General Santos City News October 2011

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South Cotabato padlocks 300 tunnels in T’boli gold rush site

by goldstardailynews.com


GENERAL SANTOS City--Backed by about two dozen police and military personnel, offi cials of the South Cotabato government swooped down on the gold rush village of Kematu in T'boli town on Thursday and shut down the operation of 300 illegal tunnels. No violent resistance marred the implementation of the closure order that was served on the miners. Operators, displaced mine workers and their families watched helplessly as the team went in to padlock some tunnels. "An estimated 4,000 workers and their dependents will be affected by the closure of the gold tunnels," said Bong Daquil, operations manager of one of the long-time small-scale miners belonging to the T'boli Minahang Bayan Multi-Purpose Cooperative (TMBMPC). "For our family alone, we employ at least 100 workers," Daquil, a local policeman, said as he watched men nailing wood on the entrance of one of the bigger tunnels shared by several members of the cooperative. Lourdes Jumilla, secretariat head of the Provincial Mining Regulatory Board (PMRB) who led the team in implementing the closure order, said they only padlocked several gold mine tunnels "but all the operations in the small-scale mining area are shut down."

"There are 300 tunnels and it would be very diffi cult to padlock them all, considering South Cotabato padlocks 300 tunnels in T'boli gold rush site they're up in the mountains and scattered," she said. But it is not totally over for the small-scale miners. "They'll be allowed to operate again if they can comply with the (environmental and work safety) requirements... they'll then be given permits so they can resume operations," Jumilla said, noting the closure order was meant to force the small-scale miners to operate legally. The closure of the smallscale mining area, comprising 21 hectares, came because of the overlapping Land claim of the TMBMPC and the Maguan clan in the gold-rich mountain. In 1994, then Gov. Hilario de Pedro III issued Executive Order (EO) 12 declaring the 21 hectares as "minahang bayan" or people's mining site in favor of the TMBMPC. In recent years, the Maguan clan claimed the area was part of their ancestral domain and demanded that mining operations there by the TMBMPC members should have their consent. The two parties failed to settle their dispute during the emergency meeting called last Tuesday by South Cotabato Gov. Arthur Pingoy Jr. Meanwhile, to ensure the closure order won't be violated, at least two checkpoints or detachments manned by soldiers and policemen will be put up in the village. "These detachments will prevent the transport of ore to the town center," Siegfred Flaviano, acting chief of the Provincial Environment Management Offi ce said. PNA






COMMENTARY: The flipside of grief

by Edwin G. Espejo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/28 October) — We have seen mothers, widows and children grieve for the soldiers who perished in the Basilan ambush. We even saw brothers-in-law die in separate encounters within days from each other – one in faraway south of Mindanao, the other up in Northern Luzon. One child was not able to keep her anger from bursting. Holding her tears, she echoed sentiments, to go all out war against the armed men that killed her soldier father. But for every relative of slain soldiers who the press deservedly gave honor, how many brothers, sisters, parents and widows of armed rebels killed in combat are given the same media treatment? Except perhaps when they go by the name of Gregorio Rosal, a.k.a Ka Roger or ones with the pedigree of Jonas Burgos, son of publisher and freedom fighter Jose Burgos Jr, majority of them will slip into oblivion. Some most likely will not even be given decent burial. Their orphans not likely to be offered scholarships and assistance like government soldiers killed in combat. How many of them will be accorded the color parades and guns of salute usually given to combatants killed in action? Think of every Moro rebel who will not be given eulogy or necrology by reason of faith because he had to be buried before dusk on the day of his death. Think of the rebels whose dead bodies will be carried away by their comrades and buried in unmarked graves and can only wish that their kin are immediately notified of their death. Think of their families who cannot even pay respects and grieve over their dead. Think also of the pain and anger that are left behind by every dead rebel. Rebels are people too. They, too, have families. They also have loved ones they will leave behind when they are killed in combat. Put into their proper context and purpose, showing and relating such grief and emotion will help people, more so for policy makers and protagonists in the war, rethink their chosen path to peace. We have seen brothers and friends shot at each other from the opposite sides of the conflict to not empathize and sympathize with either side. We all like the people to see the ugliness of this war and how it is tearing apart families and the society. But when these are graphically and unabashedly shown to shock and stoke more anger, they become the purveyors of war. The flipside of grief is outrage. Showing grief should be meant to give a human angle to the story not precipitate anger and hatred. (MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. Edwin Espejo writes for asiancorrespondent.com)

Sultan Kudarat seeks ways to boost coffee production

by (PNA)

LAP/FFC/AVE/RSS


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Oct. 28 – In a bid to narrow the gap in the country’s coffee supply shortfall, Sultan Kudarat is holding the 1st Region 12 Coffee Congress to discuss ways to improve production and increase investments in the industry, a Department of Trade and Industry official said on Friday.

Nelly Nita Dillera, DTI-Sultan Kudarat director, said the congress slated on November 17 to 19 at the provincial capitol in nearby Isulan town also seeks to strengthen the hold of Sultan Kudarat as the “Coffee Capital of the Philippines.”

“Sultan Kudarat is currently the country’s biggest producer of coffee,” Dillera said, citing a report from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics that pegged the province’s coffee production at 23 percent of the national total.

In terms of Arabica, Sultan Kudarat remains the number one producer contributing 52 percent to the national total, trailed way behind by Davao del Sur with seven percent, Iloilo and Sulu with five percent each and South Cotabato with four percent, the provincial trade office said.

Sultan Kudarat is also the number one producer of Robusta with about 18 percent of the Philippines’ total, followed closely by Compostela Valley follows with 15 percent, Cavite with 10 percent, Bukidnon with seven percent and Kalinga Apayao with five percent, it added.

While such is the situation, the yield is not as high as that of Cavite. Average yield in a hectare of coffee plantation in Sultan Kudarat is only 400 kg while that in Cavite was registered at an average of one ton per hectare.

This is one major reason for the conduct of the congress, the organizers said, citing the need to rejuvenate or rehabilitate the existing coffee farms.

The congress shall also tackle ways to improve agricultural and cultural practices, coffee quality profile, coffee for climate change, market requirements, coffee processing, and coffee shop business.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala is expected to grace the opening program as the agency has included coffee as a priority high value crop.

The DTI provincial office has set a sales target of P2 million for the market matching; P5 million for new investments; and improvement of productivity by 80 percent in the next three years.

The country is both an exporter and importer of coffee. In 2009, the Philippines exported coffee to Canada, Japan, South Korea and the United States of America. However, it was also importing more coffee along with EU, USA, Japan, Canada and Switzerland.

The domestic demand for coffee is currently pegged at 65,000 million while the country only supplies 30,000 MT, posting a deficit of 35,000 MT and filled by importation, Dillera said. (PNA) LAP/FFC/AVE/RSS






Join the 35th MILO National Marathon in GenSan

by bariles


Are you joining this weekend’s 35th MILO® National Marathon here in General Santos City?

For years, the National MILO® Marathon has been the biggest running event in the country. This year, it will hold its biggest advocacy campaign to date. Ten thousand more MILO® running shoes will be given to underprivileged children in 2011. That’s more than twice as much as MILO® gave away in 2010.

