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Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 20152 The Mindanao Examiner

IIIII. BA. BA. BA. BA. BACKRCKRCKRCKRCKROUNDOUNDOUNDOUNDOUNDOn January 26, 2015, the

leadership of the Moro IslamicLiberation Front (MILF) orga-nized the Special InvestigativeCommission (SIC) after a fero-cious firefight occurred inMamasapano, Maguindanaoon January 25, 2015 where sev-enteen (17) combatants fromthe Moro Islamic LiberationFront’s Bangsamoro IslamicArmed Forces (MILF-BIAF)died, together with forty-four(44) members of the SpecialAction Force of the PhilippineNational Police (PNP-SAF),and three (3) civilian casual-ties.

The objectives of theprobe by the Special Investiga-tive Commission were the fol-lowing: (1) to shed light onwhat happened on January 25and 26, 2015 in Mamasapano,Maguindanao; (2) to assess theconduct of members of theBIAF in relation to the Code ofConduct for BIAF, also knownas General Order Number One(G.O. 1); and (3) to propose ac-

tion points to the leadership ofthe

MILF.The following are the

members of the Commission:(1) Ustadz Said

Abdulsalam – Chairman(2) Hussein “Sonny”

Munoz – Member(3) Toks Ebrahim - Mem-

ber(4) Von AI Haq, and –

Member(5) Ustadz Abu Ubaidah

Agkong – MemberOriginally, the Chair of the

MILF’s Coordinating Commit-tee on the Cessation of

Hostilities (CCCH) and itsHead of the Secretariat, RasidLadiasan and Butch

Malang, respectively,were included in the Commis-sion. But since the action of

the CCCH is also subjectof the investigation, the twohave been excluded from

the Commission.II. AII. AII. AII. AII. ACTION CTION CTION CTION CTION TTTTTAKEN BY AKEN BY AKEN BY AKEN BY AKEN BY THETHETHETHETHECCCCCOMMISSIONOMMISSIONOMMISSIONOMMISSIONOMMISSION

In the discharge of its

mandate to investigate whattranspired in Mamasapano onJanuary 25 and 26, 2015, theCommission conducted thefollowing activities:

(1) interviews with themembers of the MILF-CCCH;

(2) interviews with themembers and the leadershipof the 105BC and 118BC ofBIAF - MILF;

(3) interviews with therelatives of the members of theBIAF and civilians who hadbeen killed in BarangayTukanalipao, Mamasapano onJanuary 25 and 26, 2015; and

(4) Ocular inspection.III. NARRAIII. NARRAIII. NARRAIII. NARRAIII. NARRATION OF TION OF TION OF TION OF TION OF THETHETHETHETHEFFFFFAAAAACTCTCTCTCTSSSSS

A. From interviews withMILFelements

lanuarv 25. 2015At around 0420H, mem-

bers of the BIAF residing in thecommunity center inTukanalipao, Mamasapanoleft their houses to go to SitioAmilil, also in the samebarangay as they heardgunfires and learned about the

presence and movement ofgovernment forces atBarangay Tuka, Mamasapano.Sitio Amilil, which is around825 meters away from thecommunity where these BIAFmembers live, is a place whereforces of BIAF’s 105thBaseCommand (105BC) usually gowhenever they fear or learn ofan impending attack on theircommunity. This way, anyfirefight would not happen inthe communities where theylive, and civilians would not bedirectly affected by any armedencounter.

While the BIAF memberswere trekking towards SitioAmilil at around 0430H, gun-shots were again heard comingfrom the direction of BarangayPembalkan further away,around 2 to 3 kilometers north-east. Upon reaching thewooden bridge, the MILFforces were fired upon, and two(2) of its men—Omar Dagadasand Ali Esmael—were hit anddied. The remaining MILFforces immediately took posi-tion by retreating towards thecornfield they had just passedbefore crossing the bridge, andengaged the forces that hadfired at them. Unknown tothem, it was the locking forcesfor “Operation Exodus”, the55th Special Action Company(55SAC) of the Philippine Na-tional Police-Special ActionForce (PNP-SAF). It was stilldark at this time of day, and theBIAF forces could not distin-guish what group had fire atthem. The 55SAC was posi-tioned across the 15-meterwide river and was hiding in thecornfield in that part of SitioAmilil. While the BIAF couldnot clearly see whom they werefighting against, they con-cluded that these were notfriendly forces as they had ini-tiated the first shots-shots thatwere fatal to two of their men.Firing ensued between the twogroups. The BIAF memberslater on construed that the uni-formed armed men who at-

tacked them were soldiers ofthe Philippine Army.

