Still Wednesday December 24th, 2008 and it is now 12:18 PM here in the Philippines.
Still waiting for the driver to retrun with Rizza, et al on the way from Nasapit. Why am I staying close to home if the Cease Fire is on? Well, the Army has officially declared a Cease Fire as well, funny, both unilaterally declared. Only for 12/24, 12/25 and 1/01 though, BUT will continue on Routine Patrols and since they often come across NPA elements, as well as coming under attack from the MILF, etc in the Muslim areas, it is not really good to be up and about for a person such as myself (who clearly is not Filipino).
As I said, one of the current NPA POWs was snatched from an NPA Check Point, and since Check Points are a way of life here I do not need to get into a fire fight if at all avoidable.
Speaking of POWs, that particular POW is being released on account of the holidays, according to the NPA who have just announced it very early this morning. I would expect he is on his way to freedom as I write this. The Special Forces officer though is not being released, not yet anyway.
They found a bomb yesterday on a bus in Zamboanga, made out of TWO 60 MM mortar shells. That would have easily killed everyone on the bus had it detonated.
Since I talked about the 2nd IED (bomb) in Iligan City, more have been found. Sunday morning a scavenger (the very poor live horrible lives here) , 10 years old, found a another papaya bomb , this one made from another 81 MM mortar shell but this time run through a 9V battery, so similar to the last 2 Iligan IEDs, but not with the same "signature" (which means "style"). Luckily they disposed of it before it detonated.
That is the 4th bomb there, although only the first has detonated. One of the 2 critically injured has died bringing the 1st bomb's toll to 3 people. The
3rd IED which I have not talked about in detail was found on 12/20 in an internet cafe in the city, again detonated with no harm.
Funny that that foreigner thought it so safe in Iligan. Just goes to show I suppose.
In Lanao del Norte , near Cagayan, in a Christian (Bisaya) village that I have spoken of recently (Salvador), the MILF's 102nd is still waging heavy firefights with the Army. They began again on 12/20 and just about 24 hours a day since ,there have been running engagements. The Army is employing their standard 105 MM Howitzers, as well as AV10 jets, and of course the gunships.
The official dead are 17 Army, 1 CAFGU (pro-Govt paramilitary) but the actual toll is said to be well over 100. No word on at all on MILF casualties but they usually fare better knowing the terrain as they do.
Davao City, as I have said before, is usually free of the "Troubles." In years past it was terrible both with the NPA which actually ran most of the city, as well as the Muslim groups, as in the infamous Davo International Airport Terminal Bombing.
In the very late 1980s a paramilitary named "Alsa Masa" formed and with heavy street to street fighting managed to retake the city which is no mean feat given the fact that Davao is ranked largest city in the world in terms of actual area. The paramilitary in question was a Bisaya group and was tied to many atrocities, but then so were the NPA at that time. They just found another "Killing Field" , in Davao, just this week.
I have spoken, in other entries, about the NPA's "Rectification Campaign" of the late 80s and very early 90s. Factional infighting had wracked the group and so under the guise of cleaning house (supposedly all Deep Pentration govt. agents), they murdered entire families, etc.
For ridding Davao City of all communist rebellion then Presdeint Aquino publicly applauded the paramilitary and said that the country will forever be in their debt.
Then, with Shabu (smokable methamphetamine, very similar to "Ice" but much purer than any product found on the streets of the West) leading to an explosion in street crime a mayor came to power, the same one ruling today. I will not mention him by name, but he is incredibly powerful and what SOME may call a "warl-rd."
He begged Chinese shabu manufactuers to set up shoppe in Davao City so he could personally lock their doors and set fire to their buildings as they were inside. In another infamous incident he was personally in a copter, ALLEGEDLY, that dropped 2 victims of Extra-Judicial Killings into the bay off his city.
HE is very adept politically though. Doing something no other mayor had thought to do. Having otten rid of the NPA when he was associated with the paramilitary before his term, he appointed a powerful Muslim leader, and a powerful tribal (Lumad) leader as his co-mayors. This led to a cessation of almost all violence.
Another factor is the heavily armed paramilitary and army presence in the city but that is to be expected on this island.
However, last spring violence began in Davao City once again. From August to this month it has been relatively quiet within Davao City limits, but it is clear now that the NPA is once again established in at least one part of the city, on the outskirts but that is how it usually starts as far as infiltration.
This morning, at daybreak in Bukidnon the 29th infantry on Routine Patrol intercepted an NPA patrol, 25 strong and they engaged them killing 2 NPA. No word on army casualties if any.
North of me, over the line into Agusan del Norte (I live in Agusan del Sur), in Tubay village late last night the NPA raided a police garrison and stole its entire armoury and then attacked a local mining company owned by a local politican. Villagers had protested the mining company's methods and got firebombed for their trouble. The NPA burned a few million US dollars worth of equipment in retaliation. I guess they wanted to accomplish that last offencive before the Cease Fire kicked in.