Same as last year, for every runner who joins the National MILO® Marathon, a portion of the registration fee will be allotted to the advocacy. And the money raised will be used to produce running shoes that will be donated to different public schools selected by the Department of Education in the areas where the 35th National MILO® Marathon will be held.

All these efforts are in line with the commitment of MILO® to build a nation of champions. Because MILO® believes that MILO® is not just giving away running shoes, but also providing these kids with something they can wear to be champions not just in sports, not just in school, but also in life.

The General Santos leg of the 35th MILO® National Marathon will occur this Sunday, October 30, 2011.

If you want to join this worthy and healthy endeavor and add up to the 12,700 pairs of shoes which has been donated so far this year, just go to the City Sports Office at the GenSan Oval Covered Court during office hours, today and until Friday and fill up the registration form there. Choose from any of these race categories: 3-K, 5-K, 10-K and 21-K. Make sure you pay the P100 entry fee (for 3-K, 5-K) or P500 (for 10-K, 21-K).

Here is what Bariles got when he registered last week for the 5-K Race: an XL singlet, his own RACE number bib and a couple of sachets of Nestle Fit juice drink.

By the way, the 35th MILO® National Marathon will take place whether RAIN OR SHINE. Here is the schedule of the Start of Races in GenSan at the Starting Line at the Oval Plaza:

21-K – 5:00 AM 10-K, 5-K, 3-K – 3:00 AM In addition, each race category has an official cut-off time. This means, one should finish the race within the following alloted length of time to be able to get your certificate.

21-K Race – 2 1/2 hours after official start of the race. 10-K Race – 1 1/2 hours after official start of the race. 5-K Race – 1 hour after official start of the race. 3-K Race – 1 hour after official start of the race. Here below is the 35th MILO® National Marathon Race Map in GenSan. If you see Bariles making his way along the route, please wave to encourage him to finish it. See you there!






SOUTHERN COMFORT: The Mindanao power situation: Finding fault or finding solutions?

by Edwin G. Espejo


First of two parts GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/25 October) — With brownouts again becoming a regular occurrence in Mindanao, expect the debate on energy sources to intensify. But it is wrong for advocates of renewable energies to accuse about everybody of contriving a power crisis to justify the construction of fossil-fired power plants. Those who insist that there is no shortage of power supply or even refuse to acknowledge that two or three years from now Mindanao will suffer tremendously due to power outages are doing the people in the island even greater disservice. Ignoring the present precarious balance of the island’s power supply could lead into laying out wrong solutions and relegate the Mindanao power situation into endless debates about long-term and strategic alternatives that do not give immediate relief to the people. There is no doubt the path to clean and steady power supply is renewable energy. Anybody who says otherwise can only be motivated by greed first, public service only second. But as someone who always looks at things in their proper perspectives, it will always be looking at Mindanao’s energy crisis not solely caused by lack of generating capacities or renewable energy sources. In fact, Mindanao has exceeded the 50-percent renewable energy source index with over 1,000 megawatts of installed capacities from the Agus and Pulangi River hydropower plant complexes and the 105-megawatt Mt. Apo Geothermal Plant. Yet, Mindanao still suffers and will continue to suffer from recurring brownouts because no new capacities have been commissioned for the Mindanao grid since 2006, when the 210-MW coal-fired power plant of STEAG in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental went into commercial stream. The Agus River hydropower plant complex could no longer deliver the 700-MW or so installed capacity in full because of antiquated facilities and aging turbines. The Pulangi hydropower plant is operating at least 20-percent less of its installed capacity (255MW) due to heavy silt. These two hydropower plants are only operating at a combined capacity of 600 megawatts out of possible 900MW. The National Power Corporation (NPC) also lost 215MW of power source when it sold PB 117 and PB118 to the Aboitiz-owned Therma Marine Inc. That is 215 megawatts off the Mindanao grid. The Iligan Diesel Power Plant is operating at half its 100MW installed capacity due to neglect and poor maintenance schedule. It is now owned by the Iligan City government. In effect, only roughly 600 megawatts of hydro energy are available from NPC to service its Mindanao grid from where most electric cooperatives and distribution utilities are sourcing their power supply requirement. The rest of the 1,300MW actual power supply demand for the island are sourced from independent power producers (IPPs) such as the diesel-power Southern Philippines Power Plant (55MW), the Western Mindanao Power Plant (100MW), and STEAG. Distribution utilities are now forced to buy whatever shortfall of supply from NPC and IPPs. In the case of the South Cotabato II Electric Cooperative, it entered into supply contract with Therma Marine for additional 18 megawatts for the next three years after NPC reduced its supply to the distribution cooperative by 30 megawatts. Davao Light and Power Corporation also bought all 40 megawatts of hydro energy generated by its sister company Hedcor in Sibulan, Davao del Sur. Mindanao used to enjoy decades of cheap and reliable power supply from hydro sources when the Agus River Complex was built and commissioned in the 1960s and onwards. The island’s development, however, is one that was never static. By the late 1980s, the Agus River could no longer serve the power needs of the islands. In the early 1990s, Mindanao plunged into darkness as demand far outstripped the supply. Then President Fidel Ramos allowed independent power producers to buy power barges and construct diesel power plants to augment and fill the gap in power demand NPC could no longer supply. Eventually, the Arroyo administration passed Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 to rationalize the power industry. The law effectively dismantled the monopoly of NPC and stripped the latter of its power to generate power capacities. This opened up the energy industry to the private sector. NPC’s transmission operation was also privatized (now the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines). The IPPs brought temporary relief for consumers in Mindanao. But it did not last long. (Edwin G. Espejo writes for www.asiancorrespondent.com)

SOUTHERN COMFORT: Peace more than ever

by Edwin G. Espejo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/24 October) — Two more troubling incidents in Mindanao last week made the quest for just and lasting peace in the island all the more important. We need to put a stop to all the violence around us. We need to save the lives of combatants as well as others who are getting caught in this vicious cycle of mayhem and murder. We need not tell the story of the orphans, widows and grieving mothers who lost their loved ones in Basilan last week all in the name of war for peace. We need not fell another tree to carve out yet another coffin for one more missionary who will spend the next three decades of his life helping indigenous peoples in remote villages only to be gunned down by forces of war. Anybody who has seen the ugly face of the conflict in Mindanao knows what grief is all about. And everybody who has seen the war tear apart kinship and friendship knows this isn’t going anywhere if one’s meaning of peace is wiping out the protagonists of the conflict. Shame on them who are again suggesting we embark on a mission to wipe out the Moro rebels who staged an ambush that led to the death of 19 soldiers, four of them young officers, in Basilan last week. Woe to them who jumped with joy at the sight of former President Joseph Estrada urging all out war against the rebels who ambushed the soldiers in the manner he did when he was the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. And shame on those who ordered the killing of Italian missionary Fr. Faustino Tentorio all in the name of peace. Now more than ever, we need to bring together the contending forces of the conflicts in Mindanao to the peace table. Now more than ever, there is an urgent need to find a just and lasting solution to these conflicts. Now, more than ever, we need to talk peace instead of wage more wars of attrition. We have seen four decades of these conflicts and we have used all means to conquer our perceived enemies. But after countless deaths throughout these years, we have not come closer to peace because many among us find meaning in peace as the annihilation of forces that are driven to wage wars. We have to eliminate the reason why they take arms. The raison d’ etre why they are waging wars. True, the only peace that endures is the one you are ready to defend and make war for. But how can you win a war with war when it is founded on injustice. You cannot have lasting peace by waging an unjust war. To paraphrase, the only lasting peace worth defending is one that is anchored on and brought by just wars. (Edwin G. Espejo writes for www.asiancorrespondent.com)