Wooden footbridge inBarangay Tukanalipao,Mamasapano where 105BCmen were first fired upon by the55SAC at around 0430HofJanuary 25, 2015 As the fight-ing went on, more BIAF mem-bers who are residentsofTukanalipao and of nearbyareas came to reinforce theBIAF members that had beenfirst engaged in the fighting.Most of the reinforcementscame from the 105th BaseCommand (105BC), but therewere a few who had also camefrom the 118th

BC. A total of more or less100 MILF men were eventuallyengaged on the fighting. Asmembers of the MILF came tothe site of the fighting sponta-neously, there was no orga-nized central command thatwas in charge of the whole en-gagement. The MILF reinforce-ments set themselves aroundthe location where the SSSACwas positioned in the cornfieldin Sitio Amilil near the woodenbridge. In the course of thefighting, some of the MILFmen, mostly from the rein-forcements, jumped into theriver and stayed in the water.The intense fighting ensuedfrom 0900H - 1300H. Duringthe time, some of the mencrossed the river into the corn-field where the SSSAC was po-sitioned, and engaged the lat-ter in close-range firefight.

In the ensuing intensefighting, some of the MILFfighters died. Sueb Kamod,Nasrudin Saptula, andAbdulrahman Abdullah werekilled while fighting inside thecornfield where the SSSAC waspositioned. Abid Esmail, whosustained a gunshot wound onhis chest while fighting insidethe said cornfield, was able toget out, but also eventually diedfrom his gunshot wound laterthat day. Kaharodin Balunoand Mahmod Saga also diedand were found near the corn-

field where the SSSAC was po-sitioned. Salahudin S. Camin'sbody was later found in theriver.

The superior number ofMILF forces, familiarity withthe terrain, coupled with theirhigh caliber firearms, gave theMILF forces advantage andthey eventually subdued theSSSAC. When the firing fromthe 55SAC waned at around1300H, some of the BIAF forceswent inside the cornfield wherethe 55SAC were positioned pur-posely to retrieve the dead bod-ies of their comrades to com-ply with Islamic tradition tobury the dead within twenty-four (24) hours. While they werein the cornfield retrieving thedead bodies they also took theopportunity to collect war boo-ties. After about twenty min-utes of retrieving the dead bod-ies of their fallen comrades andof collecting war booties, one ofthe MILF men was able to re-ceive a call from 105BC Com-mander, Ustadz Zacaria Goma,informing him of the order fora ceasefire. In turn, UstadzZacaria Goma also ordered theMILF combatants to pull outfrom the area, pursuant to theceasefire agreement and in-formed them that the teamfrom the International Moni-toring Team (IMT) and theCCCHs (of the Governmentand the MILF) were going in-side the area. The recipient ofthe call relayed to his compan-ions the order and they imme-diately organized a safe with-drawal. The MILF men saw thatsome of the 55SAC men's bod-ies were found underneath oneanother as if purposely piled.They noticed that the deadbodies sustained multiple gun-shot wounds. They realizedlater from the position of thedead bodies and the number ofwounds of some of the SSSACthat some of them had used thebodies of their dead comradesas shield during the intensefighting.

CCCCContinue to page 3ontinue to page 3ontinue to page 3ontinue to page 3ontinue to page 3

MILF releases ‘Mamasapano clash’ report

FULL TEXT OF MILF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE COMMISSION (SIC) REPORT ON THE MAMASAPANO INCIDENT

SULTAN KUDARAT – ThePhilippines’ largest Muslimrebel group has finally re-leased to the Malaysia-ledInternational MonitoringTeam its own report ondeadly clash between itsforces and police comman-dos in Maguindanao prov-ince.

The fighting killed 44members of the Special Ac-tion Force and also 17 MILFmembers, including 3 civil-ians and severalBangsamoro Islamic Free-dom Fighters inMamasapano town.

The police commandoshad killed Malaysianbomber Zulkifli bin Hir in atop secret operation deepinside an MILF territory, butwere ambushed by rebelsthat sparked daylongclashes that even PresidentAquino – who authorizedthe anti-terror mission –failed to stop.

