Three soldiers killed in Mindanao rebel attacks
By Al Jacinto
The Manila Times – www.manilatimes.net
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
ZAMBOANGA CITY: Three government soldiers were killed and five more wounded in a firefight with communist rebels in the southern Philippines, officials said Tuesday.
Officials said the fighting broke out in the village of Maputi in Davao Oriental’s Banaybanay town where New People’s Army (NPA) rebels also attacked a government road project on Monday.
Capt. Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said the soldiers were guarding the road project when rebels attacked them.
“We value the sacrifice of our troops from the 28th Infantry Battalion securing the Mati-Tagum road project who fought back in order to protect the interest of the people,” he said.
He said the rebels fled after the attacks, commandeering three dump trucks and using its drivers as shield from pursuing troops. He said the rebels freed one of the drivers, but held on to the others to help them carry their dead and wounded.
Garcia said the rebel attack was triggered by the failure of the construction firm, Maverick, to pay illegal taxes to the NPA.
“Such brutality is intended to sow fear and panic among our people and coerce them to support their large-scale extortion syndicate and prohibit our citizens from cooperating with authorities. Their increased level of attacks not only to soldiers, but against noncombatants is a ploy to force helpless people to bow down to their oppressive anti-people and anti-development policy particularly in the countryside which reveals that they are not fighting for any ideology at all,” Garcia added.
But a rebel spokesman, Simon Santiago, said the attack was aimed at a military patrol base in the village.
He said rebels raided the patrol base and seized at least 11 high-powered weapons, including machine guns and grenade launchers.
“A composite team of the New People’s Army’s 3rd Pulang Bagani Company and Front 18 Operations Command in Southern Mindanao raided the 28th Infantry Battalion patrol base.Three were instantly killed and four were wounded on the enemy side, while two surrendered and were freed by the Red fighters,” he said.
The rebel attacks came a day after the military deployed hundreds of soldiers in Davao Oriental province to augment thousands of troops battling the communist insurgency in the restive region.
Extra-judicial killings down
People's Journal – www.journal.com.ph
Thursday, May 27, 2010
BRIG. Gen. Francisco N. Cruz Jr, Commander of the Civil Relations Service, met with Commission on Human Rights chairperson Leila de Lima last week to discuss human rights issues affecting both agencies and cultivate closer coordination.
De Lima lauded the AFP’s seriousness in putting an end to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances as proven by decreased number of cases.
“While there remain reports about human rights violations which are still under validation, I am glad that in 2009 there was a very dramatic reduction in cases of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances,” she said.
Cruz assured the CHR that the AFP is one with the commission in upholding life and human rights.
“We will work hand-in-hand with the CHR to find new and long-term solutions to problems relating to human rights and we volunteered support to Barangay Human Rights Action Center and for CRSAFP Group Commanders to engage with CHR Regional Directors.”
Both parties agreed that the AFP, through the CRS, will submit a report to the CHR on human rights violations relayed from the field.
The Armed Forces also welcomed the two advisories issued by the CHR against the Communist Party of the Philippines- New People’s Army extortion schemes.
Taking exception to a United Nations report, the AFP cited its commitment and determination to protect the rights and dignity of every individual, especially children and minors.
“The UN report seemed inaccurate, unverified, and unsubstantiated. The AFP firmly believes in equal rights and equal opportunities for every person. Even our enemies’ right to life is respected. And we endeavor to return freedom to those who lost them, especially to our children, whom others – particularly illegally armed groups — took advantage of,” Cruz said.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
"Soldiers cleared in alleged maltreatment of child warriors" - 25 May 2010 (Tuesday)
Soldiers cleared in alleged maltreatment of child warriors
By Alexis Romero
The Philippine Star – www.philstar.com
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - The Army’s 6th Infantry Division has cleared two North Cotabato-based battalions of allegations that they maltreated three child warriors employed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said this was the result of an inquiry conducted after the United Nations published a report that members of the 7th and 40th Infantry Battalions violated the children’s rights.
“Upon learning about the information, the 6th Infantry Division conducted an inquiry into the allegation. Per initial results, the allegation is not true,” Burgos said in a press briefing yesterday in Camp Aguinaldo.
He said the 7th and 40th Infantry Battalions did not arrest any child soldier last year, the period covered by the UN report.
“The report seems to be unsubstantiated. It needs more clarification. We need accurate details because these will aid us in our investigation,” Burgos said.
The 7th Infantry Battalion is based in Pikit while the 40th Infantry Battalion headquarters is in Aleosan. Both are being supervised by the 6th Infantry Division.
According to the UN report released last Saturday, children have been detained by the AFP for alleged links with insurgent groups like the MILF and the New People’s Army (NPA).
The report claimed that members of the 7th and 40th Infantry Battalions detained and blindfolded three MILF child warriors to obtain confessions.
The UN report also recorded 12 children killed and 40 injured from January to December 2009 due to armed conflicts.
