Insurgency: Free From Abu Sayyaf

Two towns in Basilan have been formally declared free of Abu Sayyaf. First up is Akbar.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/basilan-town-declared-asg-rido-free

THE municipality of Akbar in Basilan province has been declared as Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)-free and rido-free.

The declaration was made on Tuesday, June 18, in a ceremony headed by Akbar Mayor Alih Sali, who chairs the Municipal Task Force to End Local Armed Conflict (MTF-Elac) and witnessed by officials of government and military, including representatives of other sectors.

The event also featured the participation of the National Security Command of the Moro National Liberation Front led by Basser Basta, underscoring solidarity and broad support for the municipality's peace initiatives.

The Army’s 101st Infantry Brigade said in a statement that the declaration marked a significant milestone in the town’s journey towards lasting peace and development.

The brigade said that a significant part of the ceremony was the presentation of nine surrendered loose firearms by village chairpersons, which included carbines, grenade launchers, and rifles — a powerful testament to the town’s commitment to peace and progress.

During the ceremony, a Peace Marker was unveiled in a symbolic act of the municipality’s new status, while white doves and balloons were released, representing the promise of peace and hope. 

"The declaration of Akbar as both ASG-free and rido-free marks a pivotal moment in our pursuit of lasting peace. Our collective efforts have made this possible, and together, we will continue to ensure a safe and prosperous future for all Basilenos,” Brigadier General Alvin Luzon, 101st Infantry Brigade commander, said.

The second town to be declared free from Abu Sayyaf is Lamitan. 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/06/19/2363898/lamitan-city-declared-free-abu-sayyaf

Business opportunities and development are expected to rise in this city after the local government declared Lamitan free from Abu Sayyaf bandits.

Mayor Roderick Furigay made the declaration during his state of the city report held at the Lamitan City hall complex in Barangay Maganda yesterday.

Furigay cited several developments that the city achieved under his administration as basis for the declaration.

“This is a very significant milestone, the declaration of Lamitan City as Abu Sayyaf-free,” Furigay said.

He said preparations are ongoing for the construction of infrastructure projects including business establishments, port expansion and concreting of roads in almost all 45 barangays.

Furigay said plans to build an airport in the city are underway.

He thanked Basilan Gov. Hajiman Hataman-Salliman for leading local government units in declaring an all-out war against against the Abu Sayyaf.

Lamitan was the second local government unit in Basilan to make the declaration, followed by the town of Akbar.

The municipality of Lantawan was the first to make a similar declaration two weeks ago.

The declarations technically cleared Basilan from the presence of the bandit group.

During the event, Salliman recalled how Basilan was portrayed as the capital of kidnapping, bombing and extortion as well as of Abu Sayyaf.

Brig. Gen. Alvin Luzon, chief of the Army’s 101st Brigade, said Basilan was technically cleared from the Abu Sayyaf as more municipalities are preparing to make their own declarations.

“After all the towns have made the declaration, we will declare Basilan Abu Sayyaf-free,” Luzon said.

He said the security sector could now focus on addressing the remaining clan war or family feud in Basilan.

With this declaration and two previous ones Basilan is "technically cleared" of Abu Sayyaf? What does that even mean? Two years ago the AFP said Basilan was free from Abu Sayyaf.

 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2022/05/03/2178352/afp-basilan-cleared-abu-sayyaf-influence

The province of Basilan has been cleared of the influence of the Abu Sayyaf bandit group, the military announced yesterday.

The announcement was made following a recent meeting conducted by the Area Clearing Validation Board (ACVAB) at the headquarters of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) at Camp Navarro in this city.

“The ACVB evaluated Basilan and cleared the province of the influence of the Abu Sayyaf based on the recommendations of the preventing and countering violent extremism evaluation committee (PCVEC),” Westmincom chief Lt. Gen. Alfredo Rosario Jr. said.

The PCVEC reported that 29 barangays across Basilan, which were formerly known for the presence and of being supportive of the bandits, are no longer under the influence of the terror group.

The military said the clearing of these areas came after the completion of a community support program conducted by the Joint Task Force Basilan (JTFB).

These barangays are located in Isabela City as well as in the towns of Akbar, Al-Barka, Hadji Muhtamad, Lantawan, Maluso and Ungkaya Pukan.

Citing observations during the conduct of the community support program in these barangays, the military said there has been no existence of or existing support for the bandit group and no resource generation and teaching of extremist violence and radicalization in madrasahs or educational institutions.

Religious leaders in the barangays are promoting the right teachings of Islam, and no extremist violence was monitored, the military said.

“After a thorough evaluation and validation, we declare all 29 identified barangays in Basilan as free from the influence of Abu Sayyaf,” ACVAB chair and Westmincom deputy commander for external operations Brig. Gen. Arturo Rojas said.

How was the AFP able to declare Basilan free from the influence of Abu Sayyaf in 2022 and two years later are making the same declaration but calling it a technicality? If these towns were free of ASG influence is that not the same as there being no ASG bandits in the area? They are not very clear on the issue. Why make this declaration in the first place if the province is only technically cleared an not actually cleared of ASG? 

Money.

https://tribune.net.ph/2024/06/19/basilan-ready-for-fresh-investors

The City of Lamitan and the town of Akbar in Basilan province have formally declared yesterday they are “Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG)-Free” and openly announced they are “ready to receive fresh investors and accommodate new investments.”

Lamitan Mayor Roderick H. Furigay said yesterday the city is now ASG-Free and is ready to receive fresh investors and accommodate new investments to help boost the economy of the city.

Furigay said the peace and order condition of the city is now stable and does not foresee any investment disturbance in the coming years.

“Having new investors in this city will also help the local government unit (LGU) here in our quest for economic development and employment efforts for our people and increase the prosperity of our city,” he said.