Power users, city council urge review of coal plant deal

by Jerry N. Adlaw


GENERAL SANTOS CITY: Local power consumers and the General Santos City council has pressed for a review of the agreement between the South Cotabato Electric Cooperative II (Socoteco II) and Conal Holdings Corp. on the construction of a coal-fired power plant in Maasim town, Saranggani province. Various groups led by Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Freedom from Debt Coaliation and Panaghugpong Mindanaw held protests recently against the deal, which they feared might lead to higher power rates.

Socoteco II supplies electricity to Saranggani and South Cotabato provinces, as well as General Santos City.

The militant groups said that the contract was signed without public consultation.

The city government urged the cooperative to postpone the project, since it was yet to undergo public consultiation.

City councilor Elizabeth Bagonoc, meanwhile, invited Socoteco officials to air their side on the matter.

“We will send a letter [to] the office of the Energy Regulatory Commission and the office of the Department of Energy, as well as the National Electrification Administration, [to prove that we did not] conform [to] the acts of the Socoteco II management for signing the contract with Conal Holdings Corp. as the content of the contract needs further study before it will be finally signed, and if ever the power member-consumers would agree or not, this will need a thorough public consultation,” she said.





Pacquiao’s Army reservist status follows law, says aide

by Aquiles Z. Zonio

Inquirer Mindanao


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines —An aide of Manny Pacquiao took a swipe, on Saturday, at those who criticized the boxing icon’s appointment as lieutenant colonel in the Army’s Reserve Force. “Love of country is shown by the willingness to serve and protect the people, not by possession of intellectual arrogance,” lawyer Franklin Gacal Jr., Pacquiao’s congressional chief of staff, said. Gacal said the critics have forgotten the fact that the appointment was not actually a promotion for Pacquiao, who was previously a sergeant, but was prompted by the provisions of Republic Act 7077, which stated that elected and appointed officials could be commissioned into the Reserved Force based on existing military rules and regulations. Also, under the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ circular issued on July 5, 2010, a congressman could be granted a rank of lieutenant colonel in the Reserved Force, he said. “It is not promotion, technically,” Gacal said in a text message to the Inquirer. Clarita Carlos, former president of the National Defense College of the Philippines, said Pacquiao should not have been appointed lieutenant colonel because he was not a college graduate. She said the pugilist was not qualified to be appointed as such because of lack of a degree. Other critics said they were wondering what would happen if Pacquiao was given the task of a battalion commander. Others were more blunt – it would be a disaster to trust soldiers’ lives in the hands of Pacquiao. “They look down on him because he came from a poor family and he has not finished a college degree,” Gacal said. He said while Pacquiao would stay and fight for the country in times of war, his critics might not. “I doubt if they would stay here. They might fly out of the country. But (Pacquiao), I’m sure, will stay here and fight for his country,” Gacal said.





Sarangani village water not safe for drinking due to coliform

by Allen V. Estabillo |


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/20 Oct) – Health officials in Sarangani have warned residents in a diarrhea-stricken village in Maasim town against drinking from all water sources in the area due to coliform bacteria contamination. “All sources of water within Barangay Tinoto are not fit for drinking purposes,” Dr. Antonio Yasana, provincial health officer, said in a statement released late Wednesday afternoon. Three children have died and at least 250 other residents in coastal Tinoto were affected by diarrhea since last week. Yasana said an internal crisis committee (ICC) was created to plan and implement immediate actions even as the diarrhea outbreak has already subsided. Yasana informed the municipal and barangay officials that the existing water source in Tinoto can be used for washing and laundry only and not even for washing dishes or kitchen utensils. “What is definite is that all the water sources are infected, contaminated with coliform bacteria,” Yasana disclosed, citing the initial result of microbiological test of Tinoto’s water sources. “The situation is manageable, meaning we are addressing the needs of the community. We do not want that there will be more (diarrhea) cases that will be happening,” he said Fishing is the main livelihood of the people in Barangay Tinoto, which has a population of 4,534. Their water source is from two peddling tankers coming from Bawing, General Santos City and Siguel, and two local water systems. Mayor Jose Zamorro said a municipal vehicle has been delivering containers of drinking water from the poblacion to the diarrhea-stricken village. Last Monday, Dr. Jaileen Milar, municipal health officer, reported that diarrhea cases started to occur on October 11 with one death reported on the same date. Another two deaths were reported on October 15 and 16 and the cases of diarrhea escalated to 46. The following day, the total number of cases reached 254 but mostly outpatient due to “mild presentation” of the illness. Health workers continue their monitoring in the village even if the situation is already manageable, Yasana said. He recommended the construction of a communal toilet, noting that there were “no sanitary toilets among the majority of the residents with no proper waste disposal.” “Most of the patients interviewed do not practice simple and proper hygiene practices such as hand washing, Many were observed to have dirty long nails,” Yasana said. The village has been placed under a state of calamity for the barangay government to use its five-percent calamity fund. (Bong S. Sarmiento / MindaNews)




Two cops, ex-barangay captain killed in separate incidents

by N E W S B R I E F S


Two cops and a former barangay captain were shot dead in separate incidents in General Santos City, Laoag Ilocos Norte and Nagcarlan, Laguna yesterday, police report said.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr., identified the fatalities as PO1 Danson Banas, assigned to General Santos City PNP; SPO4 Edwin Aquino, assigned to the traffic division in Laoag City and Rito Javier, 53 of Nagcarlan Laguna.

Police report said POI Banas was gunned down by his common-law wife, POI Rowena Banas who is detailed at the office of the deputy city police chief for operations yesterday.

POI Danson Banas was assigned to the General Santos City Police Precinct No. 8. He was rushed to the hospital was but declared dead on arrival by attending physician.

The local police are still conducting probe to determine what triggered the killing.

The wife is now under police custody.

Meanwhile, local police operatives are still identifying the lone gunman who shot dead SPO4 Aquino at the Department of Public Safety in Laoag, City Ilocos Norte around 4:25 a.m. yesterday.

In Nagcarlan, Laguna a former barangay captain identified as Rito Javier was stabbed dead while sitting in front of the cooperative office in Barangay Talahib, Nagcarlan, Laguna around 11:30 a.m.

Chief Supt. Gilbert Cruz, Laguna provincial police director, said the victim died on the spot due to stab wounds on his neck.

The suspect has remained at large at press time.






