BREAKING NEWS! 12/11/09
Arroyo lifts martial law in Maguindanao
INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—(UPDATE 2) President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has lifted martial law in Maguindanao province, a senior Malacañang official announced Saturday.
“In view of the accomplishments of martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the habeas corpus under Proclamation 1959, the Cabinet has recommended the lifting of martial law and which the President has approved,” Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told a news conference following a meeting with Arroyo and her Cabinet.
Ermita said the President met her top security advisers earlier Saturday and the meeting concluded that the government had achieved its main objectives in Maguindanao province, which was placed under martial rule on December 4 following an election-linked massacre left 57 people dead.
Ermita said there are five areas that became the bases for the President’s decision to lift martial law as contained in the joint report of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.
Quoting from the AFP-PNP report, Ermita said:
• Rebellion and multiple murder charges were filed against the suspects who are now in the custody of authorities.
At least three people have been charged with multiple murder and 24 others for rebellion before the courts. At least 247 facing multiple murder charges were referred to the Department of Justice by the PNP and 638 for rebellion.
• Fifty-two arrests have been made for the charge of rebellion; 128 members of civilian volunteer organizations have surrendered, and 399 others in the custody of authorities.
• Clearing of “rebel positions” in several towns in Maguindanao by the police and military.
• That the criminal justice system was in place and working; and
• Restoration to normalcy of the local government units, starting with the appointment of Vice Governor Ansarrudin Adiong of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as acting governor.
The security forces said the martial law regime, which empowered them to arrest suspects without court orders, has allowed them to take into custody many of the suspects in the November 23 massacre. The detained suspects were all relatives or supporters of Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr.
His son Andal Ampatuan Jr. has been charged with multiple counts of murder for allegedly ordering the kidnapping and subsequent shooting of 57 people including journalists and relatives of the clan's local rival Buluan Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu.
Mangudadatu has alleged the killings were carried out to prevent him running against the younger Ampatuan for governor of Maguindanao next year.
The elder Ampatuan was among 24 people separately charged with rebellion later.
Saturday, December 12, 2009 | 0 Comments
BREAKING NEWS! 12/10/09
18 hostages freed, 2 escape in Agusan kidnapping
By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 14:47:00 12/10/2009
MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 2) Eighteen of at least 65 hostages kidnapped by gunmen Thursday in Agusan del Sur province have been released, police said.
All of the hostages freed were children except for one adult, according to Chief Superintendent Lino Calingasan, Caraga regional police director.
In a separate interview, Senior Superintendent Nestor Fajura, chief of operations of Caraga police, said that aside from the 18 victims released, two more teachers were able to escape from their abductors.
Fajura identified them as Nene Alemendares and Marilou Gregorio, both of whom are now under the custody of their district supervisors.
Fajura said that 15 armed men belonging to the criminal group Ondo Perez took the hostages around 8 a.m. in Sitio (sub-village) Maitum, Barangay (village) San Martin in Prosperidad town.
Fajura said that authorities were to serve an arrest warrant for multiple murder against Perez, the group’s leader, when the hostage-taking occurred.
Perez’s group was involved in the murder of the relative of a local enemy, Fajura said.
“[The hostage-taking] was due to the fact that warrants of arrest for multiple murder would be served against Perez,” Fajura said.
When police were trying to serve the warrant, the suspects fled and took the hostages, including students of Maitum Elementary School.
Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang, spokesman of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said that among those held hostage were two foresters from the Casilayan Softwood Development Corporation.
The group, armed with M16 rifles and shotguns, reportedly fired warning shots while they were taking the hostages some 2.5 kilometers from the sitio, Fajura said.
Immediately after the incident, a crisis management committee was formed to negotiate the release of the victims. The committee was led by Governor Tina Plaza, Fajura said.
“The crisis management committee appealed to the suspects to release the children first,” Fajura said.
The remaining 55 hostage victims, Fajura said, were in good condition.
The demands of the suspects are: for the presence of journalists in the site; the arrest of their enemy June Tubay; to stop military and police operations in the area; to drop multiple murder charges against Perez; and batteries for their flashlights.
Fajura said it would be up to the crisis management committee to negotiate for the release of the remaining victims.
Thursday, December 10, 2009 | 0 Comments
