The Philippine Government's Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program, E-CLIP, is bribery plain and simple. Through this program communist rebels and Muslim terrorists are given huge sums of money, huge swaths of land to farm, housing, and training if they surrender. Meanwhile poor farmers get gunned down by government forces for being suspected rebels and regular poor people get nothing and remain mired in their poverty. If anything is unjust it is rewarding rebels and terrorists out of the nation's coffers. Read the past martial law archives and you will see I have written about this program at length.
One local government has taken this program to a ridiculous level by offering P2 million to surrendering rebels.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1191870/davao-occidental-gov-offers-reds-cash-to-surrender-p2m-per-ranking-npa-leader |
The provincial government of Davao Occidental is offering as much as P2 million each to lure ranking leaders of New People’s Army (NPA) to surrender.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Gov. Claude Bautista.
Bautista said the sooner guerrillas yield, the better. He did not explain where the money would come from.
Aside from the cash offer, house and lots and scholarships await families of rebel leaders if they gave up, said the governor.
Ranking rebel leaders could get P2 million each while those with lower ranks could get P1 million each, he said.
He said the cash offer doesn’t run into conflict with an earlier declaration by the provincial government of rebels as persona non grata or unwelcome.
“I am giving them the best chance they could get,” Bautista said.
With the money and other packages, the governor said rebels could start a new life and engage in businesses
The incentives being dangled by the provincial government is on top of that which the national government is offering under what is called as Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (E-Clip).
Lt. Col. Ronaldo Valdez, head of the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion, said rebels who would surrender with their firearms would get payment for the guns.
Cash, houses, scholarships, payment for weapons....that is all bribery. What is to prevent these people from fake surrendering and sending the money to their comrades? How can the Philippines end the communist insurgency if it does not want to actually crush them to pieces like any enemy of the state?
CPP founder Joma Sison claims the E-CLIP program is the milking cows corrupt officials.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1192198/govt-anti-insurgency-programs-milking-cows-of-corrupt-officials |
Exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria “Joma” Sison, said the government’s counter-insurgency programs have become milking cows for corrupt military and civilian officials.
“The corrupt military and civilian officials would rather make money on fake development and fake community support projects and fake surrenders, and fake casualties for pure psywar, thus further bankrupting the reactionary government,” Sison said in a statement from in Utrecht in the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Whether corrupt officials are making money on fake projects and fake surrenders a lot of money and benefits are being given to those who surrender.
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| https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1086715 |
At least 26 former New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in South Cotabato province have received some PHP465,000 in financial assistance through the government's flagship reintegration program.
Grace Rodel, focal person of the local reintegration program of South Cotabato, said Thursday the beneficiaries comprise the latest batch of returnees who qualified for the livelihood and immediate financial assistance from the provincial government and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Rodel said six of them received a combined PHP65,000 in livelihood assistance while 20 others got PHP20,000 each as immediate financial assistance.
“These were among the rebels who surrendered last year and qualified to receive financial grants under the E-CLIP (Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program),” she told reporters here.
Rodel said some of the beneficiaries graduated earlier this month from the 33-day Animal Production (poultry production) training provided by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
She said the training is among the requirements for the release of livelihood assistance to the former rebels.
Aside from the skills training, she said the beneficiaries also underwent seminars and orientations on financial literacy.
“We’re training them to become entrepreneurs so they could sustain the assistance provided by the provincial government,” Rodel said.
She said these interventions were led by the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, in partnership with the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry and TESDA.
Under the E-CLIP, rebel returnees may also avail of livelihood financing of at least PHP100,000 from the Land Bank of the Philippines, housing assistance worth PHP450,000 and firearms remuneration of up to PHP500,000.
The E-CLIP program is insane. Imagine if instead of paying rebels to surrender the government gave free training and money to those who are poor enough to qualify. Imagine if the Philippine government invested in Filipinos in the manner described in the Constitution. The country could become prosperous in a short time.