Cop shot dead by wife in General Santos

by Aquiles Zonio

Inquirer Mindanao


GENERAL SANTOS CITY — A policeman was shot dead allegedly by his wife, also a member of the city police, during an argument early Wednesday, a report from the city police said. Police 0fficer 1 Danson Banas, who was assigned to the city’s Police Precinct No. 8, was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival, police said. The circumstances surrounding the shooting of Banas allegedly by his wife, PO1 Rowena Banas, detailed at the office of the deputy city police chief for operations, remains unclear. An investigation is ongoing as of posting time.





3 kids dead, 200 ill due to diarrhea in Sarangani village

by Aquiles Z. Zonio

Inquirer Mindanao


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines—Three children died while about 200 people fell ill due to diarrhea in the village of Tinoto in Maasim, Sarangani, the town’s health office said Tuesday. Jaileen Majar, Maasim health officer, said an outbreak of diarrhea had been declared in the village because of the rising number of cases since the disease was first reported a week ago. The victims that succumbed to diarrhea were five years old and below, Majar said. The municipal hospital in Maasim is now crowded with patients seeking medical treatment for the illness, she said. Because of the sheer number of diarrhea patients, Majar said the hospital could not accommodate all the patients so that makeshift beds had to be put up outside the facility. She said the municipal health office had taken water samples from the village to determine what has been causing the illness. Rajik Kudarat, Tinoto village chair said that because of the outbreak, the village had been declared under a state of calamity. He said this paved the way for the village government to use its 5-percent calamity fund to assist diarrhea victims in their medication. To prevent more people from being ill, Kudarat said the villagers had been advised to boil water for 10 minutes before drinking it to make sure that water-borne bacteria are killed. A cleanliness drive was also ongoing, he said.





Taganito mining firm seeks AFP support

by Edwin G. Espejo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/15 October) — Besieged mining firm Taganito Mining Company (TMC) has reportedly requested the deployment of a special paramilitary unit to beef up its security force following attacks by communist rebels on its mine site and other sister companies in Surigao del Norte early this month. Maj. Eugene Osias, spokesman of the 4th Infantry Division based in Cagayan de Oro City, said a formal request has been submitted by the company and is now being processed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It will be the defense department, however, which will give the final approval although sources said the request has already been approved in principle. The Philippine government has urged mining firms and big companies operating in rebel-infested areas to employ para-military forces to secure their businesses following the Surigao attacks. Intelligence sources, however, said the mining company initially rejected recommendations from the military to put up special Cafgu units in their mining sites for fear of further New People’s Army (NPA) attacks. Cafgu stands for Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit, a government created para-military force. The company also reportedly refused to allow the military to use its mining sites as staging areas for AFP operations against the NPA rebels. On October 3, some 200 fully armed NPA guerrillas simultaneously raided TMC and its sister companies – the Taganito High-Pressure Acid Leaching (THPAL-Sumitomo) and the Platinum Gold Metal Corporation (PGMC). Some P500 million (US$11 million) worth of machinery, equipment and facilities were burned by the NPA rebels. They also took hostages several company officials but later released them unharmed. No one was hurt during the seven-hour rebel siege. The NPA raids came 12 days after the AFP pulled out the 30th Infantry Battalion from the area for retraining. Former Army captain Ronnel Malcom, a middle ranking security officer of Sumitomo, said he was not aware of the request for special Cafgu units by its parent company, Taganito Mining. The Sumitomo-controlled mining firms were raided by the NPA for reportedly ignoring rebel warnings against environmental degradation caused by their operations. The mining firms also reportedly refused to give the exact amount of ‘revolutionary taxes’ the NPA rebels had been demanding. In a letter sent to the press, Maria Malaya spokesperson of the National Democratic Front (NDF) in Northern Mindanao said company officials have also ignored rebel demand for a meeting. Malay, believed to be the wife of NDF Mindanao spokesperson Jorge Madlos likewise admitted they sent letters to the company in March this year, demanding revolutionary taxes from the mining companies. A military source who requested anonymity said TMC and its sister companies need at least two companies of special security force to prevent another NPA attack. (Edwin G. Espejo/MindaNews contributor, writes for the asiancorresondent.com)

Military secures mine sites in South Cotabato

by Allen V. Estabillo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/13 October) – Government troops operating in South Cotabato province beefed up their presence in several mining areas in the wake of last week’s daring attacks by communist rebels on three mining firms in Surigao del Norte. Lt. Col. Alexis Noel Bravo, commander of the 27th Infantry Battalion, said Thursday they assigned additional troops to help secure the operations and vital facilities of several mining companies that are presently based in the province. “Mining companies are always potential targets of the NPA (New People’s Amy) as we’ve seen in Surigao. So we’ve taken up some security measures to prevent similar incidents from happening within our area of responsibility,” Bravo said. The Army’s 27th IB area of responsibility covers the entire province of South Cotabato and portions of Sultan Kudarat and Davao del Sur provinces. The mining operations in the province are mainly based in the municipalities of Tampakan, T’boli and Lake Sebu. Foreign-backed Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) is currently exploring the mountains of Tampakan and nearby towns of Kiblawan in Davao del Sur and Columbio in Sultan Kudarat for its proposed large-scale copper and gold mining operations in the area. Canadian-backed Tribal Mining Corporation is operating a gold and silver mining venture in T’boli town while conglomerate San Miguel Corporation is currently working on a coal mining project in the mountains of Lake Sebu town. Bravo said they are currently reviewing the security plans and related arrangements employed by mining firms in the area. He said they are mainly concerned with the security arrangements for the employees and facilities of the mining companies. He said they were also closely coordinating with mining company officials to check whether they received any extortion demands from NPA rebels. “So far, it’s been negative. We have not received any report regarding movements by the NPA within our mining areas here in the past several weeks,” the official said. On Monday last week, some 200 to 300 NPA rebels attacked Nickel Asia Corporation, Taganito High-Pressure Acid Leaching Mining Company (THPAL-Sumitomo) and Platinum Metals Group. Reported estimates placed the damage at between P500 million and P2 billion. Several years ago, NPA rebels also launched several attacks on the facilities and heavy equipment commissioned by SMI in the mountains of Tampakan town. In one of the attacks, the rebels raided and torched the company’s main base camp in Barangay Tablu in Tampakan. But Bravo said the presence of the NPA rebels in Tampakan town has so far diminished due to their successful dismantling of the NPA’s Front 76, the main rebel front that had operated in the area. Late last month, the Eastern Mindanao Command turned over the lead role of the internal security efforts to the provincial government of South Cotabato following the “clearing” of the communist rebels from the area. “Right now, we have one rifle platoon deployed in Tampakan to secure everyone there and not only SMI,” Bravo added. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)