Burgos said they are trying their best to avoid having children as collateral damage.
However, he admitted that it is hard to differentiate a regular warrior from a child soldier during a firefight.
AFP Civil Relations Service Commander Brig. Gen. Francisco Cruz Jr. said efforts are being undertaken to promote the welfare of child combatants.
“We cooperate with other government agencies and organizations to trace these child combatants’ families or guardians, and in finding the best solutions congenial to their rehabilitation,” Cruz said.
The military claimed that from 2000-2006, a total of 925 children, including child warriors and those caught in crossfire, were turned over to the Social Welfare department.
By Alexis Romero
The Philippine Star – www.philstar.com
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - The Army’s 6th Infantry Division has cleared two North Cotabato-based battalions of allegations that they maltreated three child warriors employed by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said this was the result of an inquiry conducted after the United Nations published a report that members of the 7th and 40th Infantry Battalions violated the children’s rights.
“Upon learning about the information, the 6th Infantry Division conducted an inquiry into the allegation. Per initial results, the allegation is not true,” Burgos said in a press briefing yesterday in Camp Aguinaldo.
He said the 7th and 40th Infantry Battalions did not arrest any child soldier last year, the period covered by the UN report.
“The report seems to be unsubstantiated. It needs more clarification. We need accurate details because these will aid us in our investigation,” Burgos said.
The 7th Infantry Battalion is based in Pikit while the 40th Infantry Battalion headquarters is in Aleosan. Both are being supervised by the 6th Infantry Division.
According to the UN report released last Saturday, children have been detained by the AFP for alleged links with insurgent groups like the MILF and the New People’s Army (NPA).
The report claimed that members of the 7th and 40th Infantry Battalions detained and blindfolded three MILF child warriors to obtain confessions.
The UN report also recorded 12 children killed and 40 injured from January to December 2009 due to armed conflicts.
Burgos said they are trying their best to avoid having children as collateral damage.
However, he admitted that it is hard to differentiate a regular warrior from a child soldier during a firefight.
AFP Civil Relations Service Commander Brig. Gen. Francisco Cruz Jr. said efforts are being undertaken to promote the welfare of child combatants.
“We cooperate with other government agencies and organizations to trace these child combatants’ families or guardians, and in finding the best solutions congenial to their rehabilitation,” Cruz said.
The military claimed that from 2000-2006, a total of 925 children, including child warriors and those caught in crossfire, were turned over to the Social Welfare department.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
"More troops deployed in Davao", " Three soldiers killed in ambush by communists" and other stories - 24 May 2010 (Monday)
More troops deployed in Davao
By Alexis Romero
The Philippine Star – www.philstar.com
Monday, May 24, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - The military will deploy additional troops in the Davao region after communist rebels killed three soldiers and wounded a militiaman in an ambush last Friday.
Capt. Emmanuel Garcia, spokesman of the Army 10th Infantry Division, said a battalion arrived in Tagum City yesterday while another battalion and units from Special Forces and Scout Rangers will come within the next few weeks.
They will be accompanied by engineers, doctors and civil-military operation units to conduct developmental projects in the communities.
“It is paramount that the people will be informed that additional troops will be deployed in the region… We are inviting our media friends to witness the arrival so that our people may be informed that the true soldiers of the masses heeded their call,” Garcia said in a text message.
The ambush, according to the military, happened near a populated area in Barangay Barakatan in Toril District in Davao City.
A local unit of the New People’s Army (NPA) fired at a group of soldiers and militiamen, killing three members of the Army’s 69th Infantry Battalion – Sgt. Raul Candilao, Pfc. Jerry Iann Guling, and Pfc. Julius Vigilla.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) condemned the ambush and vowed to bring its perpetrators to justice.
“It is a treacherous act. It is a desperate move of the NPA because they know that their decline is irreversible,” AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said in a phone interview.
Burgos said the ambush does not mean that the NPA had regained its strength since the rebels are only preying on soft targets.
He, however, said the incident is a source of concern. “We are concerned that is why we are asking our troops to be careful. But the ambush is just an isolated case,” Burgos said.
Garcia said the ambush proves the NPA’s treachery and total disregard to civilians who may be hit by their bullets.
“Fortunately for our people, no civilian was injured in this recent ambush in Davao City,” Garcia said in a statement.
“We call on our lost brothers and sisters in the mountains to take the peaceful path toward societal change and spare our people of the pains and gory outcomes of each violent means they take,” he added.
The NPA has been launching successive attacks in the past few weeks that resulted in casualties on the military side.
Early this month, rebels in the nearby province of Compostela Valley ambushed a convoy of poll officials who were about to return counting machines to Maragusan town for canvassing.
The attack claimed the lives of two soldiers, two militiamen, an election officer and a poll watcher.
Last week, insurgents in Camarines Sur abducted and killed two militiamen after burning two heavy equipment of a construction firm.
