacuation center for four months. She had to sell their farm animals when the food supply at the evacuation center dwindled.
Traces of War
How can one forget the war in 2003 when the war’s rubble is a daily reminder?
The village official points to what was once a Marine detachment just about a hundred meters from the Islamic Center. Several knee-deep foxholes and bunkers are still in place but now covered with grasses and dried banana leaves.
He also pointed to a former prison cell of the MILF. The cell’s floor area is 12 square feet, its walls made of about six inches of concrete and the ceiling, also concrete, about 15 feet high. The cell has two windows of 1 by 4 feet.
“This is where the MILF used to lock-up those who violated the laws of the MILF here, such as drug addicts, thieves and murderers,” he explained.
Now it’s riddled with bullets from .50 caliber machine guns of government troops . A hole one foot in diameter, is a reminder of what an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) is capable of doing.
When the Marines occupied the area, the prison cell was reportedly converted into a makeshift disco house. A hut was also built on top, where they occasionally partied, villagers said.
The barangay official disclosed there was an attempt by the MILF to recapture the area.
Across this village is Barangay Buliok, Pikit (North Cotabato) side, which was the object of aerial bombings and artillery shelling in 2003.
Bomb craters are still visible in some areas near the riverbanks of Pulangi River.
What used to be a warehouse constructed through the Special Zone of Peace and Development program, is now a rubble. The warehouse has been left unrepaired despite the government’s rehabilitation program in the area and residents have left the 6-foot deep bomb crater beside the rubble, uncovered.
Remembering 2/11
Earlier in the morning of February 11, 2010, a peace forum was held at the Mahad (Arabic school) in Pikit poblacion, where at least 100 people gathered to commemorate the Buliok attack.
Ustadz Abdul Nasser Musa said the future generation must never forget this day. “Marami nang nagawang kasalanan ang gobyerno sa Bangsamoro. At ang pangyayaring ito noong 2003 ay isa sa pinakamasakit para sa atin na mga Bangsamoro. Hindi nila kinilala ang ating karapatan sa pananampalataya” (Government has committed so many sins against the Bangsamoro. What happened in 2003 was so painful for us Bangsamoro), he told the crowd.
In a separate statement, Nasser Ali, lead convenor of the 2/11 Movement, asked local and national government officials to “refrain from using the GRP-MILF peace process to bolster their political and economic interests. “
Ali also appealed to any group or individual to wait for the results of the peace process before pursuing their interests in the Liguasan Marsh, which is touted to be rich in natural gas.
“The Bangsamoro people, being the rightful owner, must be included and always be part of the every effort to develop the Liguasan Marsh,” he stressed.
The 2/11 Movement is composed of 14 Moro peoples organization binding themselves to lead the move in seeking justice “not just for those who were killed in the Buliok attack but (also for) other victims of injustices at the height of the 2003 war.” ( Keith Bacongco / MindaNews)
Saturday, 13 February 2010 09:51
BARANGAY BULIOK, Pagalungan, Maguindanao (MindaNews / February 12) - The rubble, the bullet-riddled walls, the bomb craters have remained. And though not visible, the wounds of war have yet to heal for thousands of residnents who were forced to leave their homes when government forces bombarded this village during the Eid’l Adha congregational prayer on February 11, 2003. A village official narrates their hardships at the evacuation center in nearby Pikit town in North Cotabato, some 15 kilometers from here.
Villagers recall the incident as “treacherous attack against the Moro people,” happening as it did on Eid’l Adha, the Islamic feast of the holy sacrifice.
The barangay official took a deep breath before describing the first bomb dropped beside the mosque where they were holding the congregational prayer.
“The Imam never finished the prayer; they ran for their lives from the rain of bombs and mortar shells,” he recalled as he took another deep breath and bowed his head. The explosions reportedly left three persons dead.
Seven years ago, government forces attacked Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) positions here as well as in nearby villages of Pikit. The government earlier said that they were hunting down members of the dreaded Pentagon kidnap-for-ransom gang who were reportedly hiding in Liguasan Marsh. Later, government forces went out to flush the MILF in the area.
The fighting displaced thousands of people from several barangays of Pagalungan and Pikit. About a hundred evacuees, mostly children, died in the evacuation centers due to diseases.
For 60-year old Tuwaw Abdulrhakman, the war in 2003 left nothing but hardship as they lost farm animals and their houses were destroyed due to relentless aerial and artillery bombing.
“We have not fully recovered from the war even if it was seven years ago. Look at our house, this was not like this before the war. We have not availed of the rehabilitation program,” Abdulrhakman told MindaNews as she points to the dilapidated walls of their shanty.
She recalls that two days before the attack, they were advised by the village chief to evacuate because the military was already in nearby Barangay Rajahmuda and would launch ground assault anytime. “Hindi na namin kayang magpaiwan kasi wala na ring pumapasok na supply ng pagkain kasi hinaharang ng mga sundalo sa Rajahmuda,” (We couldn’t stay behind because food supply was getting scarce as this was barred by soldiers in Rajahmuda), she recounted. “Ayaw na namin ng gulo para makabawi na talaga kami.Nakakapagod mag-bakwit” (We don’t like war so we can move on. We’re tired of evacuating).
Abdulrhakman stayed at the evacuation center for four months. She had to sell their farm animals when the food supply at the evacuation center dwindled.
Traces of War
How can one forget the war in 2003 when the war’s rubble is a daily reminder?
The village official points to what was once a Marine detachment just about a hundred meters from the Islamic Center. Several knee-deep foxholes and bunkers are still in place but now covered with grasses and dried banana leaves.
He also pointed to a former prison cell of the MILF. The cell’s floor area is 12 square feet, its walls made of about six inches of concrete and the ceiling, also concrete, about 15 feet high. The cell has two windows of 1 by 4 feet.
“This is where the MILF used to lock-up those who violated the laws of the MILF here, such as drug addicts, thieves and murderers,” he explained.
Now it’s riddled with bullets from .50 caliber machine guns of government troops . A hole one foot in diameter, is a reminder of what an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) is capable of doing.
When the Marines occupied the area, the prison cell was reportedly converted into a makeshift disco house. A hut was also built on top, where they occasionally partied, villagers said.
The barangay official disclosed there was an attempt by the MILF to recapture the area.
Across this village is Barangay Buliok, Pikit (North Cotabato) side, which was the object of aerial bombings and artillery shelling in 2003.
Bomb craters are still visible in some areas near the riverbanks of Pulangi River.
What used to be a warehouse constructed through the Special Zone of Peace and Development program, is now a rubble. The warehouse has been left unrepaired despite the government’s rehabilitation program in the area and residents have left the 6-foot deep bomb crater beside the rubble, uncovered.
Remembering 2/11
Earlier in the morning of February 11, 2010, a peace forum was held at the Mahad (Arabic school) in Pikit poblacion, where at least 100 people gathered to commemorate the Buliok attack.
