Colonel to civilians: "we will die securing you;" 60-year old Babu: "I'm afraid of the soldiers"

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Romy B. Elusfa/Bantay Ceasefire
Wednesday, 07 March 2007 13:02
Special to MindaNews

MUDSENG, Midsayap, North Cotabato (MIndaNews/06 March) -- “Hindi namin i-tolerate ang allegation ng pagnanakaw. (We will not tolerate allegations about looting). I am very strict. The burden of proof (that Army soldiers were behind alleged looting and arson) is on the evacuees. Hindi kami magnanakaw kay (We are not robbers) we are covered under military court and the Geneva conventions,” said Col. Jeyvee Resurreccion, commander of the Army’s 7th Infrantry Battalion, in response to allegations of the evacuees during a dialogue here last Sunday (March 4).
Resurreccion stressed their presence in the area is to protect the civilians and that they “will die securing you the civilians.” He said all the complaints raised by the civilians during the dialogue among Army and local government officials, non-government organizations and the internally displaced people, were part of a “gimmickry intended to tarnish the good image of the soldiers.”

“Hindi ninyo nakikita ang pagkakamali ng lawless elements,” (You don’t see the fault of the lawless elements) he said, adding they would not withdraw from the area despite the demand of civilians, until the “seven to eight lawless elements brandishing firearms” leave.

Who is to blame?

Babu Mai Mona Guabalay, 60, wept as she stared at the ashes of what was once her house. “I really do not know who burned my house because nobody among us has seen the burning. But it happened at a time when no one else was here but the soldiers,” she said Sunday.

In Maguindanaon language, she added, “Please, get me out of here. I’m afraid of the soldiers.”

Earlier, the soldiers held the group, claiming they do not allow people in the area of the burned houses because “baka matinik kayo.” Initially Babu’s group thought it was a warning about booby traps or landmines.

The group was allowed to proceed only after it agreed that soldiers first go ahead of them.

Some two meters away from Babu’s, the remnants of what used to be Subiya Kumayog’s house also greeted her.



Kumayog, an elderly woman, was living with her three children in the house that had been reduced to rubble.

Babu’s five children and four grandchildren are with Subiya’s family at the evacuation center some eight kilometers away.

Unlike Babu and Kumayog, Mama Sagan, 40, knew that his house, located some 200 meters from Babu’s and Subiya’s, was burned on February 16.

Aside from the 850 families here, there are 788 other families seeking refuge in the nearby town of Datu Piang in Maguindanao province some 30 kilometers away. Among the barangays affected are Duaminangan, Payugantong, Damatulan, Lower Kadigasan, Lumupog, Sambulawan, Alunganan, Masigay and Buayan, Nes, Mudseng

Resurreccion said there are four Army battalions in the area - his command, the 7th IB, 38th IB, 40th IB and 48th IB. Resurreccion’s 7th IB and the 40th IB under the command of Col. Diosdado Carreon, have been here since late in January. The 38th and 48th IBs, said the civilians, were deployed in the area only last week.

Villagers said they were told by soldiers that the recent troop augmentation by the Army was part of their plan to secure the “Balikatan” RP-US joint military exercise.

Last March 9, residents of Datu Piang town in Maguindanao province, which is around 30 kilometers from here, saw “around 40 U.S. soldiers” participating in a medical and dental mission in the municipality.

Musib Uy Tan, executive assistant of Datu Piang Mayor Sameer Uy, said there were indeed residents of the municipality who asked about the US military presence.

But Tan reportedly told them: “As far as we are concerned, they (US troops) are here for the medical and dental mission. Anyone of you may avail of their services. If there was anything else beyond what I know, that is beyond my authority to question,” he said. (Romy B. Elusfa/Bantay Ceasefire)