The military said the strength of the NPA declined to just 4,702 last year from a peak of 25,000 in 1987.
Despite this claim, AFP chief Gen. Delfin Bangit has admitted that they would not be able to meet the June 30 deadline of wiping out communist rebellion in the country. – With Edith Regalado
Three soldiers killed in ambush by communists
The Manila Times – www.manilatimes.net
Monday, May 24, 2010
DAVAO CITY: Three soldiers were killed in an ambush by communist guerrillas in southern Philippines, the latest in a wave of attacks by the New People’s Army (NPA), the military said Sunday.
The soldiers were buying supplies at a market when they were attacked by about 30 NPA rebels in strife-torn Mindanao island Saturday, military spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said.
One militiaman deputized by the army was also wounded in a brief firefight after troops at a nearby patrol base rushed to the area, he said.
“The ambush site was just 500 meters from a militia patrol base and troops were able to respond and recover the bodies of the slain troopers as well as the wounded,” Cabangbang added.
Saturday’s attack was the deadliest since May 11, when NPA rebels killed six people and wounded 12 others in an ambush on an election convoy also in Mindanao.
In the run up to the polls, four police commandos were also killed in an NPA attack just outside the capital Manila in April.
The Maoist-inspired NPA has been waging an insurgency since 1969 that has claimed thousands of lives.
It had stepped up attacks over the past few weeks, harassing and extorting money from local candidates in the May 10 elections, and targeting police and troops delivering voting materials.
AFP
3 soldiers killed in Davao ambush
By Fernando Cariaso
People’s Journal – www.journal.com.ph
Monday, May 24, 2010
THREE soldiers died while another was hurt in an ambush carried out by New People’s Army rebels in Davao City over the weekend.
According to Capt. Emmanuel Garcia, 10th Infantry Division spokesman, the attack occurred at noon Saturday in the village of Barakatan in Toril district.
The fatalities were identified as Sgt. Raul Candilao, Pfc. Jerry Iann Guling, and Pfc. Julius Vigilla, all of the 69th Infantry Battalion.
They were out to buy food when suspected NPA rebels belonging to Front Committee 54 attacked them, said Eastern Mindanao Command spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang.
”The ambush site was just 500 meters from a militia patrol base and troops were able to respond and recover the bodies of the slain troopers as well as the wounded,” Cabangbang said.
Saturday’s attack was the deadliest since May 11, when NPA rebels killed six people and wounded 12 others in an ambush on an election convoy in Mindanao.
The NPA earlier took responsibility for the deaths of an election officer and four soldiers on May 12 in Maragusan town in Compostela Valley province.
On May 13, three soldiers and a militiaman were abducted by suspected NPA rebels while were attending a party in Mawab town in Compostela Valley. The four remain in captivity.
Garcia said Saturday’s ambush was as “reckless and treacherous” as the May 12 attack, vowing there would be no let-up against the suspects.
“We cannot go on forever like this, we cannot let such despicable acts go on unpunished,” he said.
RP rebels use child soldiers—UN
By Veronica Uy
www.inquirer.net
First Posted 09:52:00 05/23/2010
MANILA, Philippines—Three of the country’s rebel groups—Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf, communist New People’s Army, and secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front—are among the world’s “persistent violators of children in armed conflicts,” the United Nations said.
The Philippines’ three insurgent groups are among 16 different armies and insurgent groups around the world that have recruited or used child soldiers for at least the past five years, the annual report of the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict said.
Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, warned that “we still live in a world with those who would use children as spies, soldiers, and human shields.”
“The shifting nature of conflict has put many children on the front lines. Too often children become collateral damage during military operations. Every year the release of this report should give us pause. Let us remember that we must protect the most innocent and most vulnerable,” she added.
The other violators of international laws against the use of child soldiers were identified as Myanmar’s national army Tatmadaw Kyi, and the rebel Karenni Army and Karen National Liberation Army; the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN);
The national army of the Democratic Republic of Congo known as FARDC and the rebel Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP); Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Nationalist and Integrationalist Front (FNI), the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and various militias that are known as the Mai-Mai;
The pro-government militias in Darfur, Sudan and the southern-based Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA); and Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
The UN report also identified the groups which subjects minors to the most brutal violence, such as killings, maimings, and rapes and other sexual assaults.
At the same time, the report, which has been sent to the UN Security Council, said progress has been made with some groups which have recently signed action plans in which they aim to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
The MILF, the SPLA, and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist have all signed such plans. Burundi has been removed from the annexes to the report following UN verification that all children associated with the National Liberation Forces (FNL) have been reunited with their families and that the group has ceased recruitment.
However, some groups have been named for the first time as recruiting or using children in armed conflict. These include the Afghan National Police, the rebel Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace in the Central African Republic (CAR), and Somalia’s Hizbul Islam militia.
Somalia’s Al-Shabaab, an Islamist rebel force, and the TFG both stand accused of killing and maiming children in the Horn of Africa country.