COMMENTARY: The other Mindanao conflict: Vacuum in the cities

by Edwin G. Espejo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/12 October) – While the communist movement continues to make inroads in the countryside, its cadres have, up to the present, never come close to approximating the strength of its 1980s united front and open mass movement works. Many were alienated by the divisive ideological debate which came just as the wounds of the anti-Zombie campaign were healing. When the Underground Left began its “rectification campaign,” the regional leaderships of the CPP-NPA in Mindanao pulled out its cadres from the cities to undergo ideological renewal. Some were obliged, some given orders, to stay in the guerrilla fronts to help rebuild its army and party organs. It left a vacuum in the cities and urban centers whose remaining cadres were organizationally and politically challenged to lead the urban mass movement. Except in areas where they found reliable and trusted allies in local government units, the communists have found urban mass work a head-splitting challenge. The student movement is now in the doldrums and former activists in that ’80s era could only wish those glory days of student activism would again come alive. The labor movement lost much of its strength and the number of unions it leads and under its influence is now reduced to insignificance – a trend that is today prevalent in the trade union movement in Mindanao. When the Herrera Law (Republic Act 6715) was passed in 1989, it became a matter of time when unions were eventually busted. Now, with “contractualization” becoming the norm of labor arrangement, trade unions have lost their strength and bargaining power. Even the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP), to which former Sen. Ernesto Herrera, author of RA 6715 is a ranking officer, has not been spared. But weak as they are in the urban centers, the NPAs have become a formidable force, some say annoying force, to reckon with in the remote and mountainous areas of Mindanao where government presence is hardly felt and services virtually non-existent. They also greatly benefited from successive wars of attrition launched by the government against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the emergence of the Abu Sayyaf Group as national security threat at the time they were slowly trying to rebuild their forces in the same manner that the Moro rebel group also crept its way into a force to reckon with during the height of communist activities in the ’80s. The modern Mindanao conflict is no longer, and never was, the monopoly of the Moro rebellion. But both conflicts are as real and as problematic as they come. Spread thinly The military, while somehow able to shed some of its feared image as the hatchet men of Marcos-era Martial Law, is now spread out too thinly. It had to sacrifice some areas to concentrate where the large formations of rebel forces are, both the MILF and the NPA. The Surigao raid occurred 12 days after the 30th Infantry Battalion was pulled out from the area for retraining. Already thinned out, the Philippine military battles multiple warfronts in Mindanao. Unlike the MILF which still has huge encampments and with which the Philippine government has a still operational ceasefire, the CPP-NPA is still the same guerrilla force operating with its own geographical regions. It requires the Philippine military to deploy its forces farther away from military nerve centers. Today, half of the 120,000-strong Armed Forces of the Philippines is deployed in Mindanao. Half of the AFP units in Mindanao however is solely dedicated to containing the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf – the 6th Infantry Division based in Maguindanao and the 1st ID based in Zamboanga. This leaves the other army divisions, the 10th ID based in Davao City and the 4th ID in Cagayan de Oro City, stretched out thinly in far larger areas where the communists are operating. There are more or less 50 Philippine Army battalions in Mindanao, excluding the Philippine Marines and other support units. Since fluidity is the name of guerrilla warfare, the military is limited in terms of using its vast and superior war materiel advantage over highly mobile NPA units. Somewhere in the countryside, it is a deadly cat and mouse game. Muscle flexing As one Mindanao local chief executive said, “Certainly there was an element of public relations in the release of Mayor Henry Dano of Lingig, Surigao del Sur and his two military escorts, as well as of four jail guards last Saturday, by the New People’s Army (NPA).” The release came just days after the Philippine police and military were embarrassed by the Surigao raids. If what happened last week in the communist insurgency front were indeed mere propaganda, then the government lost heavily. There is, however, more to these NPA offensives than just public relations and propaganda. That communists were able to do both – the raid and release of their “captives” with relative ease and without suffering any casualty – only serves to highlight how far the communists have regained their lost bearings. Whether these offensives were meant to exact reaction from the Philippine government to release consultants of the National Democratic Front who are now in detention, it remains to be seen. That these happened just as the NDF and the Philippine government are about to resume the peace negotiations in Oslo, Norway next week, serves notice to everybody that beyond the Moro conflict, there is one other lingering and resilient rebellion in Mindanao – one headed by the CPP-NPA and its political umbrella, the NDF. (Edwin G. Espejo writes for www.asiancorrespondent.com)





Typhoon Ramon displaces 305 persons, swept 6 houses in GenSan

by NONOY E. LACSON


GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines – Sixty-one families or an estimated 305 people have evacuated to safer areas while a total of six houses were destroyed and swept away by flash floods here on Tuesday dawn due heavy rain caused by typhoon Ramon.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) said a portion of a dike along the banks of Silway River gave way anew at past 7 p.m. Monday.

The incident had caused huge volumes of floodwater to spill towards nearby Puroks PI 16 and Johnny Ang Paradise of Barangay Dadiangas Heights.

The river’s water level reportedly rose early Monday night due to the heavy rains in nearby upland areas in South Cotabato province

Tropical Storm ‘Ramon’ affects 164 individuals in Dinagat Islands

SURIGAO CITY, Philippines (PIA) -- Continuous rains due to Tropical Storm ‘Ramon’ have affected 33 families or 164 individuals in the province of Dinagat Islands.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) Deputized Coordinator Rosario Roxas reported that the affected families were immediately housed at their respective evacuation centers while others opted to stay in their relatives’ houses.





COMMENTARY: The other Mindanao conflict (First of 2 parts)

by Edwin G. Espejo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/11 October) — In a span of one week, communist guerrillas scored major propaganda coups that included wide coverage for the unprecedented simultaneous raids on three mining companies in Surigao del Sur, long the hotbed of insurgency in Mindanao not related to the Moro conflict. These raids were followed by the release of ‘prisoners of war’ (POWs) held captives for at least two months by separate New People’s Army (NPA) guerrilla units. These apparent coordinated rebel activities underscore not only the gravity of the other Mindanao conflict but also highlight the apparent helplessness of the Philippine military. Mindanao, a land of sharp contrasts and contradictions despite being endowed with rich mineral and natural resources, has never lived in long stretches of peace throughout its recorded history. The Moro people have resisted invaders and colonizers for centuries to protect and later reclaim their lands. The communists have made Mindanao their laboratory of everything that has something to do with Mao Zedong’s protracted people’s war. It is easy to dismiss the Communist Party of the Philippines together with its military wing, the NPA, in Mindanao as a spent force. The island became a failed experiment of the rebels’ brief but disastrous folly with insurrectionism in the turbulent 1980s. It is in the island where the darkest period of the communist movement in the country took place. Hundreds of cadres, activists and sympathizers perished in the infamous anti-Zombie campaign purportedly aimed at ridding the CPP-NPA of deep penetration agents from the government only for the Mindanao leadership of the Underground Left to later admit it was an episode of grave “tactical, organizational and ideological errors.” The communist saw its membership and armed strength decline significantly in the aftermath of the deadly anti-DPA campaign. It even worsened when an ideological debate wrecked havoc within the rebel organization further decimating its ranks. By the mid 1990s, the military proclaimed it has reduced the communist movement into irrelevance. It took the communists another 10 years or so to again “make their presence felt.” If the Surigao attacks and almost simultaneous releases of “POWs” were indications, then the communist rebels are now back with a vengeance. High and low and high The real strength of the NPA will never be known to the public except for the top echelons of the communist movement. But it is a widely acknowledged fact that half of the armed strength of the NPAs is in Mindanao, perhaps even slightly higher. At the height of the Marcos dictatorship, the military said the armed regulars of the NPA numbered almost 25,000 – a figure the communist movement neither confirmed nor denied. Based on the number of guerrilla fronts then, at that time around 72 nationwide, the estimate was grossly overblown, however. There could have been no more than 12,000 armed NPA regulars all over the country even at the peak of the communist rebellion (mid 1980s). Today, the communists claim they are now operating in 81 provinces with over 120 guerrilla fronts all over the country. Thirty two of these guerrilla fronts are found in Mindanao, according to Mindanao rebel spokesman Ka Oris, a.k.a Jorge Madlos. The Philippine military however believes there are only 23 NPA guerrilla fronts in Mindanao, more than half of them in the Davao region which reportedly has a combined strength of 800 armed regulars. Even using the military figure of NPA guerrilla fronts in Mindanao, this is still a significant statistic compared to the mid-1980s when there were only 21 guerrilla fronts scattered all over the island. The recent rebel activities in the Davao and Caraga regions are clear indications that the rebel movement either has already regained its lost strength or has grown even stronger than it was 25 years ago. The fact that the rebels in Surigao can mobilize a battalion of armed regulars in a coordinated offensive also shows that their armed capability has also improved as they recover from almost a decade of setbacks and decline. This is not to romanticize the rebels, but never did it happen in the history of the communist insurgency that they were able to launch simultaneous attacks on a scale seen last week in Surigao. (Edwin G. Espejo writes for the www.asiancorrespondent.com)