Ustadz Abdul Nasser Musa said the future generation must never forget this day. “Marami nang nagawang kasalanan ang gobyerno sa Bangsamoro. At ang pangyayaring ito noong 2003 ay isa sa pinakamasakit para sa atin na mga Bangsamoro. Hindi nila kinilala ang ating karapatan sa pananampalataya” (Government has committed so many sins against the Bangsamoro. What happened in 2003 was so painful for us Bangsamoro), he told the crowd.
In a separate statement, Nasser Ali, lead convenor of the 2/11 Movement, asked local and national government officials to “refrain from using the GRP-MILF peace process to bolster their political and economic interests. “
Ali also appealed to any group or individual to wait for the results of the peace process before pursuing their interests in the Liguasan Marsh, which is touted to be rich in natural gas.
“The Bangsamoro people, being the rightful owner, must be included and always be part of the every effort to develop the Liguasan Marsh,” he stressed.
The 2/11 Movement is composed of 14 Moro peoples organization binding themselves to lead the move in seeking justice “not just for those who were killed in the Buliok attack but (also for) other victims of injustices at the height of the 2003 war.” ( Keith Bacongco / MindaNews)
Congreesional, Governatorial and Vice Governor Candidates in Maguindanao
Congress:
1. Dilangalen, Didagen Piang - Ind.
2. Sema, Baisandra Ampatuan - Lakas - Kampi
3. Datumanong, Semion Ampatuan - Lakas - Kampi
Governor:
1. Mangudadatu, Esmael Gaguil - Lakas - Kampi
2. Midtimbang, Midpantao Musa - PMP
3. Sinsuat, Datu Ombra Quesada - B-Bayan, VNP
Vice-Governor
1. Abutazil, Shaydee Ampatuan - Ind.
2. Ampatuan, Andal Sr. Salibo - Ind.
3. Candao, Ma-arouph Bajunaid - IPP
4. Mastura, Ismael Veloso - Lakas - Kampi
1. Dilangalen, Didagen Piang - Ind.
2. Sema, Baisandra Ampatuan - Lakas - Kampi
3. Datumanong, Semion Ampatuan - Lakas - Kampi
Governor:
1. Mangudadatu, Esmael Gaguil - Lakas - Kampi
2. Midtimbang, Midpantao Musa - PMP
3. Sinsuat, Datu Ombra Quesada - B-Bayan, VNP
Vice-Governor
1. Abutazil, Shaydee Ampatuan - Ind.
2. Ampatuan, Andal Sr. Salibo - Ind.
3. Candao, Ma-arouph Bajunaid - IPP
4. Mastura, Ismael Veloso - Lakas - Kampi
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Massacre suspect shot dead by Mangudadatu bodyguards
By Dennis Santos
Inquirer Mindanao
First Posted 22:08:00 02/11/2010
Filed Under: Maguindanao Massacre, Election Violence, Crime
DAVAO CITY, Philippines–-A man suspected to have been involved in the November 23 Maguindanao massacre was killed by the bodyguards of Buluan town vice mayor Esmael Mangudadatu in a shopping mall here Thursday night.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said initial reports reaching him revealed that the suspect, identified as Tamano Kamindan Mamalapat, tried to grab the firearm of one of Mangudadatu’s escorts.
One of security escorts then shot at Mamalapat.
Mangudadatu was with his daughter when the shooting happened at the kitchenware section of the JS Gaisano along Ilustre Street here at 8 p.m. Both were unharmed.
Mangudadatu, in an interview with reporters, said Mamalapat was involved in the Maguindanao Massacre.
Mangudadatu's wife, two sisters and several relatives were among those killed in the massacre allegedly perpetrated by armed men led by Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. At least 31 journalists were also killed in the massacre
As of this posting, police are still investigating the shooting.
Inquirer Mindanao
First Posted 22:08:00 02/11/2010
Filed Under: Maguindanao Massacre, Election Violence, Crime
DAVAO CITY, Philippines–-A man suspected to have been involved in the November 23 Maguindanao massacre was killed by the bodyguards of Buluan town vice mayor Esmael Mangudadatu in a shopping mall here Thursday night.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said initial reports reaching him revealed that the suspect, identified as Tamano Kamindan Mamalapat, tried to grab the firearm of one of Mangudadatu’s escorts.
One of security escorts then shot at Mamalapat.
Mangudadatu was with his daughter when the shooting happened at the kitchenware section of the JS Gaisano along Ilustre Street here at 8 p.m. Both were unharmed.
Mangudadatu, in an interview with reporters, said Mamalapat was involved in the Maguindanao Massacre.
Mangudadatu's wife, two sisters and several relatives were among those killed in the massacre allegedly perpetrated by armed men led by Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. At least 31 journalists were also killed in the massacre
As of this posting, police are still investigating the shooting.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sidebar: Detained, yes, but Ampatuans still running for top posts in Maguindanao
DAVAO CITY (MindaNew/08 February) – Their leaders may be detained outside
Maguindanao but they remain a clan to reckon with in Maguindanao, if we are to base it on the number of candidates running for election or reelection on May 10. The
Ampatuans, Sinsuats, Sangkis, Mangudadatus, Pendatuns, Masturas, Midtimbangs, etc.. are fielding candidates for the May 10 polls but the Ampatuans have the highest number at 68, 50 of them carrying the same surname while the remaining 18 use Ampatuan as their middle name.
Of the 50, at least 23 are members of the immediate family of the patriarch, Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr.
The Mangudadatus have 15, 10 of them bearing the surname with the remaining five use Mangudadatu as middle name (see other story).
On November 23 last year, the Mangudadatus sent a convoy of relatives, women lawyers and 32 journalists to the provincial office of the Commission on Elections in Shariff Aguak town, Maguindanao, to file the certificate of candidacy for governor of Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Gaguil Mangudadatu.
The convoy was stopped by armed men believed led by Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr. who would have been the Ampatuans’ candidate for governor and along with six others who happened to pass the highway at the wrong time, were herded into Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town, where they were massacred – at least 58 of them -- 35 of them buried in three mass gravesites.
Andal Jr. was taken into custody on November 26.
On December 5, hours after martial law was declared over portions of Maguindanao, Andal Sr., then OIC Governor of Maguindanao, was taken into custody at 1:30 in the morning while his son Datu Zaldy, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was taken in at around 7 a.m. and brought to General Santos City. Two other sons, Datu Anwar, mayor of Shariff Aguak and Datu Sajid, former OIC Governor of Maguindanao were also taken in along with son-in-law Datu Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan, Sr., were also arrested and brought to the 6th Infantry Division in Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat but a few days later were transferred to General Santos.
So who’s running among the Ampatuans?
Candidates directly related to Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr.