Several groups involved in fighting in the eastern DRC were named as being responsible for rapes and other forms of sexual violence against children. They are the FARDC, LRA, FDLR, the Patriotic Resistance Forces in Ituri district (FRPI), the FNI, and the Mai-Mai.
The report lists several recommendations to the Security Council for consideration, including more vigorous measures against those groups and individuals who persistently commit grave violations against children. The Council will discuss the report at an open debate next month.
Save RP’s child soldiers – UN
By Madel R. Sabater
Manila Bulletin – www.mb.com.ph
Monday, May 24, 2010
The United Nations (UN) stressed the need for the government to protect children in strife-torn areas as it cited the Philippines as one of two countries in Southeast Asia where children are being used in armed conflict and violence.
The annual report of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict showed that three of the 16 different armies and insurgent groups reportedly using children in armed conflicts in the last five years are from the Philippines: The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the New People’s Army (NPA), and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
“We still live in a world with those who would use children as spies, soldiers, and human shields,” Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, said.
“The shifting nature of conflict has put many children on the front lines. Too often children become collateral damage during military operations. Every year the release of this report should give us pause. Let us remember that we must protect the most innocent and most vulnerable,” she said.
Malacañang Sunday sought the help of concerned foreign governments and watchdogs to put pressure on armed rebel groups to stop using child soldiers in their armed struggle.
Deputy Presidential Spokesman Gary Olivar said they hope these foreign observers could convince rebel organizations to incorporate the issue of child soldiers in the peace negotiations with the government.
Olivar said the Arroyo administration has a policy against child soldiers and has repeatedly appealed to rebel groups to stop tapping children in the frontlines.
“We hope the international observers and other countries helping in the peace process would push for the inclusion of ending this practice by some rebel groups we are engaged in the peace process,” he said.
“This is wrong and this is against international laws,” Olivar said, referring to the rebels’ practice of tapping children in armed conflict.
The UN report tagged the ASG, NPA and MILF as “persistent violators,” along with Myanmar’s national army, known as Tatmadaw Kyi, and the rebel Karenni Army and Karen National Liberation Army in Asia.
Others include rebel and armed groups in Colombia, Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Afghanistan, Central Africa and Somalia.
The report, however, cited the progress made by some groups, including the MILF, which have recently signed an action plan in a bid to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
Aside from the MILF, the report cited the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist for signing such plans.
“The report lists several recommendations to the Security Council for consideration, including more vigorous measures against those groups and individuals who persistently commit grave violations against children. The Council will discuss the report at an open debate next month,” the report stated.
It will be recalled that the MILF and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) forged an agreement in 2009 that the MILF will pull out minors serving in their camps. This development was lauded by the UN.
The MILF had resumed peace talks with the Philippine government on Dec. 8, 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In August 2009, the UN Security Council (UNSC) had recommended to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to expand the criteria of violations against children during conflict to include those who kill, maim, rape or commit other forms of sexual violence against children aside from child recruitment during wartime.
By Alexis Romero
The Philippine Star – www.philstar.com
Monday, May 24, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - The military will deploy additional troops in the Davao region after communist rebels killed three soldiers and wounded a militiaman in an ambush last Friday.
Capt. Emmanuel Garcia, spokesman of the Army 10th Infantry Division, said a battalion arrived in Tagum City yesterday while another battalion and units from Special Forces and Scout Rangers will come within the next few weeks.
They will be accompanied by engineers, doctors and civil-military operation units to conduct developmental projects in the communities.
“It is paramount that the people will be informed that additional troops will be deployed in the region… We are inviting our media friends to witness the arrival so that our people may be informed that the true soldiers of the masses heeded their call,” Garcia said in a text message.
The ambush, according to the military, happened near a populated area in Barangay Barakatan in Toril District in Davao City.
A local unit of the New People’s Army (NPA) fired at a group of soldiers and militiamen, killing three members of the Army’s 69th Infantry Battalion – Sgt. Raul Candilao, Pfc. Jerry Iann Guling, and Pfc. Julius Vigilla.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) condemned the ambush and vowed to bring its perpetrators to justice.
“It is a treacherous act. It is a desperate move of the NPA because they know that their decline is irreversible,” AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said in a phone interview.
Burgos said the ambush does not mean that the NPA had regained its strength since the rebels are only preying on soft targets.
He, however, said the incident is a source of concern. “We are concerned that is why we are asking our troops to be careful. But the ambush is just an isolated case,” Burgos said.
Garcia said the ambush proves the NPA’s treachery and total disregard to civilians who may be hit by their bullets.
“Fortunately for our people, no civilian was injured in this recent ambush in Davao City,” Garcia said in a statement.
“We call on our lost brothers and sisters in the mountains to take the peaceful path toward societal change and spare our people of the pains and gory outcomes of each violent means they take,” he added.
The NPA has been launching successive attacks in the past few weeks that resulted in casualties on the military side.
