4 Davao cops wounded in NPA attack
By Edith Regalado
The Philippine Star
Sunday, June 20, 2010
CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao , Philippines – Four policemen were wounded in a failed attempt by communist rebels to take over a police detachment in Cateel, Davao Oriental at noon last Friday.
The Army’s 10th Infantry Division identified the four wounded policemen as PO1s Mario Renquijo, Amin Abubakar, Abdul Mamid and Werner Marcojos, all of the 11th Regional Mobile Group.
The four policemen were manning a detachment in Cateel town when New People’s Army guerrillas arrived on board two trucks and moments later, opened fire.
Though outnumbered, the policemen managed to return fire, wounding five of the attackers.
The rebels retreated toward a hinterland in Barangay Bacusan, about a kilometer east of the police detachment, as the law enforcers stood their ground.
Responding Cateel policemen recovered the two trucks which the rebels had commandeered.
Compostela soldier, militiaman seized
By Alexis Romero
The Philippine Star – www.philstar.com
Monday, June 21, 2010
MANILA, Philippines - Communist rebels kidnapped last Saturday morning an unarmed Army man and a militiaman in Monkayo, Compostela Valley, four days after they released three other soldiers and a militiaman they seized in the province last month.
Capt. Emmanuel Garcia, 10th Infantry Division spokesman, said S/Sgt. Bienvenido Arguilles of the 25th Infantry Battalion and militiaman Job Latiban of the 72nd Infantry Battalion were snatched by a New People’s Army (NPA) unit led by a certain Janggo.
Garcia said Arguilles and Latiban were seized at a checkpoint which around 30 rebels put up in the village of Upper Ulip in Monkayo town.
“The NPA rebels were also reported to have held commuters and took their cell phones at gunpoint,” he said.
Garcia said those who witnessed the kidnapping quoted the rebels as saying that they were interested in the Mt. Diwalwal mining area and warning foreigners who would enter the gold-rush site.
Last month, the insurgents kidnapped three unarmed Army men and a militiaman in Mawab town while attending the birthday party of one of the soldiers’ son. The four were freed last June 15 after 34 days in captivity.
Also last month, Mayor Roberto Luna of Lingig town was about to visit his sick child in the hospital when he and his four escorts were seized by rebels at the boundary of Agusan del Sur and Compostela Valley.
Luna and his aides, according to reports, were allegedly freed after P2-million ransom was paid to the rebels.
Last April, the insurgents kidnapped Lupon town mayoral bet Arfran Quinoes and a village official after the former failed to comply with their extortion demands. – With Edith Regalado
Communist rebels kidnap two soldiers
By Al Jacinto
The Manila Times – www.manilatimes.net
Monday, 21 June 2010
Communist rebels reportedly abducted on Saturday a government soldier and a militiaman in a checkpoint set up in the outskirts of a town in Compostela Valley. Authorities reported that the two abductees—Staff Sergeant Bien-venido Arguilles of the 25th Infantry Battalion and Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) member Job Latiban—were kidnapped as they were passing through a road in the village of Upper Ulip in Compostela Valley’s Monkayo town.
“The two were just passing by the village when dissident-terrorists collared them,” said Army Capt. Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division.
Garcia cited that some 30 New People’s Army (NPA) set up the checkpoint and inspected passing vehicles for soldiers. Civilian motorists and passengers were also allegedly forced to attend a “lecture” by the rebels, but were later set free.
The Army captain refused to give other details about the abduction, but said troops were already sent to track down the rebels and rescue the government troopers.
Series of attacks
The latest strike by the rebel group came days after they released three soldiers and a Cafgu member after almost a month of captivity in Compostela Valley.
The four—Army Corporals Marcial Bawagan, Ariel Asumo, Eduardo Alcala and Victor Pitogo—were taken prisoners in Mawab town on May 12.
Anvil Guinto, a spokesman for the rebel’s Crucifino Uballas command, said the release of the prisoners was prompted by their families’ appeal to the NPA. The said troopers were accused by the rebel group of violating human rights of civilians in the province.
“The release is in recognition of the appeals made by the families, religious groups and personalities, well-meaning individuals and progressive groups on their behalf,” Guinto said.
On Friday, rebels also attacked a group of policemen and wounding three of them in Davao Oriental’s Cateel town. Security officials said as many as five rebels were either killed or wounded in the fighting after a failed raid on a police station in the town.
The NPA is the military wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines which have been fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country.
Another journalist killed
Digos writer 3rd media fatality listed in 5 days
By Orlando Dinoy
Philippine Daily Inquirer – www.inquirer.net
Monday, June 21, 2010
MANILA, Philippines—A journalist was killed on Saturday in Digos City, Davao del Sur, bringing to three the number of media workers slain in just five days.
Nestor Bedolido, a writer for the local weekly Kastigador, was buying cigarettes at the corner of Rizal and Quezon avenues when a man shot him at past 7 p.m., police said.
