Today is still Saturday, April 4th, 2009 and it is now 2:46 A M here in the Philippines.
NPA, the Communist insurgents (only ones now) have been active as usual. After the Operation I talked about at length, where they govt. pulled back to draw the NPA out of the bush, etc., it was much quiter than usual.
Over the last 2 weeks it is beginning to return to what passes for "normal" here.
First, on the case of Rebylyn Pitao, the 21 year old daughter of amajor NPA leader in Davao , who was herself kidnapped, raped, tortured,killed and then mutilated...
After the quick discovery of her body, her father, Ka Parago (nom de guerre) appealed for patience and decried vingilantism and asked that calm heads prevail. Parago ga ve the military the names of 13 men he believed directly involved in her tragic death.
Most are members of the MOB (Military Intel Battalion) of an unspecified Infantry Battalion, of the 10th Infantry Division. There are 2 exceptions though. One is from Recon Company in the
1002nd IB, and the other a regular infantryman from the 72nd IB.
9 of the 13 have been interrogated both privately and in public in front of the CHR (Commission for Human Rights) that is meeting in Davao.
On 3/21, Parago's group abducted a21 year old woman of their own! She was seized, from her home, in Paquibato District in Davao City. She is reputed to be/have been agovt. informer. he is said to be undergoing a People's Court on charges of "Crimes Against the People."
In Gingoog, which is near Cagayan del Oro on the northern coast of Mindanao, the army overran 2 NPA Camps in the bush outside the small city. 1 was alarge camp, as far as "large" exists with the NPA. It had bunkers for at least 100 fighters.
The NPA as I have explained, is Maoist and anyone somewhat familiar with Maoist Doctrine knows that its vision of a military apprattus depends upon highly mobile and highly adaptable bands of fighters.
As usual, no NPA guerillas were taken in the 2 huge raids, and only acouple of rifles seized!
Gingoog was also the site of the NPA Anniversarry Celebration 2 days ago. The festival, if one might call it that, was held in Barangay Malinao.
On 3/31st, just after 12 PM, NPA's Front #89 overran a SS-CAFGU FOB (Forward Operating Base) in Barangay Zamboanguita, Upper Pulangi District in Malaybay City (Bukidnon Province).
CAFGU you might remember is the Civlian Armed Forces Geographical Unit, which is agovernment created and sanctioned paramilitary that only deploys in one's home district unlike Army Proper, etc. which get deployed, as needed all through the nation (7,107 islands!). SS-CAFGU-A is just like CAFGU proper, except that where CAFGU is armed and trained by the Govt, and under its direct operational control , via its subordination to aspecific Infatry Battalion in the Army proper, SS-CAFGU are armed, trained and ordered by private citizzens, usually "businessmen."
SS (hate using that term because of the Nazis, but I suppose that hatred is abit irrational. If it was at all logical I would also hate Volkswagens and German Shepards and of course I do not though I would not dirve the first, nor have the latter), are allowed to take 45 days of govt. armed training and under some circumstances to receive very old Garland rifles (WWII era US arms).
I have spoken about my perhaps forming my own SS but for now I will not get into that.
When the NPA overran the SS Camp, it killed 4 paras right off, and then killed the wife and little daughter of one of the dead paras. The husband was the para Winnie Dumogan, his wife was Helen and daughter Cathy.
The NPA arrived in 2 heavy Isuzu trucks, 1 of which was stolen from alocal businessman who was found shot to death in his yard.
The 29th and 403rd IBs were immediately deployed to hunt down the NPA units responsbile but were hampered due to the extremely remote location of the FOB and unpenetrablre bush off of the jungle trail leading to the Camp.
Within the SS Camp, 8 ead NPA were recovered. 3 others found dead in small village in the bush, along their line of retreat.
The SS was working in tandem with the 403rd IB.
This same SS unit had disabled an NPA aid IED on a busy bridge in the nearby bush village of St. Peter.
In Davao City again, Human Rights Watch (HRW), the famous NGO, is currently (once again) investigating the Philippine custom of "Salvaging," as it is known in English. "Salvaging" is the term for "Extra-Judicial Executions," or more simply: Vigliantism, in the Philippine context anyway.