Datu Andal Salibo Ampatuan, Sr., for vice governor
Shaydee Ampatuan-Abutazil (daughter), for vice governor
Sajid Islam Uy Ampatuan (son), for Provincial Board
Bongbong Midtimbang-Ampatuan (wife of Datu Zaldy), for mayor of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, unopposed
Bai Noraila K. Midtimbang Ampatuan (daughter of Zaldy and Bongbong), for councilor, unopposed
Saudi Biruar Ampatuan, Jr., (son of the late mayor Saudi) for mayor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Saudi Biruar Ampatuan III, (Saudi Jr’s brother) for vice mayor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Soraida Macarimbang Biruar-Ampatuan (wife of the late Mayor Saudi Ampatuan), for vice mayor of Parang
Jehan-jehan Lepail Ampatuan (wife of Saudi Jr.), for councilor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Reshal Santiago-Ampatuan (wife of Andal Jr.), for mayor of Datu Unsay
Yacob “Datu Jack” Lumenda Ampatuan (husband of Aloha, a daughter of Andal, Sr.) for mayor of Rajah Buayan
Zahara Upam Ampatuan (wife of Anwar), for mayor of Shariff Aguak
Zandria Sinsuat Ampatuan, (wife of Sajid) for mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Mohammad Bahnarin Ampatuan Ampatuan (son of Rebecca and Datu Akmad Sr.), for mayor of Mamasapano
Tahirodin Benzar Ampatuan Ampatuan (son of Rebecca and Datu Akmad Sr), for mayor of Mamasapano
Akmad Masukat Ampatuan (father of Bahnarin and Benzar), for vice mayor of Mamasapano
Lady Sha-Honey Ampatuan Ampatuan (daughter of Rebecca and Akmad Sr.), for vice mayor of Mamasapano
Zahara Upam Ampatuan (wife of Anwar), for mayor of Shariff Aguak
Anwar Uy Ampatuan, Sr. (son of Andal Sr.; wife of Zahara), for vice mayor of Shariff Aguak
Anhara Upam Ampatuan (child of Anwar and Zahara) for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Anwar Upam Ampatuan, Jr., (child of Anwar and Zahara) for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Rowella Upam Ampatuan (child of Anwar and Zahara) for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Manny Upam Ampatuan (child of Anwar and Zahara), for councilor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Galema Ampatuan-Olimpayan (daughter of Andal Sr. with another wife) for councilor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Other candidates with Ampatuan as family name:
Datu Sarip Kasan Ampatuan, for Provincial Board
Puti Mamasapano Ampatuan, for Provincial Board
Akmad Baganian Ampatuan, for mayor of Datu Salibo
Marob Batabol Ampatuan, for mayor of Datu Salibo
Kuzbari Lumenda Ampatuan, for mayor of Rajah Buayan
Datu Rennier Sinsuat Ampatuan for mayor of Talitay
Kanor Datumanong Ampatuan, for vice mayor of Datu Salibo
Baiungang Dilangalen Ampatuan, for vice mayor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Farida Lidasan Ampatuan, for vice mayor of Matanog
Normina Baganian Ampatuan, for councilor of Ampatuan
Bai Sittie Sugadol Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Datu Khalid Sandag Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, unopposed
Norodin Lakman Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, unopposed
Mama Datumanong Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Salibo
Moharif Batabol Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Salibo
Yasser Baganian Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Salibo
Abdullah Kaliangget Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Unsay
Pandag Salibo Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Unsay
Anwarudin Masukat Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Mahir Masukat Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Mohamad Nor Abdilla Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Usman Unto Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Farisha Imam Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Norodin Datumanong Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Syrah Fatima Biruar Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Michelle Sakal Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Zainal Buto Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Candidates with Ampatuan as middle name:
Bai Sandra Ampatuan Sema (wife of incumbent Cotabato City mayor Muslimin Sema) for 1st district rep against Didagen Piang Dilangalen
Simeon Ampatuan Datumanong, for 2nd district rep, unopposed.
Samsodhen Ampatuan Sangki, for vice mayor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Monir Ampatuan Asim, Sr., for vice mayor of Datu Unsay
Ameerah Ampatuan Mamalapat, for vice mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Tulondatu Ampatuan Sumagka, for vice mayor of Talitay
Johaipa Ampatuan Basilan, for councilor of Ampatuan
Datumama Ampatuan Dilangalen, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Rohaida Ampatuan Ebrahim, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Bai Giom Ampatuan Kindo, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Prince Razul Ampatuan Sangki, for councilor of Datu Adullah Sangki
Nasser Ampatuan Datumanong, for councilor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Mohammad Don Ysriel Ampatuan Asim, for councilor of Datu Unsay
Datumama Ampatuan Bandila, for councilor of Rajah Buayan
Saada Ampatuan Sambolawan, for councilor of Rajah Buayan
Norodin Ampatuan Datumanong, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Amil Hamza Ramshais Ampatuan Macapendeg, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Melvin Ampatuan Sumagka, for councilor of Talitay
Cotabato City is not part of Maguindanao but there are three Ampatuans running for elective posts there: Linda Untal Ampatuan, running for vice mayor; Johariz Usman Ampatuan, running for councilor; and Omarkhalid Ampatuan Ampatuan, running for councilor. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)
Maguindanao but they remain a clan to reckon with in Maguindanao, if we are to base it on the number of candidates running for election or reelection on May 10. The
Ampatuans, Sinsuats, Sangkis, Mangudadatus, Pendatuns, Masturas, Midtimbangs, etc.. are fielding candidates for the May 10 polls but the Ampatuans have the highest number at 68, 50 of them carrying the same surname while the remaining 18 use Ampatuan as their middle name.
Of the 50, at least 23 are members of the immediate family of the patriarch, Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr.
The Mangudadatus have 15, 10 of them bearing the surname with the remaining five use Mangudadatu as middle name (see other story).
On November 23 last year, the Mangudadatus sent a convoy of relatives, women lawyers and 32 journalists to the provincial office of the Commission on Elections in Shariff Aguak town, Maguindanao, to file the certificate of candidacy for governor of Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Gaguil Mangudadatu.
The convoy was stopped by armed men believed led by Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr. who would have been the Ampatuans’ candidate for governor and along with six others who happened to pass the highway at the wrong time, were herded into Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman in Ampatuan town, where they were massacred – at least 58 of them -- 35 of them buried in three mass gravesites.
Andal Jr. was taken into custody on November 26.
On December 5, hours after martial law was declared over portions of Maguindanao, Andal Sr., then OIC Governor of Maguindanao, was taken into custody at 1:30 in the morning while his son Datu Zaldy, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was taken in at around 7 a.m. and brought to General Santos City. Two other sons, Datu Anwar, mayor of Shariff Aguak and Datu Sajid, former OIC Governor of Maguindanao were also taken in along with son-in-law Datu Akmad “Tato” Ampatuan, Sr., were also arrested and brought to the 6th Infantry Division in Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat but a few days later were transferred to General Santos.
So who’s running among the Ampatuans?
Candidates directly related to Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr.
