Reds want talks for release of seized Army officer
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (November 18) – Communist rebels holding captive an Army Special Forces officer said the government should negotiate for the release of the 1Lt. Vicente Cammayo who reportedly surrendered to a New People’s Army unit following a fierce encounter in Monkayo town in Compostela Valley early this month.
“The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today called on the Arroyo regime to discuss with revolutionary authorities the safe and orderly release of (Lt. Vicente) Cammayo,” the CPP statement said.
The rebel group said the Arroyo government should negotiate with the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political umbrella of the CPP-NPA.
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Defense chief orders Army to help evacuees return to their homes
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (November 17) – Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Sunday has given orders to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to help evacuees in Lanao del Norte return to their homes as soon as tension subsides in the area.
In a surprise visit to the towns of Munai and Poona Piagapo Sunday, Teodoro likewise looked into the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) whose number have swollen to close to 3,000 in the village of Tambo in Munai alone.
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Irate villagers block road to Tampakan mining site
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (November 17) – For the third time in a little over a year, residents in Tampakan, South Cotabato have again barricaded the road in barangay (village) Liberty that leads to the core farm and the drill sites of Sagittarius Mines Inc.
Carrying placards and streamers demanding for work, the protesters prevented vehicles owned by SMI from ferrying employees and workers to their worksites.
Liberty village chief Virgilio Lastima said residents have to resort to barricading the road after SMI reportedly failed to show up for a dialogue to discuss employment openings at the mining firm.
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Power demand in C. Mindanao seen to zoom in 2012
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (November 16) – Demand for power supply is likely to increase in Central Mindanao within the next four years as big industrial users are poised to go full blast in their operations.
A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Sagittarius Mines Incorporated (SMI) alone will need at least 300 megawatts of power supply when its mining operations begin in 2012.
“SMI might need more than 300 megawatts of power supply,” the source who is well connected with the mining company confided.
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Indophil shareholders okay Alsons buyout bid
DAVAO CITY (November 12) – By a vote of majority of its shareholders, the management of Indophil Resources NL was given the go ahead signal Wednesday to negotiate with Filipino conglomerate Alsons Corporation for the potential sale of its minority share at the Sagittarius Mines Incorporated (SMI), owner of the Tampakan Copper and Gold Project.
In a breaking story posted at the Australian-based www.tradingmarkets.com, 65.3 per cent of Indophil shareholders reportedly voted in favor of the sale of its stake at the general assembly of shareholders Wednesday morning in Australia.
Majority SMI owner Xstrata Plc earlier opposed the sale but was overwhelmed by the shareholders.
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Army seeks support from religious leaders to ease tension in Lanao
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (November 7) – The military has sought the help of religious leaders following the massacre of civilians, including two children, in Magsaysay town in Lanao del Norte last November 2 that also left 11 others wounded.
Col. Benito de Leon, commanding officer of the 104th Brigade of the Philippine Army stationed in the province, said he met with Bishop Elenito Galido of the Diocese of Iligan and Muslim Ulama Aleem Elias Macaranas to help ease the prevailing tension in the area.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) blamed the Ilaga Reform Movement, a resurrection of 70’s cult group that has been blamed for numerous atrocities in the past.
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‘We are political outlaws’ – MILF on LMGs
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (November 7) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice chair Ghazali Jaafar cannot seem to fathom why the military and top cabinet officials are continuously calling Abdulrahman Macappar Kumander Bravo and Ameril Umbra Kato as “lawless MILF group” (LMG).
“We don’t know,” Jaafar replied when asked why an outlaw organization will have lawless and, on the flipside, “lawful” or “law-abiding” factions.
The government started branding Bravo and Kato and their men as LMGs following a series of bloody attacks in July and August this year that resulted in the killing of scores of civilians and left hundreds of thousands fleeing their homes as the military launched its own counter offensives.
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Indophil bid war gets ugly
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (November 3) – The bid of Alsons Corporation to corner the minority shares of Indophil Resources NL at the rich Tampakan Copper and Gold Project appeared to be headed towards a corporate showdown with Swiss mining giant Xstrata Plc. after its subsidiary in Australia Xstrata Copper based in Queensland, Australia on Monday announced it would likely question a proposed deal that would have the Filipino conglomerate eventually owning 37.5 per cent of Sagittarius Mines Incorporated.
In a statement Monday, Xstrata Copper chief executive officer Charlie Sartain they “are not prepared to give the Indophil Board free rein to sell the company only major asset at an undisclosed price and on undisclosed terms.”
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Kumander Bravo to face MILF disciplinary board
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (November 5) – Controversial Moro rebel field commander Abdulrahman Macapaar alias Kumander Bravo is facing an investigation by a disciplinary board created by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to look into his role and participation in the bloody attacks in several towns in Lanao del Sur in August.
“A disciplinary board has been created by the MILF to conduct an impartial and thorough into what happened in Lanao del Norte,” MILF vice chair Ghazali Jaafar told reporters in Sultan Kudarat, Shariff Kabunsuan late last month.
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Covering the war in Mindanao
ON the road to Cotabato City for a coverage of the other side of the war Mindanao that would take us to four provinces and two cities in four days, it is hard to speak out loud why the roadsides are now filled with makeshift tents and shacks when otherwise the vast and empty tracks of land on both sides of the road cannot be blurred even if you are driving at the speed of over 100 kilometers per hour.
Deep into the heart of the conflict, trails of destruction – burnt houses, abandoned homes and ubiquitous presence of checkpoints and war materiel – are eerie testaments of the war.
Of course, we are living in troubled times and disturbing scenes are fast numbing one’s senses.
Many would argue that journalists covering the conflict in Mindanao cannot afford to be emotionally attached to events unfolding before their very eyes.
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