The MILF submitted itsreport to the Malaysia-ledInternational (Ceasefire)Monitoring Team on March22. The IMT is also com-posed of representativesfrom Japan, Indonesia andBrunei, and supported bythe United States and Euro-pean Union.

The MILF launched its

own probe into the January25 clashes after lawmakersaccused the separatistgroup of breaking the truceit signed with the Aquinogovernment when its forceskilled members of the eliteSpecial Action Force in theremote village ofTukanalipao inMamasapano town.

“This report was sub-mitted to the Head of Mis-sion of the InternationalMonitoring Team,” saidMILF Vice ChairmanMohagher Iqbal, who is alsothe Front’s chief peace nego-tiator. “It’s a comprehensivereport.”

He said the IMT will alsoforward the report to KualaLumpur being the facilitatorof the peace talks betweenthe MILF and the Philip-pines, and also to the Aquinogovernment through its gov-ernment peace negotiatorMiriam Ferrer.

A copy of the 38-page re-port furnished by the MILF tothe regional newspaperMindanao Examiner, alsoblamed police authorities forthe clashes, saying the com-mando operation was notcoordinated with the MILFdespite an agreement be-tween the cease-fire commit-tees of both groups; and that

it violated the truce.Iqbal said: “What hap-

pened in Mamasapano onthat fateful January 25 was aviolation of the cease-fireagreement by the Philippinegovernment because therewas no prior coordinationwith the MILF as far as theSAF (Special Action Force)operation was concerned.”

The report also deniedthat MILF members muti-lated or beheaded policecommandos, and said mem-bers of the Special ActionForce even used the slainbodies of policemen asshield during the fighting.

While the report blamedthe police for the fighting, theMILF also acknowledgedthat its commanders fromthe 105th and 118th BaseCommands failed to detectthe presence of Zulkifli andFilipino terrorist BasitUsman, who hid near theirbase and even used athatched house inPembalkan village previ-ously owned by an MILFmember – UstadzBaguindali – who died in2008; and their failure to de-tect the entry of police com-mandos in the area.

“The MILF and civilianresidents in Mamasapanodid not know that Basit

Usman and Marwan were intheir community. The housein which Marwan was foundand killed belonged toUstadz Baguindali, who haddied in 2008. The MILF didnot know that Marwan andUsman had moved intoBarangay Pembalkan. WhenMarwan was killed, he waswith the group of BasitUsman, in the vicinity wherethe BIFF and the break-awaygroup (Justice for IslamicMovement) of MohammadAli Tambako (who was cap-tured recently in GeneralSantos City) are based,” thereport said, adding, the areais 3 kilometers away from theMILF combatants inTukanalipao village.

The report said the MILFhad in 2005 ordered bothZulkifli and Usman to leaveMILF camps and communi-ties after both men weretagged as “terrorists.” TheMILF denied it coddledZulkifli or protected Usman.“This policy of cleaning itsranks of terrorists has notchanged and is the very rea-son why the (Philippine)government has continuednegotiating peace with theMILF,” it said.

It said the MILF will notsurrender those involved inthe fighting with police com-

mandos because it has thesole to impose sanctions onits members.

In the end, the reportrecommended to the MILFto file a protest with theAquino government againstthe Special Action Force forviolating the cease-fireagreement. And for the gov-ernment to further investi-gate PO2 Christopher Lalan,of the Special Action Force,for killing four MILF mem-bers who were shot dead intheir sleep inside a mosquein Tukanalipao village, and acivilian MohammadAmbilang.

It said new securitymechanisms must be imme-diately put in place by boththe government and MILFpeace panels to prevent fu-ture clashes between secu-rity and rebel forces.

The report was preparedby the MILF Commissionheaded by Ustadz SaidAbdusalam whose membersincluded Hussein Muñoz,Toks Ebrahim, Von al-Haqand Ustadz Abu UbaidahAgkong.

Many groups were de-manding President Aquino’sresignation over his failure toprevent the fighting. Aquinocalled the daylong clashesbetween commandos and

rebels as a “misencounter”between friendly forces.

The MILF signed apeace accord last year, butthe peace process is yet to becompleted with passage ofBangsamoro Basic Law nowpending in Congress follow-ing the carnage. Lawmakersshelved the BBL until inves-tigations into the deadlyclashes between Special Ac-tion Force and MILF is com-pleted. The BBL is importantin crafting a new Muslim au-tonomous region inMindanao.