In just that region, Front 21 of the NPA has iniated 26 Offencive Tactical Operations since the beginnong of the year. That means a major engagement once every 2 weeks! The govt. has succeeded in neutralising the other major communist insurgency here (RM-M AKA Revolutionary Movement of Mindanao) but the NPA has only got much, much, much stronger.
I need to be careful about what I say but some feel that this is clearly due to the current govt's refusal to deal with the NPA, and having gotten the US and EU to declare it a formal terrorist organisation.
RM-M was neutralised in the same manner as the 3rd communist guerilla army, although that 3rd group (ABB) was much more active on te northen islands . Both were engaged politically, and ended up signing an Unlimited Cease Fire memorandum. With the NPA they have moved in the other extreme and it has led to incredible gains by the group. They now run most of Comval Province, the one just north of us (Trento, Monkayo, Montevista, and New Bataan villages are all under NPA control although it is as a shadow govt. and not de facto control in the strictest sense. Officials though are unable to move in daylight and even under cover of darkness must utilise standard convoy procedure).
The NPA has also made huge gains on Negros Island but any points north are pretty much only with a superficial presence if any NPA presence at all.
If Mindanao was not so rich in resources (gold, silver, othe rminerals, lumber, rice, coffee, bananas, copra and palm oil) I believe that the Philippines would have already ceded it to the Muslims.
A little known fact is the issue of UN and EU support for the island. The EU just passed a 2.5 million Euro package for food and other neccessities for those civlians now living in Refugee Centers and Camps on Mindanao. It is also giving 1 million to NGOs to try and effect peace (yeah, good luck). Since August they have given 6.5 million other Euros so they at least are doing something.
The UN had a truck strafed yesterday in Calanogas village in Lanao del Sur. The truck, operated by the UNWFP (UN World Food Programme) was going to pick up food for refugees when it passed an Infantry base and was strafed by machine gun. One man was killed.
So...I am hoping that it is peaceful for the next week or so, and that no groups try and take advantage in lapses of routine to iniate any operations. However the MILF has not vowed to iniate or abide by any Cease Fire and so Muslim areas at least will probably see no respite. As well, the govt. had promised them last Ramadan to not engage them during the month long holiday but then ran bombing runs by jet! So, one can only guess what will happen.
On that note I bid adieu.
Still waiting for the driver to retrun with Rizza, et al on the way from Nasapit. Why am I staying close to home if the Cease Fire is on? Well, the Army has officially declared a Cease Fire as well, funny, both unilaterally declared. Only for 12/24, 12/25 and 1/01 though, BUT will continue on Routine Patrols and since they often come across NPA elements, as well as coming under attack from the MILF, etc in the Muslim areas, it is not really good to be up and about for a person such as myself (who clearly is not Filipino).
As I said, one of the current NPA POWs was snatched from an NPA Check Point, and since Check Points are a way of life here I do not need to get into a fire fight if at all avoidable.
Speaking of POWs, that particular POW is being released on account of the holidays, according to the NPA who have just announced it very early this morning. I would expect he is on his way to freedom as I write this. The Special Forces officer though is not being released, not yet anyway.
They found a bomb yesterday on a bus in Zamboanga, made out of TWO 60 MM mortar shells. That would have easily killed everyone on the bus had it detonated.
Since I talked about the 2nd IED (bomb) in Iligan City, more have been found. Sunday morning a scavenger (the very poor live horrible lives here) , 10 years old, found a another papaya bomb , this one made from another 81 MM mortar shell but this time run through a 9V battery, so similar to the last 2 Iligan IEDs, but not with the same "signature" (which means "style"). Luckily they disposed of it before it detonated.
That is the 4th bomb there, although only the first has detonated. One of the 2 critically injured has died bringing the 1st bomb's toll to 3 people. The
3rd IED which I have not talked about in detail was found on 12/20 in an internet cafe in the city, again detonated with no harm.
Funny that that foreigner thought it so safe in Iligan. Just goes to show I suppose.
In Lanao del Norte , near Cagayan, in a Christian (Bisaya) village that I have spoken of recently (Salvador), the MILF's 102nd is still waging heavy firefights with the Army. They began again on 12/20 and just about 24 hours a day since ,there have been running engagements. The Army is employing their standard 105 MM Howitzers, as well as AV10 jets, and of course the gunships.
The official dead are 17 Army, 1 CAFGU (pro-Govt paramilitary) but the actual toll is said to be well over 100. No word on at all on MILF casualties but they usually fare better knowing the terrain as they do.
Davao City, as I have said before, is usually free of the "Troubles." In years past it was terrible both with the NPA which actually ran most of the city, as well as the Muslim groups, as in the infamous Davo International Airport Terminal Bombing.