IMT wants fewer soldiers deployed to Mindanao

Romy Elusfa/Special to MindaNews

Thursday, 04 October 2007 10:39

ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/03 October) -- The Deputy Head of Mission of the 64-person Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT-4) does not want to see more soldiers sent to Mindanao because “the sight of armed law enforcers is a manifestation of un-peace.” The IMT, which monitors the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), wants to see more development workers in Mindanao rather than military contingents, said First Admiral Dato Pahlawan Amzah Solaiman, deputy head of mission of IMT-4. While acknowledging that the peace process between the government and the MILF has been slow, it “is on the right track,” Solaiman said. He noted the challenges that have to be confronted for peace to reign in the Southern Philippines: the presence of New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas in some Moro-populated areas in Mindanao, difficulty to sustain peace, and the never-ending cases of rido (family feuds). Solaiman explained that the “NPA movement creates trouble is some areas where we have peace.” He stressed that there are a number of communities where there have been relative peace already but this could not be sustained because “you wouldn’t know that conflict would all of a sudden erupt in other areas.” The conflicts are caused by “lawless groups and criminal elements” as well as “rido,” which he said has “never stopped and is all over” the Moro communities in Mindanao. Solaiman also said the problem has been compounded by the continued “displacement of people” and the “lack of socio-economic development” projects in Mindanao. peaking in front of 40 Bantay Ceasefire volunteers from Basilan, who were gathered here to participate in a Basic Documentation Training, Solaiman said his country’s Ministry of Defense has given them three months within which to assess their performance based on the following: 1) the government and MILF support to the peace process, 2) the government and the MILF adherence to the ceasefire agreement, and, 3) the safety of IMT personnel. (Romy Elusfa/Special to MindaNews)

"Akyat GMA" plan succeeds in handing over statement to Pres. Arroyo

Romy B. Elusfa/Special to MindaNews

Thursday, 01 May 2008 10:56

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/01 May) – How do you break through a security cordon of the Presidential Security Group to hand over a statement to President Arroyo? Some 200 peace advocates here succeeded in handing to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo their statement calling on Malacanang to request the Malaysian government to "extend the tour of duty" of the International Monitoring Team (IMT), on Wednesdsay afternoon, April 30. But handing over the paper to the President succeeded only after two failed attempts by the group earlier prevented by truncheon-yielding policemen to get nearer the Marco Polo Hotel where Ms Arroyo was meeting officers of the Bishops-Ulama Conference. At the Freedom Park around 250 meters across the hotel, peace advocates waved their streamers and placards hoping an aide of the President would see their demands and relay them to Arroyo. Before they assembled at the Freedom Park, a group of four representatives composed of a lawyer, a religious leader and two other community leaders managed to reach the mezzanine floor of the Hotel where the President was, but failed to hand their manifesto to the President as they were not allowed inside the function room. As the four joined their group back at the Freedom Park, they hatched a plan "Akyat GMA," which identified four women who should go back to the hotel to hand the manifesto to the President. The plan was for them to mix with a multisectoral group of journalists and government employees who were waiting for the President to come out of the function room. At the Freedom Park, the agreement was for the peace advocates to raise their placards and streamers as high as they could for the President's convoy to notice them on their way from the hotel to the airport. Each of the four women -- Atty. Mary Ann Arnado, secretary-general of the Mindanao Peoples Caucus, her companions Lou Gecosala, Jan Francis Lozano and Shari Palabrica of the Initiatives for International Dialogue and Mindanao Peaceweavers, had their respective copies of the manifesto so that anyone who could chance on getting near Arroyo should be ready to hand over the paper. As the President finally got out of the function room, Gecosala first got near and talked to one of the BUC leaders, like she were part of the team following Arroyo out of the room. Within the President’s hearing distance, Geocosala said, “Madam President, I am from the Bantay Ceasefire and we are here to hand you this position paper of the war victims. This paper supports your administration's policy which upholds the primacy of the peace process.” "Thank you," said the President as she received the document that told the President that her administration's decision to simply respect and accept the decision of the Malaysian government to pull-out from the IMT was "sort of a betrayal to the Arroyo administration's pronouncement on the primacy of the peace process." The Bantay Ceasefire is a volunteer group of 600-strong independent grassroots-based ceasefire monitors recognized both by the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front and acknowledged by the IMT. Rexall Kaalim, coordinator of the Bantay Ceasefire, said that they would not stop appealing for Malacanang to heed their pleas. "From now on, we shall, on a daily basis, do everything we can to follow up our request for the President to ensure the IMT stays in Mindanao, otherwise we may all be bracing for a deadly, horrifying and damaging war," Kaalim told MindaNews. He said they were also requesting all Filipinos, especially the business groups, to send position letters, resolutions, letters of appeal, email or call the President in support to the Bantay Ceasefire's demands. "The businessmen should make their voices be heard because during the war they were the ones greatly affected. Our hotels in Davao had zero occupancy during the wars in 2000 and 2003," said Arnado. (Romy B. Elusfa/Special to MindaNews)