Aside from the multi-sectoral groups demandingAquino to step down, law-makers also wanted him toresign – accusing the Presi-dent of covering up thedeadly clash despite beingtold by the Special ActionForce about the fighting.There were also rumors of acoup d’état and widespreaddemoralization amongmembers of the police andmilitary.

The Mamasapano clashdrew widespread condem-nation and is now threaten-ing not only the peace pro-cess, but the presidency aspublic outcry for Aquino’sweak leadership continuesto mount. (Mindanao Exam-iner)

Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2015 3The Mindanao Examiner

CCCCContinued frontinued frontinued frontinued frontinued from page 2om page 2om page 2om page 2om page 2While withdrawing, the

BIAF members saw some otherarmed men moving into theencounter site in Sittio AmiliI,and they recognized some ofthem as members of theBangsamoro Islamic FreedomFighters (BIFF).JJJJJanuaranuaranuaranuaranuary' 26. 2015y' 26. 2015y' 26. 2015y' 26. 2015y' 26. 2015

On January 26, 2015, fourmembers of the 105BC accom-panied their comrade namedMelgar Sailila to visit his housein the vicinity ofSittio Amilil toverify if it has not been dam-aged by the firefight on the pre-vious day. The house is besidea small mosque locally called a"langgaJ'~ not big enough forcongregational prayers. It ismade of light materials anddoes not have a minaret ordome.

The Langgal (smallmosque) where 4 members of105BC were shot and killed byP02 Christopher Lalan on Janu-ary 26, 2015

The 5 men are the follow-ing:

1. Musib Kasim2. Mamarisa Sandigan3. Rasul Kamsa4. Norhamid Angkay5. Melgar SaililaAt around 1100H, they

prepared their lunch and atetogether in the house of MelgarSailila. At around 1200H, theyprayed inside the langgal.Thereafter, they laid down onthe floor of the langgal to take anap.

As narrated by MelgarSailila, at around past 1300H,he was awakened by the soundof a gunshot. He saw a man,standing by one of the doorsofthe langgal. He had a pistoldrawn and it was pointed atMusib Kasim, who appeared tohave been shot while asleep. Hethen shot Rasul Kamsa andNorhamid Angkay, who bothinstantly died while asleep.Mamarisa Sandigan, at thispoint, was already awakenedand tried to get up, but beforehe could do so, the armed manshot him. Melgar Sailila by thenhad already realized what wasgoing on and had stood up andjumped out of the opening inthe wall of the langgal to escapethe gunman. As can be seen inthe pictures, the wall of thelanggal does not go all the wayup to the ceiling, and the open-ing on the wall was wideenough for someone to get overit. Melgar Sailila ran away fromthe langgal, and the armedman pursued him. MelgarSailila luckily escaped from thearmed man. Melgar Saililaidentified the armed man dur-ing the investigation based onthe photographs shown him asPOZ Christopher Lalan.

The interior of the Langgalshowing dried blood on thefloor with blood -stained pillowand a man shirt. This waswhere POZ Lalan shot 4 lOSBCelements.

A little later, at around1400H, a group of men werewalking towards Sitio Amililfrom the community inTukanalipao. The group wascomposed of four(4) men,namely:

1. Sheikh Abdullah M.Abad,

2. Kapitan Jainal,3. Mataya Sangki, and4. Mohammad Ambilang.While they were near the

wooden bridge, the men heardsomeone from across thebridge shout that they shouldbe careful as "a SAF" was in thevicinity. They stopped walkingand decided to wait out the

possible danger. But a few min-utes later, they saw a man whohad no shirt on and who washolding an armalite, comingtowards them. When he wasabout 50 meters away fromSheik Abdullah Abad andMohammad Ambilang, whowere standing ahead of KapitanJainal and Mataya Sangki, SheikAbdullah Abad shouted, "Civil-ian kami, wag kamagpaputokf" ("We are civil-ians! Don't shoot!"). SheikAbdullah Abad andMohammad Ambilang raisedtheir hands, to show that theywere not armed and that theyare not going to fight againstthe armed man. But the manraised the armalite he was car-rying, and started aiming atMohammad Ambilang.Mohammad Ambilang thenturned around to run away. Itwas at this point that the manshot at Mohammad Ambilang.His companions ran away, butthe armed man ran after themfor several meters. When themen were sure that they hadshaken off the armed man, itwas only then that theystopped. They realized thatMohammad Ambilang was nolonger with them. After a fewminutes, they returned to theplace where they had met thearmed man. They saw a lifelessMohammad Ambilang wherehe was last seen alive, alreadyshot and dead.