Furigay emphasized that new investment will greatly contribute to economic growth and build relationships and goodwill that will last beyond the investment time horizon.

Having good peace and order conditions in the city and inviting the private sector to invest in this city is essential for stimulating and boosting economic growth, the mayor here pointed out.

Over in Akbar town, Mayor Alih A. Sali is also inviting investors to invest in his town after the municipal government unveiled a “peace marker” that signaled the formal declaration of the town as ASG-Free yesterday.

Capitalizing on the town’s status as ASG-Free, Mayor Sali also said that the town is “drug-free and extortion-free” since no organized groups are operating in his town.

Ironically, a few hours after declaring Lamitan ASG-free a bomb exploded at a gas station.  

https://mindanews.com/top-stories/2024/06/lamitan-declared-asg-free-hours-before-gas-station-bombed-for-extortion/

Hours after Mayor Oric Furigay declared Lamitan City as free from the influence of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) on Tuesday morning, a bomb exploded at a gasoline station in the early evening, which authorities said was a response to a failed extortion attempt.

Richard Falcatan, provincial information officer, said in a post on social media that the bombing took place at 6:47 p.m. at Barangay Matibay.

Falcatan said that Brig. Gen. Alvin Luzon, commander of the 101st Infantry “Three Red Arrows” Brigade (101IB), supported the declaration of the city as ASG-Free.

The official announcement declaring Lamitan as ASG-free followed Mayor Roderick Furigay’s state of the city report, which he delivered as highlight in the celebration of the city’s anniversary.

But the bombing of the gasoline station owned by the Mateo family marred the celebration.

Falcatan said that police found during its initial investigation that the owner, Bonjin Mateo, has admitted to having received an extortion letter a month ago. But Mateo reportedly did not name the extortionist.

Quoting police, Falcatan said investigators now have persons of interest behind the bombing after retrieving CCTV footage that captured the suspects on board three motorcycles within the vicinity of the gas station.

Lt. Col. Arlan Delumpines, Lamitan police chief, was quoted as saying that the explosion “partly damaged the cover of a fuel dispenser, and no other casualty except for the boy, who happened to pass by the area when the improvised bomb exploded.”

Police found parts of an improvised explosive device, including a nine-volt battery, blasting caps and powder.

Gov. Jim Salliman, in his speech at the ceremony, said: “Today, we celebrate not just the absence of a threat, but the presence of a hopeful future for Lamitan City. Together, we have shown that peace is possible. And together we will build a future filled with opportunity and prosperity.”

The 101IB said in a press statement that Luzon, during the ceremony, expressed his brigade’s commitment to continue its mission to ensure peace and security in Lamitan.

“The declaration of Lamitan City as ASG-free is a testament to our united efforts. We have faced numerous challenges, but our collective resolve has brought us to this day,” he said in his speech.

While Abu Sayyaf may not be responsible for this bombing it does go to show that the area remains dangerous which is not a quality that will attract investors. 

The fight against the NPA continues with the AFP recovering an abandoned weapons cache in Buluacan. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1227332

Troops from the 80th Infantry Battalion (80IB) seized a cache of weapons while pursuing a group of communist rebels in San Jose Del Monte City in Bulacan, near the boundary with Rizal province, the Philippine Army reported on Thursday.

Lt. Col. Mark Antony Ruby, commander of the 80IB, told reporters that the operation, which was carried out on Wednesday, was prompted by reports from concerned citizens regarding armed elements associated with the Komiteng Larangan Gerilya (KLG) Narciso.

He said this armed group is a local faction of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), operating along the Bulacan-Rizal boundary.

Personnel from the 80IB, in coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP), uncovered and confiscated one M16 rifle and one shotgun with corresponding ammunition, as well as a hand grenade, and subversive documents.

Ruby said the weapons were abandoned by fleeing members of the terrorist group "upon realizing that they stood no chance against the government's overwhelming force."

"This event highlights the true nature of the armed NPA, who bring trouble, extortion, and deception to our fellow countrymen in rural areas," he said.

The AFP was also able to prevent the NPA from committing atrocities in Nueva Vizcaya. 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1227367

Troopers from the 84th Infantry Battalion (84IB) of the Philippine Army repelled the criminal activities of the New People's Army (NPA) at a village in the mountainous area of Alfonso Castañeda town in Nueva Vizcaya on Thursday.

Lt. Col. Jerald Reyes, 84IB commander, said in a social media post of the 7th Infantry Division that an aerial attack was conducted on the exact location of the enemy after residents of Sitio Marikit East, Barangay Abuyo reported the presence of the communist terrorist group (CTG) to authorities. 

The 84th Infantry Battalion is under the control of the 703rd Infantry Brigade of the Nueva Ecija-based 7th Infantry Division.

There are no reports of casualties following the operation as of this posting. Residents in the area were safely evacuated after the military operation.

Reyes said the NPA members were believed to be heavily armed and from the "Kilusang Larangang Guerrilla Tarlac - Zambales" who have grouped themselves to attack areas declared under a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security.

“The Army, as the protector of the people and as part of our sworn mandate, responded to the concerns of the community as the CTG was harassing them. In response, (we) conducted combat and aerial operations to locate the enemy to prevent them from harming the civilians,” he added.

Soldiers continue to preserve the peace, security, and development in active cooperation with the Philippine National Police, Alfonso Castañeda municipal government unit and the community.

“We thank the local officials of Barangay Abuyo for initiating loudspeaker operations in their community to calm the residents and help the families evacuate to a safer place,” Reyes said.

A group of remaining NPA members have formed a detachment "to attack areas declared under a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security." Just goes to show being "declared under a state of Stable Internal Peace and Security" doesn't mean there is actually peace or security.