Early this month, rebels in the nearby province of Compostela Valley ambushed a convoy of poll officials who were about to return counting machines to Maragusan town for canvassing.
The attack claimed the lives of two soldiers, two militiamen, an election officer and a poll watcher.
Last week, insurgents in Camarines Sur abducted and killed two militiamen after burning two heavy equipment of a construction firm.
The military said the strength of the NPA declined to just 4,702 last year from a peak of 25,000 in 1987.
Despite this claim, AFP chief Gen. Delfin Bangit has admitted that they would not be able to meet the June 30 deadline of wiping out communist rebellion in the country. – With Edith Regalado
Three soldiers killed in ambush by communists
The Manila Times – www.manilatimes.net
Monday, May 24, 2010
DAVAO CITY: Three soldiers were killed in an ambush by communist guerrillas in southern Philippines, the latest in a wave of attacks by the New People’s Army (NPA), the military said Sunday.
The soldiers were buying supplies at a market when they were attacked by about 30 NPA rebels in strife-torn Mindanao island Saturday, military spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said.
One militiaman deputized by the army was also wounded in a brief firefight after troops at a nearby patrol base rushed to the area, he said.
“The ambush site was just 500 meters from a militia patrol base and troops were able to respond and recover the bodies of the slain troopers as well as the wounded,” Cabangbang added.
Saturday’s attack was the deadliest since May 11, when NPA rebels killed six people and wounded 12 others in an ambush on an election convoy also in Mindanao.
In the run up to the polls, four police commandos were also killed in an NPA attack just outside the capital Manila in April.
The Maoist-inspired NPA has been waging an insurgency since 1969 that has claimed thousands of lives.
It had stepped up attacks over the past few weeks, harassing and extorting money from local candidates in the May 10 elections, and targeting police and troops delivering voting materials.
AFP
3 soldiers killed in Davao ambush
By Fernando Cariaso
People’s Journal – www.journal.com.ph
Monday, May 24, 2010
THREE soldiers died while another was hurt in an ambush carried out by New People’s Army rebels in Davao City over the weekend.
According to Capt. Emmanuel Garcia, 10th Infantry Division spokesman, the attack occurred at noon Saturday in the village of Barakatan in Toril district.
The fatalities were identified as Sgt. Raul Candilao, Pfc. Jerry Iann Guling, and Pfc. Julius Vigilla, all of the 69th Infantry Battalion.
They were out to buy food when suspected NPA rebels belonging to Front Committee 54 attacked them, said Eastern Mindanao Command spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang.
”The ambush site was just 500 meters from a militia patrol base and troops were able to respond and recover the bodies of the slain troopers as well as the wounded,” Cabangbang said.
Saturday’s attack was the deadliest since May 11, when NPA rebels killed six people and wounded 12 others in an ambush on an election convoy in Mindanao.
The NPA earlier took responsibility for the deaths of an election officer and four soldiers on May 12 in Maragusan town in Compostela Valley province.
On May 13, three soldiers and a militiaman were abducted by suspected NPA rebels while were attending a party in Mawab town in Compostela Valley. The four remain in captivity.
Garcia said Saturday’s ambush was as “reckless and treacherous” as the May 12 attack, vowing there would be no let-up against the suspects.
“We cannot go on forever like this, we cannot let such despicable acts go on unpunished,” he said.
RP rebels use child soldiers—UN
By Veronica Uy
www.inquirer.net
First Posted 09:52:00 05/23/2010
MANILA, Philippines—Three of the country’s rebel groups—Muslim extremist Abu Sayyaf, communist New People’s Army, and secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front—are among the world’s “persistent violators of children in armed conflicts,” the United Nations said.
The Philippines’ three insurgent groups are among 16 different armies and insurgent groups around the world that have recruited or used child soldiers for at least the past five years, the annual report of the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict said.
Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, warned that “we still live in a world with those who would use children as spies, soldiers, and human shields.”
“The shifting nature of conflict has put many children on the front lines. Too often children become collateral damage during military operations. Every year the release of this report should give us pause. Let us remember that we must protect the most innocent and most vulnerable,” she added.
The other violators of international laws against the use of child soldiers were identified as Myanmar’s national army Tatmadaw Kyi, and the rebel Karenni Army and Karen National Liberation Army; the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN);
The national army of the Democratic Republic of Congo known as FARDC and the rebel Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP); Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Nationalist and Integrationalist Front (FNI), the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and various militias that are known as the Mai-Mai;
The pro-government militias in Darfur, Sudan and the southern-based Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA); and Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG).
The UN report also identified the groups which subjects minors to the most brutal violence, such as killings, maimings, and rapes and other sexual assaults.
At the same time, the report, which has been sent to the UN Security Council, said progress has been made with some groups which have recently signed action plans in which they aim to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
The MILF, the SPLA, and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist have all signed such plans. Burundi has been removed from the annexes to the report following UN verification that all children associated with the National Liberation Forces (FNL) have been reunited with their families and that the group has ceased recruitment.