Later, when the Special In-vestigative Commissionshowed the picture of P02Christopher Lalan to the com-panions of Ambilang, they con-firmed that he is the same per-son whom they encountered inSitio Amilil on January 26, 2015and who shot their compan-ion, Mohammad Ambilang.

B. From interviews withand the report oftheMILF•CCCH

According to RasidLadiasan, Chair of the MILFCoordinating Committee onthe Cessation of Hostilities, hegot information at around0545H about the firefight fromUstadz Zacaria Goma, theCommander of the 105thBaseCommand. Ladiasan madefurther verifications and alsoinformed some of the leaders ofthe BIAF and the MILF. At0638H, he sent an SMS to hiscounterpart in the govern-ment, BGen Carlito Galvez, andthe head of the GPH CCCH Sec-retariat, Maj. Carlos Sol, to in-form them about the reportedfirefight. The SMS read thisway:

"Salam bro, firefighterupted between the AFP andthe 105BC

at Tukanalipao,Mamasapano. The AFP troopsmoved in without any coordi-nation and this is difficult tocontrol to avoid encounters be-tween our forces where there isno coordination. This is clearlydisregarding and violating theceasefire. Now with that situa-tion the only option is toceasefire otherwise it will esca-late further."

Another SMS was sent byMr. Ladiasan to Maj. Sol ataround 0642H, again reiterat-ing the message that bothforces have to "cease fire", towit:

"We have to ceasefire brobefore its too late. Ano kaya brokung puntahan natin sa areabaka may staff kayo kasama atIMT bro ma invitemosila".[What do you think,bro, if we proceed to the area asyou may have staff member(s)who can accompany us andyou

may also invite the IMT.]Maj. Carlos Sol suggested

that the Joint CCCH and IMTassemble at the IMT Headquar-ters in Cotabato City. At around0900H, the group assembled atIMT Hq and subsequently orga-nized the Joint Ceasefire CrisisTeam. This Crisis Team wascomposed of representatives ofthe GPH CCCH, the MILFCCCH, the Joint Ceasefire Moni-toring Post UCMP) in Kitango,Datu Saudi Ampatuan and theInternational Monitoring Team.

At around 0930H, the Cri-sis Team proceeded to BarangayKuloy in Shariff Aguak,Maguindanao to meet withUstadz Zacaria Goma, Com-mander of 105BC, and UstadzWahid Tundok, Commander ofthe 118BC. The team arrived inBarangay Kuloy at about 1130H.The meeting with the two (2)commanders started at around1200H.

It was agreed that to effecta ceasefire and allow the pas-sage of the PNP-SAF from theencounter site in BarangayTukanalipao to the safer area ofBarangay Tuka, Mamasapano,the Crisis Team had to go to theencounter site to talk to andseparate the engaged forces andextricate casualties on bothsides.

Thus, the Crisis Team di-vided into 2 groups. UstadzWahid Tundok and his men ledthe first group. Their missionwas to go to the encounter sitein Barangay Tukanalipao to in-form the BIAF men of the call forceasefire. Ladiasan of MILF-CCCH headed the secondgroup with Ronnie Arap andDave Jungco of the GPH-CCCHSecretariat, and Butch Malangand Toks Upahm of the MILF-CCCH Secretariat. SuhartoElhad of JCMP-Kitango and Mr.William Hovland of the IMT alsojoined them. This group pro-ceeded to Barangay Tuka, wherea tactical command post hadbeen established by the PNPand AFP. Ustadz Zacaria Gomastayed at his house in BarangayKuloy.

Ladiasan sent an SMS toMaj. Sol of the GPH-CCCH Sec-retariat at around 1230H, say-ing:

"Papuntana kami sa mili-tary sa 451B sila Wahid magpull-out tropang 105BC, kaminaman with IMT sa militarypara tumulong rna extricatePNP SAF. Paalisna kami sa kuloybase ni Zacaria Goma. Paki in-form lang wag rna alarm sabahay ni Goma marami tropasecurity nya yon."[We are goingto the military. the 45th IB to-gether with the IMT to help ex-tricate the PNP-SAF whileWahid Tundok will pull out the105BC troops from the area. Weare leaving Kuloy, the Base ofCommander Goma and pleaseinform everyone not to bealarmed by the presenceofmany troops, these are his se-curity.]