For example, if you see a thief in a small village market here, you will possibly see them beaten unconscious if he is alocal. If he is a stranger?He will be killed in many instances.
In Gallery here on BL, I sill have a photo of the sign (still hanging by the way) that was erected in in Poblaysion Market (i.e. Main Market). It speaks out against Salvaging but of course was window dressing for yet another of the tiring HR NGOs that was taking some kind of regional tour.
You really have to love these foreigners, in Isuzu or Toyota SUVs with tinted windows, "examining" the "scene" as if they are going to some drive thru (sic) safari.
Interestingly, Mayor Duterte of Davao City resigned his seat as chief of both the local PNP (police) as well as the Army's "Task Force Davao." He says he wishes to avoid any possible conflict of interest.
Duterte came to power as the head of agroup of Salvagers who single handedly drove the NPA out of Paquibato, the afore mentioned Davao District I spoke about abit earlier. the govt had failed over and over but by using massive violence he succeeded. He is now grooming his daughter to succeed him, creating adynasty for his fmaily.
HRW's committee now in Davao is specifically investigating 28 cases of Salvaging, that will be published in areport on 4/7. 19 cases are from the city, the rest from surrounding villages.
One of the cases is of ocurse that of Rebelyn (how could he name her "Rebellion"?) Pitao, the daughter of the NPA's Ka Parago. Parago's men killed a soldier 2 days ago, just as that commission was being seated in Davao.
Here in our wonderful part of the world, 368 NPA men have finally recived their Amnesty payments. Most were rom Bayugan and La PAz, but 3 were from San Franz so...368? That is 2 mobile NPA Camps. So fucking what? I better watch my words though.
In Loreto, a neighbouring village hre, about 9 days ago 1 CAFGU para was killed when the NPA tried to overrun the CAFGU FOB.
On the other side of us, in Surigao del Sur, they have been torching (arson) and a few IEDs but against businesses and not people per se. One interesting episode took place 2 weeks ago when the NPA destroyed a Congressman's poultry operation.
I will have to get to the MILF,MNLF, BIAF, al Khobar, and so on in another entry, perhaps tomorrow (I know you cannot wait!).
NPA, the Communist insurgents (only ones now) have been active as usual. After the Operation I talked about at length, where they govt. pulled back to draw the NPA out of the bush, etc., it was much quiter than usual.
Over the last 2 weeks it is beginning to return to what passes for "normal" here.
First, on the case of Rebylyn Pitao, the 21 year old daughter of amajor NPA leader in Davao , who was herself kidnapped, raped, tortured,killed and then mutilated...
After the quick discovery of her body, her father, Ka Parago (nom de guerre) appealed for patience and decried vingilantism and asked that calm heads prevail. Parago ga ve the military the names of 13 men he believed directly involved in her tragic death.
Most are members of the MOB (Military Intel Battalion) of an unspecified Infantry Battalion, of the 10th Infantry Division. There are 2 exceptions though. One is from Recon Company in the
1002nd IB, and the other a regular infantryman from the 72nd IB.
9 of the 13 have been interrogated both privately and in public in front of the CHR (Commission for Human Rights) that is meeting in Davao.
On 3/21, Parago's group abducted a21 year old woman of their own! She was seized, from her home, in Paquibato District in Davao City. She is reputed to be/have been agovt. informer. he is said to be undergoing a People's Court on charges of "Crimes Against the People."
In Gingoog, which is near Cagayan del Oro on the northern coast of Mindanao, the army overran 2 NPA Camps in the bush outside the small city. 1 was alarge camp, as far as "large" exists with the NPA. It had bunkers for at least 100 fighters.
The NPA as I have explained, is Maoist and anyone somewhat familiar with Maoist Doctrine knows that its vision of a military apprattus depends upon highly mobile and highly adaptable bands of fighters.
As usual, no NPA guerillas were taken in the 2 huge raids, and only acouple of rifles seized!
Gingoog was also the site of the NPA Anniversarry Celebration 2 days ago. The festival, if one might call it that, was held in Barangay Malinao.
On 3/31st, just after 12 PM, NPA's Front #89 overran a SS-CAFGU FOB (Forward Operating Base) in Barangay Zamboanguita, Upper Pulangi District in Malaybay City (Bukidnon Province).