Mindanao legislator joins call to extend IMT's tour of duty

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Manila NGOs join call for IMT to stay

Romy B. Elusfa/special to MindaNews

Wednesday, 07 May 2008 11:03

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/6 May) -- Manila-based non-government organizations have joined their counterparts in Mindanao in appealing for government to request the Malaysian government to extend the tour of duty of its contingent to the International Monitoring Team. Led by the Mindanao Solidarity Network (MSN), they said in a press statement that they "echo the sentiments of [their] Mindanao partners appealing for the IMT to stay and continue to support the ceasefire between the GRP and MILF." The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict-Philippines (GPPAC-Philippines), a civil society movement promoting conflict prevention, also said in a statement that it views "the IMT as an effective conflict prevention and early warning mechanism that facilitates and supports the resolution of the centuries-old Mindanao conflict." Among other Manila-based organizations that joined the MNS statement are the United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD), Generation Peace, and Anak Mindanao. They said they were "concerned over the reported downsizing and eventual pull-out" of the IMT. The presence of IMT in Mindanao, they said, "is a vital component of the peace negotiations" between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The group cited that the 40-man Malaysian contingent in the IMT played a "significant role in the overall peace process in Mindanao. Its leading role has effectively maintained a situation conducive to peace negotiations and prevented armed hostilities between the conflicting parties in Mindanao." Meanwhile, the Generation Peace, which is a national youth peace network, and the UNYPAD, a national Moro youth network for peace and development, have started gathering digital photos as "a form of petition signing for the IMT to remain in its crucial role." The statement said that "these peace networks are appealing to the Malaysian government to reconsider its decision" while urging the government "to ensure definite progress in the peace process and demonstrate to Malaysia, and the rest of the international community and more especially to the Bangsa Moro People its resolve to conclude the peace negotiations and implement a peace agreement with the MILF." On Monday, a lady-legislator from the first congressional district of Cotabato province also joined the peace advocates’ call for IMT to stay. Rep. Emylou "Lala" Talino-Mendoza said she would also persuade her fellow Mindanao legislators to join her in calling for government to ask the Malaysian government to reconsider its decision. This developed as Fr. Bert Layson, OMI, co-chair of the Mindanao Peoples Caucus, said that forums are also being conducted in communities affected by the war where people discuss how they could help persuade the government to stop the Malaysian government from abandoning the IMT. While the Malaysian government is gradually pulling out their men from the IMT, it said it will continue to host the peace talks between the government and the MILF. (Romy Elusfa/special to MindaNews)

16 Moro youth groups to pursue struggle for independence

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Series of protests set to push for resumption of GRP-MILF talks

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Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews contributor
Friday, 16 May 2008 09:27
MARAWI CITY (MindaNews/15 May) -- Civil society organizations (CSO) here are planning to organize Mindanao-wide protests that will culminate in a peace march to Malacañang if President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would not heed a petition demanding the resumption of the peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The petition also asks the government to request Malaysia to reconsider its decision to pull out its contingents with the International Monitoring Team (IMT). The petition approved by 112 representatives of CSOs in a peace summit here recently said that they would “jointly work together to call for the formal resumption of the GRP-MILF peace talks.”

Alarmed with the pull-out of the Malaysian contingents with the IMT, which has “threatened the security of our communities in Lanao,” summit participants said they would “join the call of the peace advocates for government to seriously address this issue at the soonest possible time in order to prevent an outbreak of another major war in Mindanao.”

“We resolve to undertake joint actions in order to demand that government squarely face the agenda on ancestral domain and make the necessary political decision that is required to settle this agenda once and for all,” the Maranaos said in a statement sent to Malacañang.

Peace rallies, petition-signing and a walk-for-peace from Mindanao to Malacañang were among the protest actions identified “to show to the world that the people from Lanao are also getting impatient with this long drawn negotiation. We want to see concrete results on the peace talks and one critical step towards that goal is the immediate signing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain.”

This developed as the Cotabato City-based Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society announced that they would organize “run-for-peace and hunger strike” as their contribution to the Mindanao-wide protest actions that have been planned by peace groups in Mindanao.