NUJP-GenSan Chapter revived

by Mindanews


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/09 October) – Sixteen journalists from various media entities operating in this city and nearby provinces of South Cotabato and Sarangani provinces gathered here Saturday afternoon to formally revive the defunct local chapter of the National Journalist of the Philippines (NUJP). The group held a general assembly, the first in three years, to officially reconstitute the NUJP-General Santos City chapter, elect a new set of officers and set its initial programs and activities. Freelance journalist Edwin Espejo was elected as chairperson of the revived NUJP chapter, which was first formed in 2004. Espejo, who was among the chapter’s pioneering members, writes for the Asian Correspondent, Newsbreak, MindaNews and several other online and print news organizations. The other elected chapter officers were Allen V. Estabillo of MindaNews as vice chairperson; Philip Salarda, station manager of Catholic Media Network’s dxCP, as secretary-general; and Rhea Lara of ABS-CBN General Santos as treasurer. Aquiles Zonio, Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent and the chapter’s pioneering chairperson, described the revival of the NUJP chapter in the city as timely and a very important step towards the promotion of press freedom as well as the welfare and safety of media workers in the area. He cited that General Santos City had been considered as among the country’s hotspots in terms of media killings as it posted the highest number of journalists who were killed in the line of duty since democracy was restored in 1986. Based on reports released by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), a total of 21 journalists from the city had been killed since 1986. Fourteen of the 32 media workers who were killed on November 23, 2009 in the infamous Ampatuan massacre in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao province came from this city. The massacre left a total of 58 persons dead. “It’s very important for us here to band together and take the necessary actions to ensure that none of these will ever happen to us or any of our colleagues,” said Zonio, who presided over the chapter’s general assembly. The city’s NUJP chapter was organized in 2004 at the height of the nationwide campaign against media killings. In 2005, local NUJP members assisted an IFJ-led fact-finding mission on the cases of media killings in the country. The result of the fact-finding mission, which was conducted on January 23 to February 1, 2005, was published by the IFJ in a report titled: “A Dangerous Profession: Press freedom under fire in the Philippines.” In July, a group of local journalists initially signified their desire to revive the city’s NUJP chapter in a meeting with NUJP national secretary-general Rowena Paraan. An ad hoc organizing committee led by Espejo was created last September 24 in a meeting that followed an NUJP-led training on investigating corruption attended by Paraan and NUJP’s Mindanao Safety Office coordinator JB Deveza. Espejo said the newly-revived NUJP chapter will pursue programs and activities focusing on the promotion of press freedom as well as safety and welfare of media workers in the area. He said the group is planning to launch several activities in line with the second anniversary of the Ampatuan massacre. (MindaNews)





Herhof also eyes $100-M WTE facility in Sarangani

by Bong S. Sarmiento


GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- German firm Herhof GmbH has recently forged an agreement with the local government unit (LGU) of Glan, Sarangani for the construction of a $100 million waste-to-energy facility there.

The foreign company is also eyeing the establishment of the same facility in Davao City with a total investment of $1.2 billion.

Glan Mayor Victor James B. Yap, Sr. said the project would be taken under a build-operate-transfer scheme.

"This agreement could serve as a catalyst that will catapult Glan as the next boom town in Mindanao. Imagine the jobs, revenue and ancillary enterprises that a $100-million investment can generate," he said in a statement.

Signing for Herhof were William J. Lima, president of TIG Green Technology Mindanao, and Michael C. Jimenez, president of Zehira USA, LLC, and Yap for the LGU.

Under the memorandum of agreement, Herhof will construct and develop waste management disposal plant facilities using “a highly reliable and safe technology from Germany called Stabilat-R Method.”

The agreement also provides that Herhof will own, operate and maintain all Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) Stabilat-R plant facilities that the company will develop for municipal solid waste processing, wastewater treatment, sewage sludge, leachate treatment for landfills, methane/biogas extraction, hospital waste plant, thermal treatment of secondary fuels, gasification processes, anaerobic treatment and possible power-generation technologies or the so-called "EVA Power Plant."

To ensure the successful operation of all its future facilities, as well as help generate local employment, the company will conduct employee training programs on maintenance, safety and overall plant management and will only hire local residents as workers and plant operators.

The local government, on the other hand, will allow Herhof to use its present landfill at Barangay Mudan for 25 years, renewable for another 25 years, as construction site of Phase 1 of the project at no cost to the company.

If the local government can bring in 1,000 tons of garbage daily at the six-hectare municipal dumpsite within two years from the signing of the agreement, an additional area of at least nine hectares will be provided to the company for its power plant facility under the same terms and conditions.

When already in place, the project will also serve as a major revenue-earner in that other towns, cities or provinces can make use of the facilities for their own garbage disposal after paying the dumping charges or "tipping fees," with the town and the company sharing the income equally.

With the minimum daily requirement of 1,000 tons of garbage "in the bag because of the additional load from outside sources," the company will start Phase II of the project -- the power plant facility, which will use treated and recycled garbage as fuel, according to the statement.

The agreement also provides that when the company recoups its investment after 25 years of operation, it shall turn over its facilities to the local government under the BOT scheme.





Communist group warns of more attacks vs 'abusive' firms

by Aquiles Z. Zonio/Bong Sarmiento/Ben Tesiorna/Jill Beltran/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex


GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Communist rebels hailed the recent attacks against mining companies in Surigao del Norte and vowed to carry out punitive actions against those that "destroy the environment, exploit the workers and drive away indigenous people from their ancestral lands."

"We are serious and determined to protect our patrimony, sovereignty, and the general welfare and interests of the people and the environment. We will use the full potential of the revolutionary movement to carry out these just

Oris issued the statement dated October 5, 2011, a copy of which was sent to Sun.Star, following the attacks Monday on three biggest mining companies in Claver town, Surigao del Norte that raised concerns over security of mining operations in the Philippines.