At 1255H, Ladiasan'sgroup arrived in Barangay Tukaat the position of the 45th IB ofthe Philippine Army. The groupinformed PSupt HenryMangaldan and PSI MichaelJohn Mangahis of the PNP-SAFand Lt. Col. Romeo Bautista,Commanding Officer of the45th IB, that a ceasefire hadbeen agreed upon at the meet-ing with the 2 BIAF Command-ers in Barangay Kuloy, ShariffAguak.

During this time, there wasstill sporadic gunfire that couldbe heard in the direction ofBarangay Tukanalipao. The Cri-sis Team learned that Ustadz

Wahid Tundok's group cameunder fire while moving to-wards the encounter site.

The PNP-SAF in BarangayTuka disseminated the call forceasefire by Phone and radio tothe troops on the ground. Butgunshots were again heard fromthree different directions.Ladiasan's group took cover atthe roadside by the bananatrees, and waited for the go sig-nal from Ustadz Wahid Tundokto proceed to the encounter sitein Barangay Tukanalipao.

At 1315H, Ladiasan'sgroup received a radio call fromUstadz Wahid Tundok. He ad-vised the group to go to the en-counter site to assess the situa-tion and determine what otherassistance can be given to helpresolve the problem. He also re-ported that there were many ca-sualties already. The group thenproceeded first to the Office ofthe Municipal Mayor ofMamasapano, Mayor

Benzhar Ampatuan, to dis-cuss, assess the situation, and torequest for assistance from theMayor and from the Chairmanof Barangay Tukanalipao. At1530H, the Crisis Team at-tempted to enter the encountersite in Tukanalipao but they re-treated as they could not pro-ceed further. They had moni-tored the movement of uniden-tified armed men and heardgunshots in the area.

Members of the commu-nity reported to the MILF CCCHthat there were thirty two deadbodies in the area. The informa-tion was forwarded to PC Supt.Napeiias of PNP-SAF and PSSupt. Armilla, OIC Regional Di-rector of PNP PROARMM, whowas then at the Headquarters ofthe 1st Mechanized Infantry Bri-gade in Poblacion, ShariffAguak, Maguindanao.

At 1600H, it was noticedthat there was no longer any ex-change of gunfire in Sitio Amilil.The Crisis Team entered the en-counter site in Tukanalipao.They found dead bodies at SitioAmilil and in the nearby river.They noticed a group of armedmen in the immediate vicinitywho were later identified as be-longing to the BIFF under Com-manders Bongos, Bisaya, andIndal.

The Crisis Group returnedto the Municipal Hall ofMamasapano and informed theMayor about the situation. Theyrequested for equipment to re-trieve the cadavers.

At 1720H, the Crisis Teamrequested the local andbarangay officials to go back tothe encounter site with twoKuliglig tractors and an ambu-lance. It was decided that thecadavers would be brought bythe team to the highway where.the PNP-SAF officers were wait-ing.

The 84SAC of the PNP-SAFAt around 1630H and while

retrieving the cadavers, the Cri-sis Team monitored gunshotsfrom the northeast direction,more or less two (2) kilometersfrom the encounter site. TheCommission later found thatthe area where gunshots wereheard is near the boundary be-tween Barangays Pembalkanand Tukanalipao. The CrisisTeam never knew of the pres-ence of the 84 SAC in BarangayPembalkan, Mamasapano un-til this time.

At about the same time,Maj. Sol received a phone callfrom BGen Galvez informinghim that there remained an-other group of PNP-SAF beingfired upon by an armed groupnearby. Subsequent events re-

vealed that the firefight was be-tween the BIFF and the with-drawing 84SAC, which is the"strike team" of Oplan Exodus.BGen Galvez also calledLadiasan, who assured him thatno more MILF-BIAF troops re-mained in the area and that thePNP-SAF were likely engagingthe BIFF and other armedgroup.