Aside from offering bribes the AFP is trying a new and rather confusing tactic to bring down the NPA.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1192850/army-files-case-vs-npa-for-violating-intl-law |
The Philippine Army’s 403rd Infantry Brigade has filed a court case against four alleged members of the New People’s Army (NPA), which it claimed violated the international humanitarian law (IHL) during an attack on Manolo Fortich town in Bukidnon on May 28.
Rommel Alonto, the provincial prosecutor, said a case had been filed before the Regional Trial Court Branch 25 against a certain Omben alias Ronron and alias Jhon; Lino Namatidong alias Dahun; Mylen Colita alias Maymay; and Toto Taquin alias Jepoy.
The respondents were alleged members of the subregional committees of the NPA’s Guerrilla Front 89 and the NPA’s north-central command, who were allegedly involved in the attack.
In a resolution prepared by the Bukidnon provincial prosecutor, Ramiro Melgo, a member of the barangay tanod in Santo Niño, said he was handcuffed and maltreated by NPA fighters during the May 28 attack.
“He (Melgo) was not armed and not part of the conflict. But he was subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment,” Alonto said.
Brig. Gen. Edgardo de Leon, 403rd Infantry Battalion commander, claimed that by launching the attack in Sitio Aurora, Barangay Santo Niño on May 28, the rebels committed IHL violations, which stated that civilians should be spared in the armed conflict between state forces and the rebels.
He said the act was a violation of the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and Other Crimes Against Humanity.
“The NPA, as a party to the armed conflict, must comply with the IHL, foremost of which is the protection of civilian lives and properties. They (NPA) must not violate the IHL. Everything they do must comply with the IHL,” he told reporters during a press conference after submitting the prosecutor’s resolution to the court.
He said the filing of the case was just the first of a series, as the military was compiling reports on the NPA’s other alleged IHL violations, including the destruction of private properties, farm equipment, and vehicles in Bukidnon and other areas.
"The NPA, as a party to the armed conflict, must comply with the IHL, foremost of which is the protection of civilian lives and properties. They (NPA) must not violate the IHL. Everything they do must comply with the IHL." That is, as they say, pants on head retarded! The AFP expects a terrorist organisation to comply with international law? Is the AFP really expecting to try NPA members in a court of law? Ridiculous! Everything about the AFP's war against the communists is ridiculous which is why it has lasted for 50 years.
Aside from the surrendering communists Abu Sayyaf is also hoping to make some money.
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| https://mindanaoexaminer.com/sayyafs-demand-p30-million-for-3-indon-hostages/ |
THREE INDONESIAN FISHERMEN kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf terrorists have pleaded with Jakarta for their safe release after the Abu Sayyaf demanded P30 million in exchange for the trio’s freedom, Malaysia media reported.
The Star said the fishermen – Maharudin Lunani, 48, and his son Muhammad Farhan, 27; and crew member Samiun Maneu, 27, appealed to Indonesian President Joko Widodo, in a video clip posted on Facebook.
“We were caught by the Abu Sayyaf Group on September 24, 2019. We ask the Indonesian president to help free us. The ASG (Abu Sayyaf group) has demanded 30 million pesos in ransom,” said Maneu.
No word yet if the ransom will be paid but ransoms have been paid before which his how they have been able to continue to operate. At least Abu Sayyaf won't be able to make any ransom money from the British man and his wife who they kidnapped in October.
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| https://globalnation.inquirer.net/182209/military-rescues-kidnapped-british-filipino-couple |
Soldiers from the Army’s 2nd Special Forces Battalion have rescued a kidnapped British national and his wife, more than a month after they were abducted by armed men believed to be from the Abu Sayyaf group.
Soldiers recovered businessman Allan Arthur Hyrons and his wife, Welma Paglinawan-Hyrons around 8:30 a.m. after a firefight with Abu Sayyaf gunmen along the border villages of Silangkan and Taha in the town of Parang, Sulu, regional military commander Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said.