Datu Andal Salibo Ampatuan, Sr., for vice governor
Shaydee Ampatuan-Abutazil (daughter), for vice governor
Sajid Islam Uy Ampatuan (son), for Provincial Board
Bongbong Midtimbang-Ampatuan (wife of Datu Zaldy), for mayor of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, unopposed
Bai Noraila K. Midtimbang Ampatuan (daughter of Zaldy and Bongbong), for councilor, unopposed
Saudi Biruar Ampatuan, Jr., (son of the late mayor Saudi) for mayor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Saudi Biruar Ampatuan III, (Saudi Jr’s brother) for vice mayor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Soraida Macarimbang Biruar-Ampatuan (wife of the late Mayor Saudi Ampatuan), for vice mayor of Parang
Jehan-jehan Lepail Ampatuan (wife of Saudi Jr.), for councilor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Reshal Santiago-Ampatuan (wife of Andal Jr.), for mayor of Datu Unsay
Yacob “Datu Jack” Lumenda Ampatuan (husband of Aloha, a daughter of Andal, Sr.) for mayor of Rajah Buayan
Zahara Upam Ampatuan (wife of Anwar), for mayor of Shariff Aguak
Zandria Sinsuat Ampatuan, (wife of Sajid) for mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Mohammad Bahnarin Ampatuan Ampatuan (son of Rebecca and Datu Akmad Sr.), for mayor of Mamasapano
Tahirodin Benzar Ampatuan Ampatuan (son of Rebecca and Datu Akmad Sr), for mayor of Mamasapano
Akmad Masukat Ampatuan (father of Bahnarin and Benzar), for vice mayor of Mamasapano
Lady Sha-Honey Ampatuan Ampatuan (daughter of Rebecca and Akmad Sr.), for vice mayor of Mamasapano
Zahara Upam Ampatuan (wife of Anwar), for mayor of Shariff Aguak
Anwar Uy Ampatuan, Sr. (son of Andal Sr.; wife of Zahara), for vice mayor of Shariff Aguak
Anhara Upam Ampatuan (child of Anwar and Zahara) for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Anwar Upam Ampatuan, Jr., (child of Anwar and Zahara) for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Rowella Upam Ampatuan (child of Anwar and Zahara) for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Manny Upam Ampatuan (child of Anwar and Zahara), for councilor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Galema Ampatuan-Olimpayan (daughter of Andal Sr. with another wife) for councilor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Other candidates with Ampatuan as family name:
Datu Sarip Kasan Ampatuan, for Provincial Board
Puti Mamasapano Ampatuan, for Provincial Board
Akmad Baganian Ampatuan, for mayor of Datu Salibo
Marob Batabol Ampatuan, for mayor of Datu Salibo
Kuzbari Lumenda Ampatuan, for mayor of Rajah Buayan
Datu Rennier Sinsuat Ampatuan for mayor of Talitay
Kanor Datumanong Ampatuan, for vice mayor of Datu Salibo
Baiungang Dilangalen Ampatuan, for vice mayor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Farida Lidasan Ampatuan, for vice mayor of Matanog
Normina Baganian Ampatuan, for councilor of Ampatuan
Bai Sittie Sugadol Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Datu Khalid Sandag Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, unopposed
Norodin Lakman Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, unopposed
Mama Datumanong Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Salibo
Moharif Batabol Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Salibo
Yasser Baganian Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Salibo
Abdullah Kaliangget Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Unsay
Pandag Salibo Ampatuan, for councilor of Datu Unsay
Anwarudin Masukat Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Mahir Masukat Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Mohamad Nor Abdilla Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Usman Unto Ampatuan, for councilor of Mamasapano
Farisha Imam Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Norodin Datumanong Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Syrah Fatima Biruar Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Michelle Sakal Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Zainal Buto Ampatuan, for councilor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Candidates with Ampatuan as middle name:
Bai Sandra Ampatuan Sema (wife of incumbent Cotabato City mayor Muslimin Sema) for 1st district rep against Didagen Piang Dilangalen
Simeon Ampatuan Datumanong, for 2nd district rep, unopposed.
Samsodhen Ampatuan Sangki, for vice mayor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Monir Ampatuan Asim, Sr., for vice mayor of Datu Unsay
Ameerah Ampatuan Mamalapat, for vice mayor of Shariff Saydona Mustapha
Tulondatu Ampatuan Sumagka, for vice mayor of Talitay
Johaipa Ampatuan Basilan, for councilor of Ampatuan
Datumama Ampatuan Dilangalen, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Rohaida Ampatuan Ebrahim, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Bai Giom Ampatuan Kindo, for councilor of Datu Abdullah Sangki
Prince Razul Ampatuan Sangki, for councilor of Datu Adullah Sangki
Nasser Ampatuan Datumanong, for councilor of Datu Saudi Ampatuan
Mohammad Don Ysriel Ampatuan Asim, for councilor of Datu Unsay
Datumama Ampatuan Bandila, for councilor of Rajah Buayan
Saada Ampatuan Sambolawan, for councilor of Rajah Buayan
Norodin Ampatuan Datumanong, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Amil Hamza Ramshais Ampatuan Macapendeg, for councilor of Shariff Aguak
Melvin Ampatuan Sumagka, for councilor of Talitay
Cotabato City is not part of Maguindanao but there are three Ampatuans running for elective posts there: Linda Untal Ampatuan, running for vice mayor; Johariz Usman Ampatuan, running for councilor; and Omarkhalid Ampatuan Ampatuan, running for councilor. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)
Of 36 Maguindanao towns, 8 have unopposed mayoral and vice mayoral bets
by Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews Monday, 08 February 2010 16:06
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/07 Feb) – There are eight of 36 towns in Maguindanao where candidates for mayor and vice mayor are running unopposed; of the eight, five towns have an entire slate of candidates – for mayor, vice mayor and eight municipal board members – running unopposed in the elections on May 10, records from the Commission on Elections show. The towns of Ampatuan, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Guindulungan, Mangudadatu, Sultan Mastura and Sultan Mastura have unopposed candidates for mayor and vice mayor.
The sure winners represent Maguindanao’s clans – the Ampatuans, Mangudadatus, Masturas, Midtimbangs, Sinsuats, Sangkis.
In Ampatuan town, incumbent mayor Datu Zacaria Simpal Sangki and Datu Rasul Mabang Sangki are running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor, as Independents. Datu Zacaria is the incumbent mayor.
In Datu Anggal Midtimbang, incumbent mayor Nathaniel Sangacala Midtimbang is running for mayor while Ebrahim Musa Midtimbang is running for vice mayor. Both are running under B.Bayan-VNP.
In Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, incumbent mayor Bongbong Midtimbang Ampatuan, wife of detained ARMM Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan, is running for mayor while Abdulamanap Saliguidan Malaguial is running for vice mayor, unopposed.
Datu Hoffer is one of three new towns created last year. Bongbong Midtimbang Ampatuan was appointed acting mayor of the town by her husband, Datu Zaldy. Under the ARMM, the power to appoint OICs lies in the ARMM governor. The two other new towns are Datu Salibo and Shariff Saydona Mustapha and Datu Zaldy named two more relatives as acting mayors – Datu Akmad B. Ampatuan for Datu Salibo and Bai Zandria S. Ampatuan for Shariff Saydona. Datu Akmad and Bai Zandria are running for mayor in the two towns, but Datu Akmad is facing three opponents while Bai Zandria is running against one opponent.
In Datu Odin Sinsuat, Lester Seismundo Sinsuat and brother Sajid Seismundo Sinsuat are running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor under B.Bayan-VNP.
In Guindulungan, Datu G. Midtimbang Midtimbang and Baicong Amolan Midtimbang are also running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor
In Mangudadatu town, incumbent mayor Freddie Gaguil Mangudadatu and Prince M. Mangudadatu Dilangalen are also running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor under Lakas-Kampi.