At 1740H, the Crisis Teamwent back to the tactical com-mand post in Barangay Tuka.There, Lt. Col. Romeo Bautistaexplained to the MILF-CCCHthe situation and the need to fa-cilitate the rescue of the surviv-ing PNP-SAF about two (2) ki-lometers north-east ofTukanalipao. The elements ofthe 6th ID's ReconnaissanceCompany (DRC) were assignedto assist in extricating the said

PNP-SAF from the area.Ladiasan agreed and advisedthe MILF CCCH personnel tocontact all possible BIAF com-manders in the area and to re-lay to their men the agreementand not to hamper the move-ment of the 6th ID's Reconnais-sance Company who wastasked to rescue the survivingmembers of the 84SAC.

The Crisis Team suspendedthe retrieval operation in SitioAmililat around 1830H due tothe darkness and security con-cerns occasioned by the pres-ence of BIFF in the area How-ever, the Crisis Team advised thelocal officials to facilitate thetransport of cadavers to the Mu-nicipal Hall of Mamasapano. At2130H, the local officials ofMamasapano informed the Cri-sis Team that five (5) cadaversofPNP-SAF had been turnedover to the PNP-SAF.JJJJJanuaranuaranuaranuaranuary 26,2015y 26,2015y 26,2015y 26,2015y 26,2015

At 0530H, the local govern-ment of Mamasapano resumedthe retrieval operation. Ataround 0730H, the MILF CCCHleft Cotabato City to go back toMamasapano. They firststopped at the camp of the 1stMechanized Brigade inShariffAguak at around 0830H.It was agreed therein that civil-ians will do the retrieval of thebodies in Tukanalipao, and thatthere will only be 3 people fromthe MILF CCCH and GPHCCCH who will be allowed tojoin the retrieval. Mr. ToksUpahm and Ustadz MuinRinabor of MILF CCCH andDave Jungco of GPH CCCHwere given this task. Shortly be-fore 1400H and after retrievingall the cadavers, the GPH-MILFCCCH left Tukanalipao and re-turned to the Headquarters ofthe 1st Mechanized Brigade toaccount and consolidate all thecadavers retrieved from the en-counter site. A total of forty-four(44) cadavers of the SAF were ac-counted for.

At 1800H, the Crisis Teamimmediately deactivated andthe members returned to theCCCH and IMT offices inCotabato City.

C. The Casualties from theMILF

The Special InvestigativeCommission conducted inter-views of field commanders in-volved in the incident, relativesof alleged victims, and field veri-fication to establish the identityof the casualties from theBIAFas well as the civilian vic-tims. The Special InvestigativeCommission confirms here un-der the names of the seventeen(17) BIAF members who diedduring the January 25 and 26,2015 incidents inMamasapano:1

Some of those killed do nothave photographs as their fami-

lies did not want themphotographed.1. Salahudin S. Camin•21 years old•Body was found in the

river•Gunshot wound in the

head•Buried in Barangay

Lapok, Sharif Aguak,Maguindanao

2. Sueb Kemod•34 years old•Body was found inside the

55SAC area•Gunshot in the mouth•Buried in Barangay

Pagatin, DatuSalibo,Maguindanao

3. Nasrodin GuiabalSaptula

•25 years old•Body was found inside the

55SAC area•Gunshot in the torso•Buried in Barangay

Pagatin, DatuSalibo,Maguindanao

4. Kaharodin Baluno•35 years old•Body was found on the

ground near the 55SAC area•Gunshot in the head•Buried in Sitio

Takulangan, BarangayLintangan, Mamasapano

5. Mahmod Saga•25 years old•Body was found near

Kaharodin's, i.e., near the 55SACarea

•Gunshot in the chest•Buried in Barangay

Lapok, Shariff Aguak6. Abdulrahim Abdullah• 24 years old•Body was found inside

55SAC area•Gunshots in the arm and

right side of the torso•Buried in Barangay

Libutan, Mamasapano7. Esmail Abid•23 years old•Shot while inside the

SSSAC area, but was able towithdraw while wounded; butalso died within the day

•Gunshot in the chest area•Buried in Sitio Kuta,

Barangay Lapok, ShariffAguak8. Ali Esmail•30 years old•Shot while traversing the

wooden bridge•Gunshot in the chest•Buried in Barangay

Tukanalipao, Mamasapano9. Norhamid Angkay•29 years old•Shot inside the langgal•Gunshot in the torso•Buried in Barangay

Pindsandawan, Mamasapano10. Mamarisa Sandigan•33 years old•Shot inside the langgal•Gunshot in the torso (right

side)•Buried in Barangay

Tukanalipao, Mamasapano11. Rasul Kamsa•23 years old•Shot inside the masjid•Gunshot in the torso (side)•Buried in Barangay Liab,