The statement of the peace summit also called for “people to be more vigilant against various interest groups who will likely exploit this situation in order to promote hawkish tendencies.”

The Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), on the other hand, said it is organizing a national conference on Mindanao where legislators, religious leaders and businessmen will be gathered in Manila to discuss the peace process in Mindanao.

The conference, said Rahib Kudto, deputy secretary-general of MPC, “is part of our continuing efforts to nationalize the Mindanao peace agenda.”

The summit statement also appealed to the “field commanders of both the AFP and the BIAF to continue observing the ceasefire notwithstanding the vacuum left by the Malaysian IMT,” even as it noted that “the IMT pullout is just a consequence of the bigger problem in the GRP-MILF peace talks and this very issue must be addressed by signing the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain.” (Romy Elusfa / MindaNews contributor)

Nur's MNLF says official reps to Libya not authorized to sign

Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews
Wednesday, 28 May 2008 07:41
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/27 May) – The Central Committee of the Nur Misuari-led Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) has acknowledged sending two "official" representatives to a meeting with other MNLF factions in Tripoli, Libya, but says they have yet to decide if it would adopt the May 18 “Tripoli Declaration on Unity and Reconciliation of the MNLF Leadership.”


On May 17 to 18, the Libyan government initiated a "unity meeting" among the fractious MNLF in Tripoli, Libya.Misuari, out on bail since April 25, did not go to Libya but sent two representatives – his spiritual Adviser Shariff Zain Jali and Samsula Adju of Sulu.

Leaders of various alliances from among the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) met in Tripoli, Libya, on May 18 with an agreement among the MNLF to "form a transition leadership and unification committee" that would include Nur Misuari.

Misuari, who is still facing charges of rebellion but was freed on bail late last month, was not present in the Libya meeting but sent two representatives -- his spiritual adviser Ustadz Shariff Zain Jali and Prof. Samsula Adju of Sulu.

But Jali and Adju, officials of MIsuari's MNLF says, were "not authorize" to sign that Declaration forming a committee a transition leaders and unification committee which will be composed of Misuari, Cotabato City Mayor Muslimin Sema, Dr. Parouk Hussni, Mujahab Hashim, Isnaji Alvarez and Sulu-Basilan Rep. Yusop-Jikiri.

Misuari and Hussin were former governors of the ARMM, Misuari serving from September 1996 to his arrest in Sabah in November 2001, and Hussin from January 2002 to September 30, 2005.

Last month, Misuari was reportedly ousted as MNLF chair again and replaced by Sema who was Misuari's secretary-general from the 1990s until 2001.

Sema and other MNLF officials bolted the mainstream MNLF in April 2001. Among those with Sema were Hatimil Hassan, then Misuari's vice chair, Parouk Hussin, chair of the Committee on International Affairs and other Central Committee members.

Misuari's group, on the other hand, elected Jimmy Labawan as Hassan's replacement and Murshi Ibrahim replaced Sema.During the 2nd Peace Summit of the Misuari-led MNLF last May 23-24, Atty. Randolph Parcasio was elected chair of the Committee on International Affairs, filling the vacuum that was vacated by Hussin. Parcasio is also chief legal counsel of the MNLF.

In an interview, Ibrahim admitted that Prof. Samsula Adju and Ustadz Shariff Zain Jali were official representatives of the MNLF during the May 17-18 unity meeting in Libya, but stressed that they two were not authorized to sign any document on behalf of the Front."We sent our two representatives because we were made to believe it was a dialogue. We did not expect the signing (of the Declaration)," Ibrahim said.

He explained that the rules governing the MNLF require that "major issues like that (Declaration) needs to be decided by the majority. Since only two persons decided on it, it could not be construed as an official act of the MNLF."

But had they been consulted, they could have honored the 13-point declaration. "We could not honor it because we were not consulted," Ibrahim said."We are always for unity, but to with whom will we unite is a different question. If we unite, we have to discuss it among ourselves —we need no other nation to unite ourselves," he said.

The Declaration has formed a "transition leadership and unification committee" which includes Misuari and is tasked to "reach consensus and final agreement to resolve issues of contention among the MNLF groups with the noble aim of achieving unification, reconciliation and solidarity."It also said that the Committee "is the sole legitimate body of the MNLF and the only one authorized to enter into any negotiation and agreement" and agree on "appropriate way of resolving (the) leadership crisis through democratic process before the end of June 2008."