However, some groups have been named for the first time as recruiting or using children in armed conflict. These include the Afghan National Police, the rebel Convention of Patriots for Justice and Peace in the Central African Republic (CAR), and Somalia’s Hizbul Islam militia.
Somalia’s Al-Shabaab, an Islamist rebel force, and the TFG both stand accused of killing and maiming children in the Horn of Africa country.
Several groups involved in fighting in the eastern DRC were named as being responsible for rapes and other forms of sexual violence against children. They are the FARDC, LRA, FDLR, the Patriotic Resistance Forces in Ituri district (FRPI), the FNI, and the Mai-Mai.
The report lists several recommendations to the Security Council for consideration, including more vigorous measures against those groups and individuals who persistently commit grave violations against children. The Council will discuss the report at an open debate next month.
Save RP’s child soldiers – UN
By Madel R. Sabater
Manila Bulletin – www.mb.com.ph
Monday, May 24, 2010
The United Nations (UN) stressed the need for the government to protect children in strife-torn areas as it cited the Philippines as one of two countries in Southeast Asia where children are being used in armed conflict and violence.
The annual report of the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict showed that three of the 16 different armies and insurgent groups reportedly using children in armed conflicts in the last five years are from the Philippines: The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the New People’s Army (NPA), and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
“We still live in a world with those who would use children as spies, soldiers, and human shields,” Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, said.
“The shifting nature of conflict has put many children on the front lines. Too often children become collateral damage during military operations. Every year the release of this report should give us pause. Let us remember that we must protect the most innocent and most vulnerable,” she said.
Malacañang Sunday sought the help of concerned foreign governments and watchdogs to put pressure on armed rebel groups to stop using child soldiers in their armed struggle.
Deputy Presidential Spokesman Gary Olivar said they hope these foreign observers could convince rebel organizations to incorporate the issue of child soldiers in the peace negotiations with the government.
Olivar said the Arroyo administration has a policy against child soldiers and has repeatedly appealed to rebel groups to stop tapping children in the frontlines.
“We hope the international observers and other countries helping in the peace process would push for the inclusion of ending this practice by some rebel groups we are engaged in the peace process,” he said.
“This is wrong and this is against international laws,” Olivar said, referring to the rebels’ practice of tapping children in armed conflict.
The UN report tagged the ASG, NPA and MILF as “persistent violators,” along with Myanmar’s national army, known as Tatmadaw Kyi, and the rebel Karenni Army and Karen National Liberation Army in Asia.
Others include rebel and armed groups in Colombia, Congo, Rwanda, Sudan, Afghanistan, Central Africa and Somalia.
The report, however, cited the progress made by some groups, including the MILF, which have recently signed an action plan in a bid to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers.
Aside from the MILF, the report cited the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist for signing such plans.
“The report lists several recommendations to the Security Council for consideration, including more vigorous measures against those groups and individuals who persistently commit grave violations against children. The Council will discuss the report at an open debate next month,” the report stated.
It will be recalled that the MILF and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) forged an agreement in 2009 that the MILF will pull out minors serving in their camps. This development was lauded by the UN.
The MILF had resumed peace talks with the Philippine government on Dec. 8, 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In August 2009, the UN Security Council (UNSC) had recommended to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to expand the criteria of violations against children during conflict to include those who kill, maim, rape or commit other forms of sexual violence against children aside from child recruitment during wartime.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
"NPAs release Surigao mayor" and related stories - 19 May 2010 (Wednesday)
NPAs release Surigao mayor
By Alexis Romero and Edith Regalado
The Philippine Star – www.philstar.com
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - Communist rebels released yesterday abducted Lingig, Surigao del Sur mayor Roberto Luna Jr. and his four escorts, separate statements from the military and the New People’s Army (NPA) said.
Luna and Police Officers 3 Allan Dapitona and Boy de Castro, Private First Class (PFC) John Rey Abao and PFC Arnel Dizon of 58th Infantry Battalion were released from the NPAs custody around 6 o’clock Monday evening in an undisclosed place in Davao Oriental.
Army 10th Infantry Division spokesman Capt. Emmanuel Garcia said the five were released by the NPA at around 6 p.m. at Sitio Pamian, Barangay Bogac, Lingig, Surigao del Sur
He said governor-elect Johnny Pimentel, his wife Leles, and Tita, wife of elected Bislig city mayor Librando Navarro were present at the area to ensure the release of the hostages.
Luna was then brought to his residence while his security escorts were brought to their respective headquarters for debriefing and medical check up.
Previous reports state that the rebels were demanding P2 million to P3 million from the family of Luna and the local government of Surigao del Sur for the release of the hostages. The military, however, cannot confirm the veracity of these reports.