In the very late 1980s a paramilitary named "Alsa Masa" formed and with heavy street to street fighting managed to retake the city which is no mean feat given the fact that Davao is ranked largest city in the world in terms of actual area. The paramilitary in question was a Bisaya group and was tied to many atrocities, but then so were the NPA at that time. They just found another "Killing Field" , in Davao, just this week.
I have spoken, in other entries, about the NPA's "Rectification Campaign" of the late 80s and very early 90s. Factional infighting had wracked the group and so under the guise of cleaning house (supposedly all Deep Pentration govt. agents), they murdered entire families, etc.
For ridding Davao City of all communist rebellion then Presdeint Aquino publicly applauded the paramilitary and said that the country will forever be in their debt.
Then, with Shabu (smokable methamphetamine, very similar to "Ice" but much purer than any product found on the streets of the West) leading to an explosion in street crime a mayor came to power, the same one ruling today. I will not mention him by name, but he is incredibly powerful and what SOME may call a "warl-rd."
He begged Chinese shabu manufactuers to set up shoppe in Davao City so he could personally lock their doors and set fire to their buildings as they were inside. In another infamous incident he was personally in a copter, ALLEGEDLY, that dropped 2 victims of Extra-Judicial Killings into the bay off his city.
HE is very adept politically though. Doing something no other mayor had thought to do. Having otten rid of the NPA when he was associated with the paramilitary before his term, he appointed a powerful Muslim leader, and a powerful tribal (Lumad) leader as his co-mayors. This led to a cessation of almost all violence.
Another factor is the heavily armed paramilitary and army presence in the city but that is to be expected on this island.
However, last spring violence began in Davao City once again. From August to this month it has been relatively quiet within Davao City limits, but it is clear now that the NPA is once again established in at least one part of the city, on the outskirts but that is how it usually starts as far as infiltration.
This morning, at daybreak in Bukidnon the 29th infantry on Routine Patrol intercepted an NPA patrol, 25 strong and they engaged them killing 2 NPA. No word on army casualties if any.
North of me, over the line into Agusan del Norte (I live in Agusan del Sur), in Tubay village late last night the NPA raided a police garrison and stole its entire armoury and then attacked a local mining company owned by a local politican. Villagers had protested the mining company's methods and got firebombed for their trouble. The NPA burned a few million US dollars worth of equipment in retaliation. I guess they wanted to accomplish that last offencive before the Cease Fire kicked in.
In just that region, Front 21 of the NPA has iniated 26 Offencive Tactical Operations since the beginnong of the year. That means a major engagement once every 2 weeks! The govt. has succeeded in neutralising the other major communist insurgency here (RM-M AKA Revolutionary Movement of Mindanao) but the NPA has only got much, much, much stronger.
I need to be careful about what I say but some feel that this is clearly due to the current govt's refusal to deal with the NPA, and having gotten the US and EU to declare it a formal terrorist organisation.
RM-M was neutralised in the same manner as the 3rd communist guerilla army, although that 3rd group (ABB) was much more active on te northen islands . Both were engaged politically, and ended up signing an Unlimited Cease Fire memorandum. With the NPA they have moved in the other extreme and it has led to incredible gains by the group. They now run most of Comval Province, the one just north of us (Trento, Monkayo, Montevista, and New Bataan villages are all under NPA control although it is as a shadow govt. and not de facto control in the strictest sense. Officials though are unable to move in daylight and even under cover of darkness must utilise standard convoy procedure).
The NPA has also made huge gains on Negros Island but any points north are pretty much only with a superficial presence if any NPA presence at all.
If Mindanao was not so rich in resources (gold, silver, othe rminerals, lumber, rice, coffee, bananas, copra and palm oil) I believe that the Philippines would have already ceded it to the Muslims.
A little known fact is the issue of UN and EU support for the island. The EU just passed a 2.5 million Euro package for food and other neccessities for those civlians now living in Refugee Centers and Camps on Mindanao. It is also giving 1 million to NGOs to try and effect peace (yeah, good luck). Since August they have given 6.5 million other Euros so they at least are doing something.
The UN had a truck strafed yesterday in Calanogas village in Lanao del Sur. The truck, operated by the UNWFP (UN World Food Programme) was going to pick up food for refugees when it passed an Infantry base and was strafed by machine gun. One man was killed.
So...I am hoping that it is peaceful for the next week or so, and that no groups try and take advantage in lapses of routine to iniate any operations. However the MILF has not vowed to iniate or abide by any Cease Fire and so Muslim areas at least will probably see no respite. As well, the govt. had promised them last Ramadan to not engage them during the month long holiday but then ran bombing runs by jet! So, one can only guess what will happen.
On that note I bid adieu.