The Transition Committee is also tasked to convene the "Bangsamoro people's congress that shall finally decide on the issue of leadership" of the MNLF before the end of August.A Tripartite Committee of representatives of MNLF, government and the Organization of Islamic Conference has been reviewing the provisions of the 1996 peace accord that Misuari forged with the government under then President Fidel Ramos, a former Armed Forces chief of staff.

The review was set to identify what of the provisions of the accord have already been implemented and those that are yet to be realized.They also called on the government to reactivate the Joint Monitoring Team tasked under the September 2, 2006 Final Peace Agreement to monitor the implementation of the provisions of the accord and asked the Arroyo Administration to involve them in the peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. (Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews)

Peace advocate, ABS-CBN's Ces Drilon feared kidnapped in Sulu

Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews contributor

Tuesday, 10 June 2008 09:21

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/9 June) -- A peace advocate and broadcast journalist Ces Drilon of ABS-CBN and her crew, have been reported missing and are believed to have been kidnapped in Sulu, the Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) said in a statement. With Drilon is the MPC chair, Prof. Octavio Dinampo of the Mindanao State University, who was serving as guide to the ABS-CBN crew. Dinampo, a resident of Indanan town, was expected by his wife, Hainatul, to be home Monday but he failed to show up or even send a text message. Reports gathered by MPC said they were reportedly abducted around 9 a.m. Monday somewhere between the towns of Kulasi and Maimbung. ABS-CBN has yet to issue a statement on the reported kidnapping. MindaNews sought confirmation from Chari Villa, head of the network's news gathering team but as of press time, Villa had sent no reply. Residents reportedly told Maimbung Mayor Najib Maldisa that Dinampo and Drilon's group were "blocked" by armed men, but members of the Tulong Lupah Sug (TLS), a Jolo-based non-government organization Dinampo also heads, said they have not yet concluded that the two were, indeed, kidnapped. "We will wait until 5 this afternoon. If they will not surface, we may consider them kidnapped already," said Zuring Gumbahali, a member of the TLS. By 7 p.m. June 9, MPC still had no news as to the whereabouts of Dinampo, Drilon and her crew. Earlier in the day, police and military personnel went to the residence of Dinampo to conduct preliminary inquiries about the alleged kidnapping, the MPC said. Lawyer Mary Ann Arnado, MPC secretary-general, confirmed that Drilon and Dinampo “had been missing since yesterday." Dinampo, a professor of the Mindanao State University who took over the chairmanship of the MPC in February, has guided several other journalists around Sulu. Dinampo has also written some articles based on his interviews with Abu Sayyaf forces that landed on the front pages of national papers. His group has been actively monitoring the peace processes between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, as well as that of the Moro National Liberation Front. Fr. Roberto Layson, OMI, Dinampo's co-chair in the MPC, appealed to the abductors not to harm the victims “because he (Dinampo) is a man of peace." Arnado said they have organized a quick response team composed of Bantay Ceasefire volunteers who would be deployed to Sulu tomorrow to conduct their own investigation about the reported abduction. She said they would also assist in whatever negotiation and mediation efforts that will be necessary for the immediate release of the victims. Arnado added that they would also try to provide support for the family of Dinampo. Dinampo is also co-convenor of the Mindanao Peace Weavers, a network of organizations advocating peace in Mindanao. The MNLF under commander Khaid Adjibon said they were also trying to locate where the victims may have been brought. (Romy B. Elusfa / MindaNews contributor)

Groups condemn Sulu abduction

Groups condemn Sulu abduction

Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews contributor
Wednesday, 11 June 2008 01:00
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/10 June) -- More non-government, peace and religious organizations have condemned the abduction of Prof. Octavio Dinampo, journalists Ces Drilon, Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, in Maimbung, Sulu last Monday.


Among those that condemned the abduction and called for the "immediate unconditional release" of the victims are the Manila-based Black and White Movement, the Mindanao Solidarity Network, Focus on Global South, Balay Rehabilitation Center, and the Gaston C. Ortigas Peace Center.

The Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), a tri-people organization chaired by Dinampo, along with its 36-member organizations, staged an ecumenical prayer at the Ateneo de Davao.

At the ecumenical prayer, some 70 leaders of non-government organizations offered prayers for the immediate release and safety of Dinampo, Drilon and her two colleagues. Among the leaders were Fr. Albert Alejo and Rev. Daniel Pantoja.

Dinampo is a professor of the Jolo campus of the Mindanao State University. He taught at the MSU main campus in Marawi City before moving back to his hometown.

Peace advocates have lambasted Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao, PNP director for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, who told the media that they were yet to determine if Dinampo was "part of the kidnappers or was also a victim."

"We abhor this apparent allusion that Prof. Octa is ‘part of the kidnappers’ -- a not-so-veiled hint that we believe is deliberately being spread with the persistent unconfirmed reports attempting to impress upon the public that the co-convener of MPW had already been freed by their abductors while the journalists he helped remain in the hands of their captors," the Mindanao Peace Weavers, the biggest network of organizations advocating peace in Mindanao to which Dinampo is a convener, said in a statement.

"This statement of the highest ranking police officer in the autonomous region does not only undermine the already precarious security of Prof. Octa but also casts aspersion on the entire peace movement in Mindanao. We condemn this in no uncertain terms," the MPW added.

Rexall Kaalim, coordinator of Bantay Ceasefire, the monitoring arm of the MPC, also criticized Goltiao’s statement.

"This statement attributed to a ranking police officer is definitely uncalled for. It is an irresponsible statement," Kaalim said as he relayed to the crowd how the university professor "labored hard to reach out to all armed groups in his attempt to persuade them to take the path of peace."

For the MPW, Dinampo “has always been in the forefront of peace activities in Jolo and has lent his prestige and quiet, tireless work to the entire peacebuilding movement in Mindanao. As an MPW co-convener, he participated in a recent regional conference on the impact of counter terrorism measures on the work of civil society held in Davao City. He may now be an ironic victim of those measures."

The MPW relayed that its partners in Jolo were reportedly told by men identified with the intelligence community that Dinampo had already been released without Drilon and her crew.

"Some media reports also identified Drilon, Encarnacion and Valderama as the only victims of the kidnapping. We are very concerned that some of our friends in media have fallen for the line that Drilon, Encarnacion and Valderama are the only ones kidnapped, reinforcing the PNP's insinuation that Prof. Octa could be "part of the kidnappers," the MPW statement said.

MPW said that Dinampo "couldn't be declared missing in his own home province, unless he is being held against his will. He is clearly a kidnap-victim" even as it "vouched for Prof. Octa and stands by him unrelentingly. We call on all concerned to join our efforts in getting Prof Octa and all his fellow victims released safely the soonest possible time."

In Cotabato City, ARMM Gov. Datu Zaldy Ampatuan has ordered the regional police force to track down the kidnappers. He asked Sulu Gov. Hadji Sakur Tan to lead local authorities in locating Drilon and her companions.

Goltiao said the victims are being kept between Kulasi and Maimbung in Sulu.

The police chief said that Dinampo failed to coordinate with locals in Maimbung when they proceeded to an area believed to be influenced by the Abu Sayyaf Group.

Goltiao, in a radio interview, confirmed that the abductors were asking for a P10-million ransom for the release of the kidnap victims.

Amina Rasul, of the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy, appealed to MNLF Chair Nur Misuari “to use his influence in Sulu to help secure [the victims’] freedom and preserve what little peace we have in Sulu.” She called on the ulama, too, to use their “moral authority” in helping out in the release.

“We call on all our brothers and sisters in Sulu to resist these un-Islamic, criminal armed groups in our province who are not fighting for a just cause and have done nothing but bring suffering to our people. If we do nothing when they commit criminal acts and attack civilians, even one of our own, then we should all realize that any one of us can be next,” she added.