In Sultan Kudarat town, Tucao Ong Mastura (LP) and Shajida Biruar Mastura (Lakas-Kampi) are running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor.
In Sultan Matura town, incumbent mayor Armando Talusan Mastura (NPC) and Mustapha Budian Abdulwahab (Lakas-Kampi) are running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor.
Three towns have unopposed candidates for vice mayor: Mohammad Powers Paglas (B.Bayan-VNP) in Datu Paglas town; Genuine Piang Kamaong, Jr., in Datu Piang, and Sukarno Musa Midtimbang (B. Bayan-VNP) in Talayan.
The five towns with a complete slate running unopposed are the towns of Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Datu Hoffer Midtimbang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Guindulungan, and Mangudadatu towns.
The eight unopposed bets for councilor in Datu Anggal Midtimbang are Said Kayog Abag, Daud Namil Guiama, Salipada Sabang Kayog, Lubatan Akad Lampay, Aladin Sinsuat Mentang, Abdulkarim Panalangin Mohamad, Kuro Saban Salim and Sandiale Indal Sultan. All are running under B.Bayan –VNP.
In Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, the unopposed bets for councilor are Bai Noraila K Midtimbang Ampatuan, Datu Khalid Sandag Ampatuan, Norodin Lakman Ampatuan, Datukan Undag Dukay, Macapagl Silongan Kamendan, Salunda Kam Kusan, Kasim Dadoy Omar and Eljean Tomas Unas, all running as Independents.
Bai Noraillah Kristina Midtimbang Ampatuan, 20, is the eldest child of incumbent mayor Bongbong Midtimbang Ampatuan and Datu Zaldy Ampatuan.
In Datu Odin Sinsuat, the unopposed bets for councilor are Sophia Maliga Abas, Umbra Mama Ambolodto, Zhenet Sinsuat Ante, Suharto Sinsuat Mama, Akmad Salazar Nur, Jr., Medzecail Mamacol Pinguiaman, Dexter Datumanong Sinsuat and Osmena Lucas Sinsuat III. All are running as Independents.
In Guindulungan, Bobby Midtimbang Bondula, Midpantao Musa Midtimbang, Jr., Ngulin Kasim Midtimbang, Abdulhaqe M. Midtimbang Mustapha, Datunoey Midtimbang Pandita, H. Rasul Maulana Salvo,Singtaon Amolan Sangowan an Percival Akmad Watamama are running for councilor, unopposed. All are running as Independents.
In Mangudadatu town, the council bets running unopposed are Fort Mangudadatu Daniel, Guiapal Nanagga Galuken, and Linda Edza gandalibo, Datucon Alfonso Laguiaomal, Kasan Alamada Mamasalanang, Jackson Kanda Mangudadatu, Esmael Ago Usop and Suabi Tawalang Utto. All of them are running under Lakas-Kampi. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/07 Feb) – There are eight of 36 towns in Maguindanao where candidates for mayor and vice mayor are running unopposed; of the eight, five towns have an entire slate of candidates – for mayor, vice mayor and eight municipal board members – running unopposed in the elections on May 10, records from the Commission on Elections show. The towns of Ampatuan, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Guindulungan, Mangudadatu, Sultan Mastura and Sultan Mastura have unopposed candidates for mayor and vice mayor.
The sure winners represent Maguindanao’s clans – the Ampatuans, Mangudadatus, Masturas, Midtimbangs, Sinsuats, Sangkis.
In Ampatuan town, incumbent mayor Datu Zacaria Simpal Sangki and Datu Rasul Mabang Sangki are running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor, as Independents. Datu Zacaria is the incumbent mayor.
In Datu Anggal Midtimbang, incumbent mayor Nathaniel Sangacala Midtimbang is running for mayor while Ebrahim Musa Midtimbang is running for vice mayor. Both are running under B.Bayan-VNP.
In Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, incumbent mayor Bongbong Midtimbang Ampatuan, wife of detained ARMM Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan, is running for mayor while Abdulamanap Saliguidan Malaguial is running for vice mayor, unopposed.
Datu Hoffer is one of three new towns created last year. Bongbong Midtimbang Ampatuan was appointed acting mayor of the town by her husband, Datu Zaldy. Under the ARMM, the power to appoint OICs lies in the ARMM governor. The two other new towns are Datu Salibo and Shariff Saydona Mustapha and Datu Zaldy named two more relatives as acting mayors – Datu Akmad B. Ampatuan for Datu Salibo and Bai Zandria S. Ampatuan for Shariff Saydona. Datu Akmad and Bai Zandria are running for mayor in the two towns, but Datu Akmad is facing three opponents while Bai Zandria is running against one opponent.
In Datu Odin Sinsuat, Lester Seismundo Sinsuat and brother Sajid Seismundo Sinsuat are running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor under B.Bayan-VNP.
In Guindulungan, Datu G. Midtimbang Midtimbang and Baicong Amolan Midtimbang are also running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor
In Mangudadatu town, incumbent mayor Freddie Gaguil Mangudadatu and Prince M. Mangudadatu Dilangalen are also running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor under Lakas-Kampi.
In Sultan Kudarat town, Tucao Ong Mastura (LP) and Shajida Biruar Mastura (Lakas-Kampi) are running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor.
In Sultan Matura town, incumbent mayor Armando Talusan Mastura (NPC) and Mustapha Budian Abdulwahab (Lakas-Kampi) are running unopposed for mayor and vice mayor.
Three towns have unopposed candidates for vice mayor: Mohammad Powers Paglas (B.Bayan-VNP) in Datu Paglas town; Genuine Piang Kamaong, Jr., in Datu Piang, and Sukarno Musa Midtimbang (B. Bayan-VNP) in Talayan.
The five towns with a complete slate running unopposed are the towns of Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Datu Hoffer Midtimbang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Guindulungan, and Mangudadatu towns.
The eight unopposed bets for councilor in Datu Anggal Midtimbang are Said Kayog Abag, Daud Namil Guiama, Salipada Sabang Kayog, Lubatan Akad Lampay, Aladin Sinsuat Mentang, Abdulkarim Panalangin Mohamad, Kuro Saban Salim and Sandiale Indal Sultan. All are running under B.Bayan –VNP.
In Datu Hoffer Ampatuan, the unopposed bets for councilor are Bai Noraila K Midtimbang Ampatuan, Datu Khalid Sandag Ampatuan, Norodin Lakman Ampatuan, Datukan Undag Dukay, Macapagl Silongan Kamendan, Salunda Kam Kusan, Kasim Dadoy Omar and Eljean Tomas Unas, all running as Independents.
Bai Noraillah Kristina Midtimbang Ampatuan, 20, is the eldest child of incumbent mayor Bongbong Midtimbang Ampatuan and Datu Zaldy Ampatuan.
In Datu Odin Sinsuat, the unopposed bets for councilor are Sophia Maliga Abas, Umbra Mama Ambolodto, Zhenet Sinsuat Ante, Suharto Sinsuat Mama, Akmad Salazar Nur, Jr., Medzecail Mamacol Pinguiaman, Dexter Datumanong Sinsuat and Osmena Lucas Sinsuat III. All are running as Independents.