“If directly or indirectly money was given to the kidnappers for the safe release of the victims, then our fear of NPAs resorting to “kidnap for ransom” scheme to generate funds and war materials has finally come true,” said Maj. Gen. Mario Chan, Commander of the 4th Infantry Division.
“Kidnapping with robbery charges will be filed by our soldiers against those responsible,” he said.
In a statement, the NPA Conrado Heredia Command said Luna was released after apologizing for the “crimes” he committed.
“Luna has admitted his culpability in maintaining a large private armed group consisting of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) elements and hired goons,” said Conrado Heredia Command spokesman of Roel Agustin II.
“He (Luna) employed this private armed group in furtherance of his political and economic interests and in the process violated the human rights of the masses,” he added.
The NPA accused Luna of murdering former Lingig mayor Amerosin Onsing in 2001, grabbing peasant lands, engaging in environmentally destructive logging, human rights violations and corruption.
“Despite Luna’s release from detention, the legal and judicial procedures in connection with these cases will continue; only his custodial detention is terminated,” Agustin said.
The military, however, said the release of the hostages confirms that the allegations against Luna are baseless.
“Whether or not a P3 million ransom was paid, the release proves that the alleged cases bannered by the NPAs against their victims are concocted and without any basis,” Garcia said.
Luna and his four security aides were kidnapped on May 5 at the boundary of Agusan del Sur and Compostela Valley. Luna, who just won as vice mayor of Lingig, was about to visit his sick child in Davao City when the incident happened. – With Ben Serrano
Communist rebels free mayor, four others
By Al Jacinto
The Manila Times – www.manilatimes.net
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
ZAMBOANGA CITY: Communist rebels freed on Tuesday an abducted southern Filipino town mayor, two soldiers and two policemen who were held in captivity for more than a week, security officials said.
Officials said the New People’s Army (NPA) released outgoing Mayor Roberto Luna of Lingig town, Private First Class John Rey Abao and Arnel Dizon, and Police Officers Boy de Castro and Alan Dapitanon in the village of Bogac also in Lingig town. Luna is the newly elected vice mayor of the town.
The hostages were handed over to the group of Gov. Johnny Pimentel of Surigao del Sur, who ensured the safe release of the five men.
The release of the hostages came about after reports said that some P3 million in ransoms were paid to the rebels. The military is verifying if the reports were true or not.
“We are trying to validate these media reports that ransoms were paid to the NPA,” said Capt. Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the Army’s 10th Infantry Division.
But the NPA said the mayor was freed after he apologized for the various criminal charges leveled against him by the rebel group.
“The People’s Democratic Government in Guerilla Front 20 has ordered the release of detainee current Lingig Mayor Roberto Luna Jr. on account of his voluntary admission of culpability and issuance of a public apology in relation to the various crimes for which he stands accused of in the revolutionary People’s Court,” said Roel Agustin, a rebel spokesman.
“The Merardo Arce Command-New People’s Army has likewise directed the Camp for the Administration of Detainees of the Conrado Heredia Command-NPA to release the four Prisoners of War who are AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines]/PNP [Philippine National Police] elements,” he added.
Agustin said Luna and his aides were also freed on humanitarian grounds after their families and other groups appealed to the NPA for their safe release.
Maintainer of private army
He added the politician allegedly admitted maintaining a large private armed group consisting of soldiers, policemen and hired goons.
“He [Luna] employed this private armed group in furtherance of his political and economic interests and in the process violated the human rights of the masses,” Agustin said.
The NPA earlier accused Luna of allegedly being involved in the murders of former Mayor Amerosin Onsing of Lingig town in 2001, and the Suazo brothers in the village of Union in 2007.
Luna was also accused of grabbing some 30 hectares of farmlands owned by peasants in the village of Pagbacatan and in Dahican Island and was engaged in destructive logging. He was also charged by the NPA of human rights violations and embezzlement of “people’s money.”
“Despite Luna’s release from detention, the legal and judicial procedures in connection with these cases will continue; only his custodial detention is terminated. As for the four POWs [prisoners of war], the investigation shall be suspended.”
“The NPA and the revolutionary masses enjoin Luna to desist from doing acts inimical to the interest of the people, particularly peasants and Lumad tribesmen, respect their political, economic, social and other human rights and make amends to those whom he had done injustice to,” the rebel spokesman said.
The allegations cannot be independently confirmed. The mayor and his group were seized by rebels on
May 5 near the boundary of Agusan del Sur and Compostela Valley provinces. Rebel forces also confiscated from Luna’s group five M16 automatic rifles, two .45-caliber pistols, one 9-mm automatic pistol and one .380-cal pistol.
The military said Luna was on his way to visit his sick child in Davao City when some 30 rebels blockaded a highway and flagged down the politician’s car and seized him and his aides.
NPA rebels last month also abducted former Mayor Arfran Quinones of Lupon town, who was seeking re-election, and his aide in the village of Marayag in Davao Oriental province.