CAFGU you might remember is the Civlian Armed Forces Geographical Unit, which is agovernment created and sanctioned paramilitary that only deploys in one's home district unlike Army Proper, etc. which get deployed, as needed all through the nation (7,107 islands!). SS-CAFGU-A is just like CAFGU proper, except that where CAFGU is armed and trained by the Govt, and under its direct operational control , via its subordination to aspecific Infatry Battalion in the Army proper, SS-CAFGU are armed, trained and ordered by private citizzens, usually "businessmen."
SS (hate using that term because of the Nazis, but I suppose that hatred is abit irrational. If it was at all logical I would also hate Volkswagens and German Shepards and of course I do not though I would not dirve the first, nor have the latter), are allowed to take 45 days of govt. armed training and under some circumstances to receive very old Garland rifles (WWII era US arms).
I have spoken about my perhaps forming my own SS but for now I will not get into that.
When the NPA overran the SS Camp, it killed 4 paras right off, and then killed the wife and little daughter of one of the dead paras. The husband was the para Winnie Dumogan, his wife was Helen and daughter Cathy.
The NPA arrived in 2 heavy Isuzu trucks, 1 of which was stolen from alocal businessman who was found shot to death in his yard.
The 29th and 403rd IBs were immediately deployed to hunt down the NPA units responsbile but were hampered due to the extremely remote location of the FOB and unpenetrablre bush off of the jungle trail leading to the Camp.
Within the SS Camp, 8 ead NPA were recovered. 3 others found dead in small village in the bush, along their line of retreat.
The SS was working in tandem with the 403rd IB.
This same SS unit had disabled an NPA aid IED on a busy bridge in the nearby bush village of St. Peter.
In Davao City again, Human Rights Watch (HRW), the famous NGO, is currently (once again) investigating the Philippine custom of "Salvaging," as it is known in English. "Salvaging" is the term for "Extra-Judicial Executions," or more simply: Vigliantism, in the Philippine context anyway.
For example, if you see a thief in a small village market here, you will possibly see them beaten unconscious if he is alocal. If he is a stranger?He will be killed in many instances.
In Gallery here on BL, I sill have a photo of the sign (still hanging by the way) that was erected in in Poblaysion Market (i.e. Main Market). It speaks out against Salvaging but of course was window dressing for yet another of the tiring HR NGOs that was taking some kind of regional tour.
You really have to love these foreigners, in Isuzu or Toyota SUVs with tinted windows, "examining" the "scene" as if they are going to some drive thru (sic) safari.
Interestingly, Mayor Duterte of Davao City resigned his seat as chief of both the local PNP (police) as well as the Army's "Task Force Davao." He says he wishes to avoid any possible conflict of interest.
Duterte came to power as the head of agroup of Salvagers who single handedly drove the NPA out of Paquibato, the afore mentioned Davao District I spoke about abit earlier. the govt had failed over and over but by using massive violence he succeeded. He is now grooming his daughter to succeed him, creating adynasty for his fmaily.
HRW's committee now in Davao is specifically investigating 28 cases of Salvaging, that will be published in areport on 4/7. 19 cases are from the city, the rest from surrounding villages.
One of the cases is of ocurse that of Rebelyn (how could he name her "Rebellion"?) Pitao, the daughter of the NPA's Ka Parago. Parago's men killed a soldier 2 days ago, just as that commission was being seated in Davao.
Here in our wonderful part of the world, 368 NPA men have finally recived their Amnesty payments. Most were rom Bayugan and La PAz, but 3 were from San Franz so...368? That is 2 mobile NPA Camps. So fucking what? I better watch my words though.
In Loreto, a neighbouring village hre, about 9 days ago 1 CAFGU para was killed when the NPA tried to overrun the CAFGU FOB.
On the other side of us, in Surigao del Sur, they have been torching (arson) and a few IEDs but against businesses and not people per se. One interesting episode took place 2 weeks ago when the NPA destroyed a Congressman's poultry operation.
I will have to get to the MILF,MNLF, BIAF, al Khobar, and so on in another entry, perhaps tomorrow (I know you cannot wait!).