In Guindulungan, Bobby Midtimbang Bondula, Midpantao Musa Midtimbang, Jr., Ngulin Kasim Midtimbang, Abdulhaqe M. Midtimbang Mustapha, Datunoey Midtimbang Pandita, H. Rasul Maulana Salvo,Singtaon Amolan Sangowan an Percival Akmad Watamama are running for councilor, unopposed. All are running as Independents.
In Mangudadatu town, the council bets running unopposed are Fort Mangudadatu Daniel, Guiapal Nanagga Galuken, and Linda Edza gandalibo, Datucon Alfonso Laguiaomal, Kasan Alamada Mamasalanang, Jackson Kanda Mangudadatu, Esmael Ago Usop and Suabi Tawalang Utto. All of them are running under Lakas-Kampi. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Christian’s Reflection on Mindanao Conflict
By Marigiel Lao Benito
BCJP Volunteer
In the past histories, there were misunderstandings happened between the Ilonggo’s and the Moro people. To prevent this kind of conflict and chaos to prolong, many undertakings have been done. Inter-marriages have been made between these two races, in order for them to merge, unite and understand each others differences especially in culture upbringing.
Compiled reports have already shown that Luzon and Visayan settlers who have migrated in Mindanao invaded the Moro communities and grabbed all of their properties especially their lands. It was easy for these invaders to do these to the Moro’s because they were well-educated and most of the Moro’s in that time were illiterate.
As I have done this research report, I have realized that my ancestors were really ill-minded and that I am very sorry for all of the mess they brought to the Moro people. But in order for me to fully understand my Moro brothers and sisters, I decided to join the Bangsamoro Center for Just Peace (BCJP) as a volunteer to know how to mingle with them and to respect their beliefs and practices.
BCJP Volunteer
In the past histories, there were misunderstandings happened between the Ilonggo’s and the Moro people. To prevent this kind of conflict and chaos to prolong, many undertakings have been done. Inter-marriages have been made between these two races, in order for them to merge, unite and understand each others differences especially in culture upbringing.
Compiled reports have already shown that Luzon and Visayan settlers who have migrated in Mindanao invaded the Moro communities and grabbed all of their properties especially their lands. It was easy for these invaders to do these to the Moro’s because they were well-educated and most of the Moro’s in that time were illiterate.
As I have done this research report, I have realized that my ancestors were really ill-minded and that I am very sorry for all of the mess they brought to the Moro people. But in order for me to fully understand my Moro brothers and sisters, I decided to join the Bangsamoro Center for Just Peace (BCJP) as a volunteer to know how to mingle with them and to respect their beliefs and practices.
Bangsamoro CSOs: “retain and sustain” Acting Gov Ina Ambolodto
by Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews
Wednesday, 03 February 2010 11:05
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/03 February) – At least 16 Bangsamoro civil society organizations and networks passed a resolution Tuesday calling on ARMM Acting Governor Ansaruddin Alonto Adiong to “retain and sustain” Bai Nariman “Ina” Abdullah Ambolodto “as vice governor concurrent acting governor of the province of Maguindanao.”
In a two-page resolution, leaders of the Bangsamoro CSOs who convened a caucus on February 2, said they “very humbly respectfully request” Adiong through Haroun Al-Rashid A Lucman, ARMM Secretary of Local Governments and head of the Search Committee that would select the person who will serve as Acting Maguindanao Governor until June 30, to “continue supporting the efforts of Ina Ambolodto of enabling the provincial government to respond to the various pressing needs of our people and communities; intensify and optimize ARMM regional government agency operations in cooperation with the provincial leadership of Ina Ambolodto to address the displacement of our people as a result of fighting and natural calamities, as well as our staggering poverty situation; and retain and sustain Ina as the Provincial Vice-Governor acting provincial Governor.”
The Bangsamoro CSOs, all of them serving Maguindanao – Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society; Bangsamoro Center for Just Peace; Muassasah Ahliya; Kadtuntaya Foundation, Inc.; United Youth of the Philippines-Women; Interfaith Cooperation Forum; Kangudan Development Center, Inc.; Alliance of Bangsamoro for Peace and Sustainable Development; Bangsamoro Youth Leaders Forum; Kadtabanga Foundation, Inc.; Al-lhsan Foundation; Mindanao Homeland Development, lnc.; 4. Moro Integrated Community Development, Inc.; Moro Women Development and Cultural Center, Inc.; Mindanao Human Rights Resource and Action Center – said Ambolodto has been “doing justice and according pride to the trust and confidence bestowed by the Honorable Regional Governor, faithful to the tradition of transparent and accountable governance.”
Ambolodto was sworn in as OIC Vice Governor on December 15. But Local Governments Secretary Ronaldo Puno also named her concurrent Acting Governor. December 15 was exactly ten days since then OIC Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr., was arrested.
Many applicants… but where’s the list?
Reports about a search committee started coming out just as Ambolodto was earning praises for having steered the province and putting in place basic governance systems in post-Ampatuan Maguindanao. (The Ampatuans were implicated in the November 23 massacre of at least 58 persons, 32 of them media workers. Datu Unsay mayor Datu Andal Ampatuan, Jr., principal suspect in the massacre, is facing charges of multiple murder while the patriarch former OIC Maguindanao governor Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr. and his son, ARMM Governor Datu Zaldy, were among those charged for rebellion).
A January 28 press statement posted on the website of the Department of Interior and Local Government quoted Local Governments Undersecretary Marius Corpus as saying the ARMM leadership has created a search committee for 27 nominees for Acting Maguindanao governor.
ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo told MindaNews in a telephone interview Monday morning that most of the 27 “nominees” had actually applied for the post, that Ambolodto was not among the nominees “but she can apply or be nominated.”
Asked who nominated the 27, the Cotabato City-based Sinarimbo said “most of them applied” for the post. “There are many applicants for governor,” he said.
MindaNews has been asking for a copy of the list of 27 nominees and applicants since Monday but the ARMM has yet to release the list.
“Vacant” seat
On Tuesday afternoon, ARMM Bureau of Public Information chief Ali Macabalang, sent a news release quoting ARM M officials as saying “the issue at hand is not a matter of replacing Ambolodto but to fill up a vacancy in the office of the Maguindanao governor, which is still vacant.”
Macabalang said he met with local officials and was told that after the national government installed him as Acting ARMM Governor on December 14, Adiong had appointed Engr. Nasser Sinarimbo (elder brother of the ARMM Executive Secretary who now heads the ARMM Social Fund project) and Amboldto, an incumbent board member, as OIC- governor and OIC-vice governor, respectively to fill the top Maguindanao leadership vacancies.
Macabalang said Sinarimbo “refused to assume office to pursue his career service in the ARMM bureaucracy, prompting Local Governments Secretary Ronaldo Puno to install Ambolodto as OIC-vice governor on concurrent capacity as acting OIC-governor on Dec. 15.”
Macabalang wrote that “civil society groups including women’s sector and Church-backed NGOs have since shown satisfaction with the Ambolodto transitional governance” but “some interested resident leaders of Maguindanao have invoked to higher authorities and legal luminaries that the position of OIC-governor in Maguindanao is still vacant, hence, at least 27 of them have aspired for the slot, prompting acting ARMM Governor Adiong to create the search committee chaired by regional DILG Secretary Haroun Al-Rashid Lucman Jr. to screen them.”