The New People's Army (NPA) under the Pulang Diwata Command (PDC) in the North-Eastern Mindanao Region disarmed guards, briefly held company staff, and torched company offices and heavy equipment during the attacks on three mines run by Nickel Asia Corp. and Platinum Group Metals Corp.

Australian and Japanese officials expressed concern Wednesday over the attacks, saying the incidents could hurt the Philippines' image.

"It's awful, I mean it's not only the damage to the equipment but the damage to the reputation of the Philippines that I'm worried (about)," said Japanese Ambassador Toshinao Urabe.

But Madlos said the attack was timely and warranted against a "rapacious business interests that ravage the environment and natural resources, and intensify the exploitation and repression of workers, peasants, and the Lumad people."

He said the incident should serve as a warning to other big mining operations in Mindanao.

Madlos reminded Eastern Mining Corp. in Diwalwal, Monkayo, Compostela Valley; the Xtrata-SMI Mining Corp. in Tampakan, South Cotabato; the San Roque Mining Inc. in Tubay, Agusan del Norte; and the Toronto Ventures Inc. in Zamboanga Sibugay that similar punitive action will be meted out against them if they continue to violate NDF's policy on environment, labor and the indigenous peoples.

"Far worse than the mining operations, destructive agri-business companies, such as Dole, Del Monte, and large-scale oil palm plantations which have poisoned our soil, air, and water, deprived thousands of peasants and Lumads of land and means of living, and exploited and oppressed workers, are likewise subject to the same revolutionary policies," he said.

Other companies warned by the NDF were Philippine Sinter Corp.-Kawasaki, the coal-fired power plant in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental; and hydro-electric power plants, including business firms planning to put up similar environmentally destructive operations.

Malacanang, however, assured investors that security in the country's mining areas will be improved.

"We understand their concerns because we're just as disappointed of what happened there, so we've taken corrective actions. We are doing a threat assessment and we'll facilitative if necessary upon the recommendation of the DND (defense department), the AFP (armed forces) and the PNP (police)," presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.

He said the military and the police have implemented immediate actions to ensure the safety of mining companies in the country.

In South Cotabato, for instance, Governor Arthur Pingoy Jr. assured that police and military personnel in the province are closely guarding the area.

"We are trying to secure all, and so we are on guard [all the time]," he said.

The governor appealed to the public and mining companies though to be vigilant against possible attacks by the communist rebels, citing the Provincial Government monitored NPA recruitment in Barangay Ned in Lake Sebu town and parts of Tampakan, South Cotabato.

Lake Sebu and Tampakan towns are home to huge coal and copper deposits, respectively, with San Miguel Corp. holding rights over the former and Sagittarius Mines Inc. on the latter.

Pingoy said government security troops are on top of the situation, noting that internal security efforts were turned over last week to the Provincial Government by the military.

Lacierda, meanwhile, said the government will look into allegations of abuses committed by Taganito Mining Corporation (TMC) that triggered the Surigao del Norte attack.

In a statement, NDF-North Eastern Mindanao Region spokesperson Maria Malaya said the attack was in retaliation against the TMC, which has "ravaged the area for nearly 30 years."

"Instead of remitting P400 million in taxes to the [local government], through sheer bribery, the company is now only paying the local government P40 million. It is only right to punish this company," Malaya said.

It was also reported that several environmental groups were sympathetic with the NPA's action.

Lacierda maintained, however, that the NPA should not resort to violence in addressing issues with the mining firms, noting there are many pro environment members of the Aquino Cabinet that could have acted on those issues.

"All things being equal, you don't have to resort to violence to address those concerns," he said. "(That problem) could have been raised with us if there are violations."

But Madlos of the NDF described the Aquino government in the arena of environment as worse than the Gloria Arroyo regime.

The NDF spokesman for Mindanao criticized the current administration for conniving with destructive mining companies, such as Sumitomo, Nickel Asia Corporation and SRMI.

Madlos said that by allowing the companies to operate and destroy the environment, the Aquino administration shows that not the Filipino masses but the profit-hungry foreign capitalists and their local stooges are its real masters.

Around 200 to 300 rebels attacked Monday the TMC in Claver town and destroyed several of the company's facilities, including dump trucks, backhoes, barges, and a guest house.

Taganito is a unit of Nickel Asia Corp., which is partly owned by Japan's Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd.

Another group of rebels attacked the nearby Platinum Metals Group Corp., also in Claver. Three hours later, another mine site operated by another Taganito company, Taganito HPAL Corporation, was also attacked by rebels.

The attack forced Nickel Asia to suspend its operations indefinitely. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Wednesday, however, Nickel Asia said it already resumed operations.

The military said one of the reasons for the attack was the company's refusal to pay "revolutionary taxes" to the rebels.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines found, though, "serious lapses" committed by government forces on the field that allowed for the successful attacks.

President Benigno Aquino III then ordered the relief of the brigade commander assigned in Claver, Surigao del Norte, as well as of three police officials.

Authorities are still investigating the incident.




Bamboo project

by Joseph Jubelag


October 6, 2011, 4:29pm GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines — Some 200 members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have undergone a one-day training on bamboo production conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources at the MNLF headquarters in Koronadal City.

DENR Regional Director Alfredo Pascual said the MNLF members coming from the various regions in Mindanao were lectured on how to raise bamboo plantations not only as means of their livelihood but as well as to help mitigate soil erosion and climate change.

COMMENTARY: The Kato experience: Who is to blame?

by Edwin G. Espejo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/04 October) — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) finally handed out a decision to expel renegade leader Ameril Umra Kato from the rebel ranks more than two years after he led bloody attacks following the failed signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD). Until those fateful attacks, which claimed the lives of several civilians and combatants, Kato was largely known only inside the Moro rebel ranks. He was described as a low-profile but highly respected Muslim scholar and a loyal commander and friend to MILF’s founding chair Salamat Hashim. The Kato-led 2008 attacks were one of the bloodiest episodes of the Mindanao conflict. These also sowed the seeds of disunity inside the MILF. If ever, both the MILF and the Philippine government have only themselves to blame if the ongoing peace process becomes even more complicated with Kato on the outside looking in. I have always questioned both the MILF and the Philippine military’s handling of Kato in the days immediately after the attack and in the period that followed it. For one, the military’s branding of Kato as a “lawless MILF element” was clearly a ploy to drive a wedge between him and the central leadership of the Moro rebel group – a wedge that now nobody wants. The ruse put the MILF in an awkward position because while it seemingly was in the moral high ground for its reaction against the ‘reactionary backlash’ of the botched MOA-AD signing, picturing Kato as a blood-soaked intransigent commander also had its flipside. He became a rallying figure of hard core Moro rebels who want complete independence and nothing else and thus weakening the bargaining position of the MILF in the peace negotiations. But the MILF also contributed its share in creating a headache of its own. In October 2008, or barely two months after the hostilities broke out, before scores of members of local press, the MILF through Ghadzali Jaafar, vowed to launch an investigation and impose sanctions against Moro rebels who were found to have violated its own code of conduct. Jaafar even promised to provide the press copies of the results of the investigations. The MILF never did. As it now appears, the MILF only seriously handled Kato’s status as a rebel commander when the suspended peace negotiations were resumed under the Aquino government. By then, its position was terribly weakened and Kato’s head became the tradeoff of the peace process. That it took the Ulama Council to finally address the Kato question only highlighted how respected a rebel commander Kato is in the MILF. Going after him now may not be as easy as it was two or three years ago. Like I said before, the peace process in Mindanao is better off with Kato in than out. Now, how do you do that? (Edwin G. Espejo writes for www.asiancorrespondent.com)