“We successfully rescued Allan and Wilma Hyrons,” said Sobejana.
Sobejana said the rescue of the couple was a result of three days of intensified military operations. Seven members of the Abu Sayyaf were killed in separate encounters with the Army over the weekend, including a suspected liaison of the Islamic State to the Abu Sayyaf Group, Talha Jumsah or “Abu Talha.”
“We pursued, we did a hot pursuit so it’s a convergence of efforts among our forces on the ground,” Sobejana said.
A 10-minute running gunbattle between the bandits and soldiers took place before the British-Filipino couple were secured by government troops.
“This is has a major impact on our efforts and it will cause a huge setback on our enemies. This is a big blow to their morale. We can see they are demoralized so we need to take advantage of this,” Sobejana said.The fishermen have been held hostage since September which is also ridiculous because the AFP has assured the nation that they will eradicate the ASG by year's end.
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| https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/06/25/incoming-westmincom-chief-vows-to-end-abu-sayyaf-by-year-end/ |
Major General Cirilito Sobejana, incoming commander of the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), is seeking to end the exploits of the Abu Sayyaf Group before the end of 2019 upon the orders of President Duterte.
“That is our objective because no less than the President gave the guidance to us to end the Abu Sayyaf before the end of the year,” Sobejana said in Filipino.
“That’s [why] we deployed all forces in Sulu for that purpose without creating any vaccum in any areas within the Western Mindanao Command,” he added.
Sobejana, an awardee of the top military honor for courage — the Medal of Valor, believes that the plan to end the Abu Sayyaf Group is “feasible.”
“[It is] feasible especially now that we see the amount of cooperation among local government units, the civilian authorities and even the community as a whole. They are tired of the menace, tired of terrorism that’s why they are very supportive to us,” he noted.
It is going to take a lot more than cooperation among LGU's and the community to defeat ASG. It's going to take direct military action. Why don't they do that? Just get in the jungle and blast them away. How hard can it be to find their lairs and drop bombs on them. The US military is assisting the AFP with gathering intelligence. It can't possibly be so difficult. With the rescuing of the British and Filipina hostages and alleged demoralisation of the ASG it should be a little easier.
With all these silly tactics being employed to fight the war on terrorism is it any wonder that the Philippines remains high on the list of nations affected by terrorism?
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| https://www.cnn.ph/news/2019/11/21/ph-global-terrorism-index-2019.html |
The Philippines remains the only Southeast Asian country which ranked in the top ten countries most impacted by terrorism, even climbing up to the ninth spot in the 2019 Global Terrorism Index.
With a “high” score of 7.137, the country recorded 424 terror-related attacks which resulted in 297 deaths. This is a 13 percent decrease from 487 terror-related incidents in 2017.
The report, conducted by think tank Institute for Economics and Peace, noted that the communist group New People’s Army (NPA) remains the deadliest terror group in the country after it dominated extremist violence in the country with 36 percent of deaths and 39 percent of terror-related incidents at 107 and 179, respectively.
A total of 39 provinces recorded NPA attacks in 2018, predominantly in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental. This is equivalent to a 111 percent increase in Negros Island since 2017, with violence committed against police, military and the government on land rights issues.
The NPA has engaged in an insurgency against the government for over 50 years, causing 2,387 deaths since 1970.
Despite all the bribery the NPA remains the nations deadliest terror group with attacks in Negros Occidental increasing by 111%!! The Philippines is also the only SEA nation in the top 10 and climbed a notch to 9th place. How is that the AFP is so optimistic about defeating the NPA soon and very soon but outside organisations say otherwise? Who is right here? I have written extensively in this series about the follies of the AFP over the years which makes me inclined to say the AFP is not right. Their analyses continue to be wrong and they cannot sustain what victories they have won in the past. No way will bribery end the insurgency. It only means criminals will continue to get off scot-free and walk away with thousands, maybe even millions.
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