Rasul hoped that the kidnapping “will not be the trigger for another all-out war operation” in Sulu. (Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews)

"Prof. Dinampo wouldn't leave Ces and crew behind" - MPC

Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews

Thursday, 12 June 2008 09:59

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/12 June) -- "He is a very religious person. Knowing him, even if he will be freed or given a chance to escape, he will not leave Ces (Drilon). He is the kind of host who will fetch his visitors at the pier and will always be there with them while in Sulu." This was the statement of Atty. Mary Ann Arnado, secretary-general of the Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC), in describing their chair, Prof. Octavio Dinampo who was abducted in Kulasi, Maimbung, Sulu on Sunday with ABS-CBN senior reporter Ces Drilon and two crew members. Arnado issued the statement in reaction to published reports saying Dinampo had been freed by his abductors while Drilon and her crew remain in the hands of their captors, whom the police said is a splintered group of the Abu Sayyaf. Dinampo, president of the Faculty Association of the Mindanao State University in Jolo and Arnado's teacher at the MSU in Marawi City, "has deeply internalized his peace advocacy that he believes there should also be efforts to reach the Abu Sayyaf group to convince them to consider peaceful settlement of whatever disputes they have against the government." Atif Hameed, head of the Non-violent Peace Force in the Philippines said they were "deeply saddened after hearing the news of the abduction of Prof. Octavio Dinampo, along with ABS-CBN journalist and two crew members." "We did not believe the abduction news at first because Prof. Octa is the one whose Presence and Being in Sulu also extends a deep sense of security to us as well," Hameed said. "At this critical moment, please rest assured that NP is with all of you and we categorically condemn the abduction of Prof. Octa and ABS CBN staff,” he told the MPC. "We have already spoken to the Marine commander of Task Force Comet in Jolo and informed him of our working relationship and trust in Octa as a peace maker," Hameed said. Rexall Kaalim, coordinator of the Bantay Ceasefire, recalls that during their trainings and seminars in Jolo, "Prof. Octa would always make sure that you are not only safe as his guest but always have food to eat." "We told him not to bring us food anymore at night considering that his residence is almost an hour’s ride from the town center of Jolo. But he and his wife would always be there with seafoods and kaday-kaday (food specialties of the Tausog)," Kaalim said. The MPC has a project supported by the Local Government Support Program in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao whose implementation Dinampo heads. Kaalim said the program includes "conflict mapping intended to identify the actors and causes of conflict in Jolo in preparation for an intervention that we plan to implement in the province." "Under the leadership of Prof. Octa, we have been trying to identify the causes of conflict in the area with the intention of engaging local government units in active peace advocacy campaign," the Bantay Ceasefire coordinator said as he stressed that the respect Dinampo has among the Tausogs of Jolo has "helped us reached the interior communities" in the area. The MPC and the wife of the professor have issued a statement refuting reports that the professor had been freed with a "mandate" to negotiate for the release of fellow kidnap victims Drilon and her crew. The statement singed by Arnado and Hainatul Octavio, wife of Dinampo, said they were informing the public that the professor "has not returned home yet” and that they “categorically deny media reports that he has already been released and on that matter release alone leaving behind Ms. Ces Drilon and her two camera crew still in captive." "We find this report very disturbing and could only complicate an already confusing situation," the statement emphasized. Hainatul Octavio and the MPC appealed to law enforcer to "avoid victim-blaming. Obviously, this will not expedite the release of the kidnap victims. Let us treat them with compassion and the respect that they rightly deserve." The statement was in reaction to published reports saying Dinampo could be "part of the kidnappers" and that Drilon did not allegedly have the permission of ABS-CBN to travel to Jolo. Salem Debuna, chair of the Learned Kagan Foundation in Davao del Norte, also reacted harshly against the news that alluded Dinampo could be part of the kidnappers. "Sobra naman yan. Prof. Octa has a proven track record in peace advocacy. Even the international community and the donor agencies could vouch for that." Dinampo's Tulong Lupah Sug has been implementing foreign-supported project designed to gather ulama (religious leaders) together so they could put their acts together in resolving rido or clan feuds. (Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews)