3 bishops to present 100,000 anti-mining signatures to PNoy

by Allen V. Estabillo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/03 October) – Three Catholic bishops in Mindanao are seeking an audience with President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to directly present at least 100,000 signatures of local residents who were reportedly opposing the planned large-scale gold and copper mining project of foreign-backed mining firm Sagittarius Mines Inc. (SMI) in the area. Fr. Joy Peliño, Social Action Center director of the Diocese of Marbel, said Monday the bishops of the dioceses of Marbel, Kidapawan and Digos are currently arranging a possible meeting with the President to relay the people’s “strong opposition” to SMI’s mining venture in the mountainous tri-boundaries of South Cotabato, Davao del Sur and Sultan Kudarat provinces. He said the bishops are still waiting for Malacanang’s response regarding the requested audience with the President. The three dioceses launched last August a signature drive targeting at least 100,000 names in a bid to compel the President to stop SMI’s proposed mining activities. “We have so far gathered around 110,000 signatures. Hopefully, the meeting (with the President) will materialize soon so we can show to him the real sentiments of the people regarding SMI’s operations,” Peliño said in a radio interview. SMI’s Tampakan Copper-Gold Project is centered in the towns of Tampakan in South Cotabato, Kiblawan in Davao del Sur and Columbio in Sultan Kudarat. The three municipalities are separately under the jurisdiction of the three Catholic dioceses. Peliño said the “overwhelming response” by residents to their signature campaign shows that majority of the local population understands the perils posed by the mining project, which was set by the firm to commence by the year 2016. “Most residents are now aware that the mining project only offers more risks than benefits to the people and the environment,” he said. In a forum in Koronadal City two weeks ago, British expert Clive Wicks cited that SMI’s mining project poses serious risk to the area’s environment and food security. Wicks, co-author of the book “Philippines: Mining or Food,” said the project “will damage agriculture, the lake downstream…and increases risk to flooding.” The study was done by Wicks in collaboration with Robert Goodland, who worked for the World Bank Group for 23 years as senior environmental advisor. SMI, which is controlled by global mining player Xstrata Copper, recently presented to local stakeholders the results of its commissioned Environmental Impact Assessment, a document essential in acquiring an environmental clearance certificate for the firm’s commercial operations. The Tampakan project will cost $5.9 billion at commercial development, potentially the largest single foreign direct investment in the Philippines. The company’s proposed mining area, which reportedly hosts the largest undeveloped copper and gold deposits in Southeast Asia, has a potential yield of 370,000 metric tons of copper and 360,000 ounces of gold annually. In June last year, the provincial government of South Cotabato adopted an environmental code that includes a ban on open-pit mining, a method being considered by SMI for its proposed commercial operations. President Aquino earlier sent a team to negotiate for the lifting of the open-pit ban but South Cotabato officials, led by Gov. Arthur Pingoy, have stood pat on their decision to implement the mining prohibition in the province. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)

Army engineers to help in SouthCot projects

by Allen V. Estabillo


GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/1 Oct) – An engineering contingent from the Philippine Army will be deployed in South Cotabato province starting next month to assist the ongoing infrastructure and socio-economic development initiatives in the area. Lt. Gen. Arthur Tabaquero, commander of the Armed Forces’ Eastern Mindanao, said Friday they will assign the 512th Engineer Construction “Kaagapay” Battalion to help build roads, classrooms and other vital infrastructure in remote parts of the province. “We’ll be deploying more troops but they will specifically be engaged in development works in coordination with the provincial government,” he said in a press conference in Koronadal City. The assignment of the engineering battalion came after the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the provincial government of South Cotabato signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Friday, transferring the lead role of the AFP’s internal security efforts to the local government. South Cotabato Gov. Arthur Pingoy Jr. signed the agreement on behalf of the provincial government while Maj. Gen. Jorge Segovia, commander of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, represented the AFP. Tabaquero said they transferred the lead role of the implementation of the internal security operations or ISO to the provincial government of South Cotabato after their troops successfully cleared the area of the communist-led New People’s Army (NPA). He said the local government will now lead the internal security efforts through the implementation of socio-economic and development projects in areas that were previously influenced by the communist rebels. “This shows that South Cotabato is already cleared of the communist insurgency and is now ready for more progress and development,” the official said. Lt. Col. Alexis Noel Bravo, commander of the Army’s 27th Infantry Battalion, said earlier this week that the entire province was declared as already cleared of the NPA’s presence when he assumed as 27IB commander last May. Such declaration was earlier made based on a report from the Joint AFP/PNP Intelligence Committee or JAPEC. He explained that that their troops specifically dismantled the political structure and so-called “shadow government” in several villages within the province’s 10 towns and lone city that had been established by the NPA’s guerilla fronts 73 and 76. The transfer of the ISO function to the provincial government was part of the enhanced National Internal Peace and Security Plan earlier endorsed by President Benigno Simeon Aquino III. Under the plan, local government units (LGUs) will assume the lead role in implementing the consolidation and development phase of the ISO after the completion of the clearing phase by the AFP. Earlier this year, Tabaquero said the provinces of Camiguin and Misamis Occidental (not Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental as reported by local Army officials) signed the same agreements with the AFP. South Cotabato is the third province in Mindanao that agreed to assume the lead role for the internal security efforts. As an offshoot of the agreement, Pingoy said the Army’s 512th Engineering Battalion will assist the local government in completing a stalled road project that connects Barangays Ned in Lake Sebu and Upper Sepaka in Surallah town. The construction of the road project, which was partly funded by the Asian Development Bank, was earlier stopped due to several reasons, among them the lack of equipment and the volatile peace and order situation in the area. “The engineering battalion will fill our need for equipment and manpower. They already committed the services of their 24 Army engineers to do the work in Ned,” the governor said. In line with this, Pingoy said the provincial government is set to sign a MOA with San Miguel Corporation (SMC), which offered to supply some P5 million worth of fuel, oil and lubricants for the heavy equipment that would be utilized for the project. He said the provincial government will provide some allowances to the members of the Army engineering unit that will be assigned to the project. Meantime, Segovia clarified that the transfer of the ISO’s lead role to the provincial government of South Cotabato will not cause the rumored pullout of the 27IB, which is based in Tupi town. “The 27IB is going to stay in South Cotabato,” the official stressed. Segovia explained that they might later evaluate whether there is a need to reduce the presence of their troops in the province but such matter would depend on the results of the provincial government’s internal security efforts. “But the 27IB, along with the 73IB in Sarangani, has been designated as standby force for our security operations in Central Mindanao so their strategic location is considered vital to our overall operations,” he added. (Allen V. Estabillo / MindaNews)

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