Macabalang’s report quoted Adiong as saying everyone “is encouraged to apply or submit application (for the position).” Adiong according to the BPI chief, “anchors his administration on the operating principles of transparent, consultative and moral governance.”
The January 28 DILG press release did not name the 27 nominees but it added that among the requirements of the search committee is that “he or she should not be running for any elective position in the coming May elections; has the capacity to govern and ability to effect reforms in the province,” requirements that civil society groups said Ambolodto meets.
Ambolodto did not file her candidacy for any elective post “for personal reasons.”
“Most aptly chosen”
The Bangsamoro CSOs said Ambolodto “has proceeded to establish the basic foundations for the normal operations of the Maguindanao provincial government” and that she has immediately sat with the heads of provincial offices and convened anew the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Ambolodto has also convened the Provincial Peace and Order Council and Provincial Development Council and has seen through the enactment of the 2010 Performance Budget.
The groups said Acting ARMM Governor Adiong has “most apply chosen who wi1l steward the province in these very trying times.”
They also added that the Ambolodto’s efforts “have also merited immediate response from national offices and international organizations.”
The groups said The Asia Foundation “has already sent an expert to provide Organizational Diagnostics for the Provincial Government of Maguindanao” and “will soon send another expert to assist us conduct a Fiscal Systems Review.”
The Commission on Audit, the groups said, “ has already commenced conducting a comprehensive audit of the fiscal administration of the provincial government” while the Civil Service Commission “will also conduct a personnel review coupled with personnel capacity enhancement initiatives.”
The resolution said Acting ARMM Governor Adiong “has chosen the most appropriate leader of our province” and that they appreciate Ambolodto’s three-fold mission.
“Transition governor”
Ambolodto, who considers herself as a “transition governor” set to do the following: normalize provincial government operations and services; support the conduct of a free and credible election; and facilitate the smooth transition and assumption of newly elected provincial officials.”
“The civil society anticipates intense partnership on all three arenas of engagement. We believe she will mobilize provincial government resources for the promotion of the public welfare,” the groups said in their resolution.
The groups said they were “appalled and gravely disturbed by the news account of a search committee to determine who would serve the remainder of the term until 30 June 2010.”
“We, individually and collectively, know for a fact that (Ambolodto) is not running for any public office We also have faith not only in her capacity to govern but as well as on her ability to effect reforms in the province. We need not look elsewhere but simply appreciate how she has conducted governance which slowly yet very consistently effecting reforms.”
Copies of the resolution were also sent to Secretary Puno, Undersecretary Marius Corpus, and Sinarimbo.
Earlier, Irene Santiago, executive director of the Mindanao Commission on Women, said changing Ambolodto would be “a cruel joke on the people!”
"At this time when people’s faith in government has been badly shaken, we need officials like Ina who have foremost in their minds the people’s welfare and not their own. That is precisely why the Mindanao Commission on Women is forming a task force called ‘Ina’s Circle’ to support Ina in her efforts to bring about effective governance in Maguindanao.”
Ambolodto is the keynote speaker in the Mindanao Women’s Congress dubbed Kamindanawan 2010 tomorrow (February 4) in Davao City.
Fatmawati Salapuddin, public relations coordinator of the Lupah Sug Bangsamoro Women said those who want to replace Ambolodto “do not want us to see an example of good governance in any part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). That’s the only reason they want to replace (her) in Maguindanao because she is doing a good job serving the people there.”
Fr. Eliseo Mercado, Jr., executive director of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance in Cotabato City and former Notre Dame University president said it would be “a sad day when a traditional politician becomes an acting governor.”
"Ina is doing well and it will be great if she is allowed to normalize the province until a new one is elected,” he said. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)
Wednesday, 03 February 2010 11:05
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/03 February) – At least 16 Bangsamoro civil society organizations and networks passed a resolution Tuesday calling on ARMM Acting Governor Ansaruddin Alonto Adiong to “retain and sustain” Bai Nariman “Ina” Abdullah Ambolodto “as vice governor concurrent acting governor of the province of Maguindanao.”
In a two-page resolution, leaders of the Bangsamoro CSOs who convened a caucus on February 2, said they “very humbly respectfully request” Adiong through Haroun Al-Rashid A Lucman, ARMM Secretary of Local Governments and head of the Search Committee that would select the person who will serve as Acting Maguindanao Governor until June 30, to “continue supporting the efforts of Ina Ambolodto of enabling the provincial government to respond to the various pressing needs of our people and communities; intensify and optimize ARMM regional government agency operations in cooperation with the provincial leadership of Ina Ambolodto to address the displacement of our people as a result of fighting and natural calamities, as well as our staggering poverty situation; and retain and sustain Ina as the Provincial Vice-Governor acting provincial Governor.”
The Bangsamoro CSOs, all of them serving Maguindanao – Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society; Bangsamoro Center for Just Peace; Muassasah Ahliya; Kadtuntaya Foundation, Inc.; United Youth of the Philippines-Women; Interfaith Cooperation Forum; Kangudan Development Center, Inc.; Alliance of Bangsamoro for Peace and Sustainable Development; Bangsamoro Youth Leaders Forum; Kadtabanga Foundation, Inc.; Al-lhsan Foundation; Mindanao Homeland Development, lnc.; 4. Moro Integrated Community Development, Inc.; Moro Women Development and Cultural Center, Inc.; Mindanao Human Rights Resource and Action Center – said Ambolodto has been “doing justice and according pride to the trust and confidence bestowed by the Honorable Regional Governor, faithful to the tradition of transparent and accountable governance.”
Ambolodto was sworn in as OIC Vice Governor on December 15. But Local Governments Secretary Ronaldo Puno also named her concurrent Acting Governor. December 15 was exactly ten days since then OIC Maguindanao Governor Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr., was arrested.
Many applicants… but where’s the list?
Reports about a search committee started coming out just as Ambolodto was earning praises for having steered the province and putting in place basic governance systems in post-Ampatuan Maguindanao. (The Ampatuans were implicated in the November 23 massacre of at least 58 persons, 32 of them media workers. Datu Unsay mayor Datu Andal Ampatuan, Jr., principal suspect in the massacre, is facing charges of multiple murder while the patriarch former OIC Maguindanao governor Datu Andal Ampatuan, Sr. and his son, ARMM Governor Datu Zaldy, were among those charged for rebellion).
A January 28 press statement posted on the website of the Department of Interior and Local Government quoted Local Governments Undersecretary Marius Corpus as saying the ARMM leadership has created a search committee for 27 nominees for Acting Maguindanao governor.
ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo told MindaNews in a telephone interview Monday morning that most of the 27 “nominees” had actually applied for the post, that Ambolodto was not among the nominees “but she can apply or be nominated.”
Asked who nominated the 27, the Cotabato City-based Sinarimbo said “most of them applied” for the post. “There are many applicants for governor,” he said.