Two followers of a House Speaker Prospero Nograles were also abducted in Davao City in March after the lawmaker failed to pay extortion money. And five of his supporters were also held this month in Davao City for failing to pay protection money.
The NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is waging a secessionist war for the past four decades.
NPA frees mayor, four escorts
By Victor Reyes
Malaya – www.malaya.com.ph
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
NEW People’s Army rebels yesterday released the outgoing mayor of Lingig town, Surigao del Sur and his four escorts, whom they snatched last May 5 while the group was on its way to Davao City.
Mayor Roberto Luna Jr. and his security men were freed around 12:45 a.m. in Sitio Pamian, Barangay Bogac in Lingig town. They were fetched by Surigao del Sur governor-elect Johnny Pimentel and his wife, Leles.
Luna was later brought to his house in the town, said Lt. Col. Michele Anayron, spokesman of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division.
Luna is a three-term mayor. He won as vice mayor in the May 10 polls, running under Lakas-Kampi CMD.
Also released were Pfc. John Abao, Pfc. Arnel Dizon, PO2 Boy de Castro and PO3 Alan Dapitanon who were assigned as the mayor’s bodyguards.
The two soldiers are undergoing debriefing and medical check-up at the 4th ID headquarters in Cagayan de Oro City.
Luna and his escorts were intercepted by a group of armed rebels at the boundary of Agusan del Sur and Compostela Valley while aboard two vehicles. They were on their way to a hospital in Davao City, where a child of the mayor was confined.
Anayron said they have information that the NPA demanded P2 million and firearms from Luna’s family and the provincial government which negotiated the release.
He could not say if money changed hands but noted Luna’s statement there was no ransom payment.
In a statement, the NPA’s Condrado Heredia Command said it released Luna and his escorts "on account of his voluntary admission of culpability and issuance of a public apology in relation to the various crimes for which he stands accused of in the revolutionary People’s Court."
Roel Agustin II, spokesman of the NPA command, said they also released Luna and the four prisoners of war "as a humanitarian consideration to the appeals made by their respective families and friends and various individuals and groups who made representations on their behalf."
Agustin said Luna admitted during their investigation that he is maintaining a "large private armed group" composed of military and police elements and hired goons.
Agustin said the NPA would continue investigating Luna in connection with the killing of former Lingig Mayor Amerosin V. Onsing in 2001, and of two brothers in 2007; land grabbing of 30 hectares of peasant lands in Barangay Pagbacatan and in Dahican Island; engagement in environmentally destructive logging; human rights violations; and embezzlement of people’s money.
NPA frees Surigao Sur mayor, aides
Philippine Daily Inquirer – www.inquirer.net
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
TAGUM CITY—NEW PEOPLE’S ARMY REBELS ON MONDAY CONfirmed the release of a Surigao del Sur mayor and his four bodyguards, who were seized by the rebels in Compostela Valley on May 5.
Roel Agustin II, spokesperson of the New People’s Army’s Conrado Heredia Command, said in a statement that the NPA has decided to release Lingig Mayor Roberto Luna and his companions following his “voluntary admission of culpability and issuance of a public apology” on his alleged crimes against the revolutionary movement.
Johnny Pimentel, governor-elect of Surigao del Sur, said in a text message to the Inquirer that the mayor and the other hostages are now in his custody and that “they are fine.”
Agustin said the NPA released Luna also for humanitarian reasons and amid appeals made by relatives, friends and supporters.
He said, however, that the NPA’s “judicial proceedings” against Luna would continue.
The NPA has accused Luna of land grabbing, murders and other charges that carry the death penalty in the underground movement.
“Only his custodial detention is terminated. As for the POWs, investigation shall be suspended,” Agustin said.
Luna and his bodyguards—soldiers John Rey Abao and Arnel Dizon and policemen Boy de Castro and Alan Dapitanon—and two more aides were seized by NPA gunmen at a roadblock along the national highway in Monkayo, Compostela Valley.
Luna was on his way to Davao City to visit a sick child when he was taken.
His aides—a driver and a secretary—were freed ahead of the mayor and his bodyguards.
While Luna and his escorts had been freed already, the fate of four government soldiers seized by NPA rebels in Mawab, Compostela Valley, on May 12 remained unclear as of yesterday.
The government soldiers—Corporals Marcial Bagawan, Ariel Asumo and Eduardo Alcala, and militiaman Victor Pitogo—were abducted at the birthday party of Bagawan’s son in Barangay Sawangan.
Capt. Emmanuel Garcia, public affairs officer of the 10 Infantry Division based in Davao City, said the four soldiers were forced into a black van that was seen heading for Barangay Sabang in Compostela Valley.
Garcia said the rebels involved in the abduction of the four soldiers could be the same ones who took part in the May 11 ambush of a convoy of soldiers and civilians transporting election paraphernalia in Compostela Valley.
At least five people were killed in the May 11 ambush while 12 others were injured.
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