The peace advocate wears Esperon's cap

Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews

Saturday, 14 June 2008 20:17

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/14 June) – “I was looking at his picture the other night (in the office). He was wearing a cap. Mukhang galing sa akin ‘yon” (I think that came from me), Hermogenes Esperon, the retired Armed Forces Chief of Staff who is now Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, told peace advocates here late Friday afternoon. Esperon was referring to the published photograph of Mindanao State University professor Octavio Dinampo, chair of the Mindanao Peoples’ Caucus (MPC), who was kidnapped June 8 in Sulu along with ABS-CBN senior reporter Ces Drilon and cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderrama. Valderrama was freed Thursday night but has yet to talk about what happened. That dark green cap, he said, looked very familiar. Dinampo wearing the cap. Toto Lozano/AKP Images ”PSHS. Four stars. Kawal. Pisay,” he said, smiling as peace advocates inside the Lawin function room of the Waterfront Insular Hotel took turns saying, “yes, that came from you,” “that’s his favorite cap.” Esperon, then newly-appointed Armed Forces Chief of Staff, gave away the personalized cap to the Mindanao Peaceweavers, a coalition of peace groups of which MPC is a member, after a meeting on August 10, 2006 at Camp Aguinaldo. Dinampo, who was among the last to leave Esperon’s office, got the cap. The cap was among the leftovers from his PSHS golf fundraiser, Esperon later told MindaNews. “Kawal” means soldier, PSHS stands for Philippine Science High School and Pisay is the shortened version of PSHS. Esperon finished high school at the PSHS, Class 1970 and is a Class 1974 graduate of the Philippine Military Academy. Shortly before talking about the cap, Esperon told peace advocates that the professor had already been released by their abductors. But the MPC officials were quick to tell Esperon that the news about Dinampo's release, which first came out on June 11, "is not true and is part of a campaign to discredit Prof. Octa." Lawyer Mary Ann Arnado, secretary-general of MPC, where Dinampo is presiding chair, relayed to Esperon a report published by the Philippine Star on June 11, quoting Regional Police Director Joel Goltiao of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, as saying they were still investigating if the Prof. is a victim of kidnapping or "part of the kidnappers." "Please tell the police to be extra-careful in its pronouncements," Arnado told Esperon while stressing that the "assault against the credibility of Octa is also an assault against the entire peace movement in Mindanao." Aside from being the MPC presiding chair, Dinampo is also provincial chair of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, said Salic Ibrahim, another MPC council member who heads the PPCRV in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. He is also co-convenor of the Mindanao Peace Weavers (MPW) and chair of the Jolo-based Tulong Lupah Sug. Carmen Lauzon-Gatmaytan of the Initiatives for International Dialogue, the secretariat of the MPW, told Esperon that the news on Dinampo's release and the reported police investigation to determine if the professor is "part of the kidnappers," was "character assassination." "I am sorry, I was misled by the information," Esperon responded after he was told that Dinampo had not been released. He picked up his mobile phone and called Gen. Juancho Sabban, commander of the Jolo-based Task Force Comet. "Just remember, nasa Bantay Ceasefire yan," Esperon told Sabban. Dinampo heads the MPC’s Bantay Ceasefire (Ceasefire Watch) in Sulu. To the peace advocates, he said, “if indeed he served as guide (of the ABS-CBN news team), so what? He has knowledge on how to go there…How can you implicate him? Legally, anong kasalanan nya? Escorting a victim?" Esperon asked. He said very few people in Manila know that Dinampo is chair of MPC, a reason he advised the peace groups "to tell the people that he is chair of MPC and leader of Bantay Ceasefire and therefore he would be the last person to commit infraction of the law." Various peace groups in Mindanao, Asia and even from the global Nonviolent Peace Force have issue statements vouching for the credibility of Dinampo. Among the most recent statements is from the Local Government Support Program in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (LGSPA). "Professor Octavio Dinampo has been actively engaged in promoting peace and development through good governance, in more recent times in partnership with the Canada-funded LGSPA." Marion Villanueva of LGSPA described Dinampo "as one who was quite excited about future plans to work more directly with local governments, the security sector and community leaders to broaden the peace constituency in Sulu." "We know Prof. Octa to be an active participant of civil society and peace-related processes. Just recently, Prof. Octa was engaged in discussions on peace and conflict impact assessment and on setting the CSO agenda for peace and development in Bangsamoro areas. He is a sought-after resource person on the Bangsamoro and Sulu situation," added Villanueva. "LGSPA joins other organizations in the clamor for the safety and immediate release of the kidnap victims in a manner that will not fuel future conflicts that would only displace communities in the area,” Villanueva said. LGSPA supports capacity development for LGUs, government agencies, CSOs and peace networks in the Autonomous Region. LGSPA and the MPC are working together on a peace initiative in Sulu. (Romy B. Elusfa/MindaNews)