During the elections, Bedolido was suspected of writing exposés against a politician in Davao del Sur.
“I believe the killing of my father is politically motivated. There is a politician involved,” his son, Marxlen, 22, told reporters.
Bedolido, in his late 40s, became the 103rd media worker murdered in the country since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo came to power in 2001.
On Monday night, a broadcaster was shot dead in Mindanao. Less than 24 hours after, a radio commentator was gunned down in northern Luzon.
The murder of the three journalists came after the expiration on June 9 of the five-month gun ban, which was imposed in connection with the May 10 general elections.
Inquirer archives show that no journalist was killed during the election campaign when the gun ban was in effect.
In November 2009, 32 media workers were among the 57 people killed in a massacre blamed on a political warlord in Maguindanao.
The Philippines is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists.
Chief Insp. Anthony Padua said Bedolido was hit six times in the body.
After shooting Bedolido, the killer casually walked to a waiting motorcycle driven by a still unidentified man, Padua said.
Padua said bystanders rushed the journalist to Gonzales Hospital. In a report, police said Bedolido was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
Padua said the police were still trying to investigate the motive and identity of the killer. The weekly that Bedolido was writing for was allegedly financed by a group of politicians.
Critic of illegal logging
The two broadcasters killed earlier in the week were known to be critics of illegal loggers and corrupt officials.
On the night of June 14, Desidario Camangyan, 52, was killed while hosting a singing contest in Manay town, Davao Oriental province.
As Camangyan of Sunrise FM in Mati City was introducing a contestant, a lone assailant sneaked from behind and shot him in the head.
The broadcaster was killed in full view of the audience, including his wife and 6-year-old son.
Camangyan was known for speaking out against powerful groups involved in illegal logging in Davao Oriental.
Motorcycle-riding gunmen
The next day, radio commentator Joselito Agustin was gunned down by motorcycle-riding men in Ilocos Norte.
Agustin, 37, of dzJC Aksyon Radyo in Laoag City, died while undergoing treatment at the hospital. He had just come from his dzJC radio program, “Laoag City by day, Ilocos Norte by night.”
He was known as an outspoken critic of corrupt local officials.
Killing spree
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) condemned the killings and pressed President-elect Benigno Aquino III to ensure the murders were quickly solved.
“The enemies of press freedom are on a killing spree,” said NUJP vice chair Nonoy Espina.
“But it is more than that. It shows that the level of impunity is just so high that they believe they can get away with murder no matter who sits as president,” Espina added. “Aquino has to hit the ground running from Day One.”
Detlev Mehlis, who leads an EU-funded program helping to train police and prosecutors in solving the killings, said he was outraged by the wave of murders this week.
“This is simply unacceptable. In a democracy, freedom of the press is essential,” Mehlis told Agence France Presse.
“It’s the job of government to protect its people. These crimes should be solved and we are ready to assist in any way we can.”
A human rights watchdog said the killing of Camangyan showed that outgoing President Arroyo was leaving a legacy of impunity.
“Camangyan was apparently among the few who stood and defied the consequences and was bold enough to denounce the environmental plunder and political abuse. His killers knew that Camangyan was a threat who must be stopped,” said Bishop Felixberto Calang, one of the convenors of Barug Katungod Mindanao.
Indignation rally
Calang said his group was holding Ms Arroyo accountable for the deaths of Camangyan and those of other human rights defenders and journalists killed under her administration.
In Laoag City, Melvin de la Cuesta, president of the Media Active in Ilocos Norte, said local media workers planned to mount a rally next week to express their grief over Agustin’s slaying and to protest the inability of the government to stop the attacks on journalists.
Nora Root, a dzJC commentator and Agustin’s friend, said she and her colleagues would continue to make noise until the brains behind the murder was identified and jailed.
Reporters, anchors and other station personnel have started wearing white ribbons to mourn Agustin’s death and to protest against people behind the killing.
Root said dzJC commentators were mindful of the fact that all the Ilocos Norte broadcasters shot dead over the past six years came from dzJC. Roger Mariano and Andy Acosta, both dzJC commentators, were gunned down in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
“This pattern has made us more conscious of our responsibilities as truth tellers. We have been advised to revisit the Radio Code as our ultimate safeguard,” Root said.
Suspect identified
Earlier, Chief Supt. Constante Azares Jr., Ilocos police director, said the case could be considered solved with the identification of the suspected gunman.
Azares said murder charges would be filed against Leonardo Banaag, a Bacarra resident, who was tagged as the suspected trigger man in the June 15 attack on Agustin.
Banaag and another suspect, however, have yet to be arrested. With reports from Jeffrey M. Tupas, Inquirer Mindanao; Cristina Arzadon, Inquirer Northern Luzon; and Agence France-Presse
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