MindaNews has been asking for a copy of the list of 27 nominees and applicants since Monday but the ARMM has yet to release the list.
“Vacant” seat
On Tuesday afternoon, ARMM Bureau of Public Information chief Ali Macabalang, sent a news release quoting ARM M officials as saying “the issue at hand is not a matter of replacing Ambolodto but to fill up a vacancy in the office of the Maguindanao governor, which is still vacant.”
Macabalang said he met with local officials and was told that after the national government installed him as Acting ARMM Governor on December 14, Adiong had appointed Engr. Nasser Sinarimbo (elder brother of the ARMM Executive Secretary who now heads the ARMM Social Fund project) and Amboldto, an incumbent board member, as OIC- governor and OIC-vice governor, respectively to fill the top Maguindanao leadership vacancies.
Macabalang said Sinarimbo “refused to assume office to pursue his career service in the ARMM bureaucracy, prompting Local Governments Secretary Ronaldo Puno to install Ambolodto as OIC-vice governor on concurrent capacity as acting OIC-governor on Dec. 15.”
Macabalang wrote that “civil society groups including women’s sector and Church-backed NGOs have since shown satisfaction with the Ambolodto transitional governance” but “some interested resident leaders of Maguindanao have invoked to higher authorities and legal luminaries that the position of OIC-governor in Maguindanao is still vacant, hence, at least 27 of them have aspired for the slot, prompting acting ARMM Governor Adiong to create the search committee chaired by regional DILG Secretary Haroun Al-Rashid Lucman Jr. to screen them.”
Macabalang’s report quoted Adiong as saying everyone “is encouraged to apply or submit application (for the position).” Adiong according to the BPI chief, “anchors his administration on the operating principles of transparent, consultative and moral governance.”
The January 28 DILG press release did not name the 27 nominees but it added that among the requirements of the search committee is that “he or she should not be running for any elective position in the coming May elections; has the capacity to govern and ability to effect reforms in the province,” requirements that civil society groups said Ambolodto meets.
Ambolodto did not file her candidacy for any elective post “for personal reasons.”
“Most aptly chosen”
The Bangsamoro CSOs said Ambolodto “has proceeded to establish the basic foundations for the normal operations of the Maguindanao provincial government” and that she has immediately sat with the heads of provincial offices and convened anew the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. Ambolodto has also convened the Provincial Peace and Order Council and Provincial Development Council and has seen through the enactment of the 2010 Performance Budget.
The groups said Acting ARMM Governor Adiong has “most apply chosen who wi1l steward the province in these very trying times.”
They also added that the Ambolodto’s efforts “have also merited immediate response from national offices and international organizations.”
The groups said The Asia Foundation “has already sent an expert to provide Organizational Diagnostics for the Provincial Government of Maguindanao” and “will soon send another expert to assist us conduct a Fiscal Systems Review.”
The Commission on Audit, the groups said, “ has already commenced conducting a comprehensive audit of the fiscal administration of the provincial government” while the Civil Service Commission “will also conduct a personnel review coupled with personnel capacity enhancement initiatives.”
The resolution said Acting ARMM Governor Adiong “has chosen the most appropriate leader of our province” and that they appreciate Ambolodto’s three-fold mission.
“Transition governor”
Ambolodto, who considers herself as a “transition governor” set to do the following: normalize provincial government operations and services; support the conduct of a free and credible election; and facilitate the smooth transition and assumption of newly elected provincial officials.”
“The civil society anticipates intense partnership on all three arenas of engagement. We believe she will mobilize provincial government resources for the promotion of the public welfare,” the groups said in their resolution.
The groups said they were “appalled and gravely disturbed by the news account of a search committee to determine who would serve the remainder of the term until 30 June 2010.”
“We, individually and collectively, know for a fact that (Ambolodto) is not running for any public office We also have faith not only in her capacity to govern but as well as on her ability to effect reforms in the province. We need not look elsewhere but simply appreciate how she has conducted governance which slowly yet very consistently effecting reforms.”
Copies of the resolution were also sent to Secretary Puno, Undersecretary Marius Corpus, and Sinarimbo.
Earlier, Irene Santiago, executive director of the Mindanao Commission on Women, said changing Ambolodto would be “a cruel joke on the people!”
"At this time when people’s faith in government has been badly shaken, we need officials like Ina who have foremost in their minds the people’s welfare and not their own. That is precisely why the Mindanao Commission on Women is forming a task force called ‘Ina’s Circle’ to support Ina in her efforts to bring about effective governance in Maguindanao.”
Ambolodto is the keynote speaker in the Mindanao Women’s Congress dubbed Kamindanawan 2010 tomorrow (February 4) in Davao City.
Fatmawati Salapuddin, public relations coordinator of the Lupah Sug Bangsamoro Women said those who want to replace Ambolodto “do not want us to see an example of good governance in any part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). That’s the only reason they want to replace (her) in Maguindanao because she is doing a good job serving the people there.”
Fr. Eliseo Mercado, Jr., executive director of the Institute for Autonomy and Governance in Cotabato City and former Notre Dame University president said it would be “a sad day when a traditional politician becomes an acting governor.”
"Ina is doing well and it will be great if she is allowed to normalize the province until a new one is elected,” he said. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)
Gov. Sacdalan hits Piñol on Moro Question
By Hasan Hatab
February 3, 2010 - In an interview with Governor Jesus Sacdalan on FM radio station in Kidapawan, North Cotabato last January 30, 2010, he hit Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol for continuously advocating anti-Muslim and anti-Lumad attitude.
Gov. Sacdalan has urged the people of North Cotabato not to believe so much on what Piñol is telling the people regarding Moro issues especially on the current peace negotiations between Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Sacdalan said, Vice Governor Piñol is trying to revive the issue on MOA-Ad and trying to get involved in the GRP-MILF peace process. Sacdalan said, as far as negotiation is concerned, Piñol has no authority to speak for and behalf of the government because he is not a member of the government peace panel. It is the responsibility of the government panel to inform the people on what has transpired on the peace negotiations between the government and the MILF.
Gov. Sacdalan further said, Piñol is creating hatred and animosity among Muslims and Christians in North Cotabato and Piñol had grabbed the lands of Muslims and Lumads in North Cotabato.
February 3, 2010 - In an interview with Governor Jesus Sacdalan on FM radio station in Kidapawan, North Cotabato last January 30, 2010, he hit Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol for continuously advocating anti-Muslim and anti-Lumad attitude.
Gov. Sacdalan has urged the people of North Cotabato not to believe so much on what Piñol is telling the people regarding Moro issues especially on the current peace negotiations between Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Sacdalan said, Vice Governor Piñol is trying to revive the issue on MOA-Ad and trying to get involved in the GRP-MILF peace process. Sacdalan said, as far as negotiation is concerned, Piñol has no authority to speak for and behalf of the government because he is not a member of the government peace panel. It is the responsibility of the government panel to inform the people on what has transpired on the peace negotiations between the government and the MILF.
Gov. Sacdalan further said, Piñol is creating hatred and animosity among Muslims and Christians in North Cotabato and Piñol had grabbed the lands of Muslims and Lumads in North Cotabato.
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