Mamasapano12. Musib Kasim• Age not determined• Shot inside the masjid• Gunshot in the torso•Buried in Barangay

Tukanalipao, Mamasapano13. Omar Dagadas•Age not determined•Shot while traversing the

wooden bridge•Gunshot in the chest•Buried in Barangay

Tukanalipao, Mamasapano14. Paglas A. Kamidon•43 years old•Buried by his family in

Ligawasan, PagalunganCCCCContinue to page 4ontinue to page 4ontinue to page 4ontinue to page 4ontinue to page 4

FULL TEXT OF MILF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE COMMISSION (SIC) REPORT ON THE MAMASAPANO INCIDENT

Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 20154 The Mindanao Examiner

CCCCContinued frontinued frontinued frontinued frontinued from page 3om page 3om page 3om page 3om page 315. Tanto A Bulao• 37 years old• Buried by his family in

Ligawasan, Pagalungan16. Rahman Duma• 30 years old• Buried by his family in

Ligawasan, Pagalungan17. Samsudin Guiapar• 34 years old• Buried by his family in

Tukanalipao, MamasapanoD. Wounded BIAF mem-

bersThe Special Investigative

Commission also verified thatthere were twenty-five (25)members of the BIAF who werewounded as a result of thefighting between the PNP-SAFand the BIAF in BarangayTukanalipao on January 25,2015.2

E. Civilian CasualtiesThe tragic incident in

Mamasapano on January 25and 26 killed not only the com-batants from the BIAF and thePNP-SAF, but likewise took thelives of at least three (3) civil-ians.

1. Badrudin LangalenBadrudin was a 21-year-

old farmer from Tukanalipao.In the early morning of January25, 2015, he left his house andtold his wife, Sarah, that he wasgoing to the market ofTukanalipao to charge hiscellphone, as there was a powerinterruption the night before.He never got to return home,but was later found dead, withhis hands tied behind his back,and with multiple gunshots, in-cluding in the head. On the wayto the market, he must havestumbled across the men of55SAC, who must have tied himup and brought him with them.His body was found in the siteencounter, together with thebodies of the 55SAC.

He left not only his wife Sa-rah, but two (2) young childrenas well.

2. Sarah Tot (or SarahPananggulon)

In the early morning ofJanuary 25, 2015, eight-year-old Sarah was sleeping at theirhouse in Sitio Inug-og,Barangay Pembalkan,Mamasapano when they wereroused from their sleep by sud-den bursts of gunfire. Togetherwith her parents--Tot andSamira Sampulna, and 5year-old brother Saidin, theycrouched low and quicklymoved out of the house. Totbrought the family towards abanca in the nearby river in or-der to escape and to find safergrounds. Unfortunately,Sarah's body was hit by bullets.

Tot was likewise shot on theupper right portion of his back,while Samira was hit on herface. While her parents survive,albeit wounded, Sarah died.

3. Mohammad AmbilangOn January 26, 2015, 33-

year-old MohammadAmbilang was asked by an auntto accompany her to get someof her belongings from herhouse in Tukanalipao after shehad evacuated therefrom toMohammad's house inBarangay Libutan,Mamasapano. He readilyobliged, foregoing with the in-come that he could haveearned driving his motorcyclefor a fee. But when he acciden-tally crossed paths with P02Christopher Lalan, he was shotand killed by the latter. He left awife and two young children.IVIVIVIVIV. I. I. I. I. ISSUESSSUESSSUESSSUESSSUES

The investigation wasguided by the following ques-tions, to which answers weresought:

1. On the armed encoun-ter on January 25, 2015 be-tween MILF BIAF and PNPSAF

a. What led to the armedclashes between the BIAFforces and the PNP SAF in theearly morning of January 25,2015 in Mamasapano?

b. Were there lapses on theground in heeding the call forceasefire?

c. Did the BIAF membersviolate the Code of ConductGoverning BIAF Affairs, alsoknown as General Order No.1Did the BIAF members use un-necessary force in fighting thePNP-SAF? Did they engage inmutilation? Did they desecratethe dead? Did the BIAF mem-bers commit other violations ofhuman rights and interna-tional humanitarian law?

d. Did BIAF members takethe firearms and personal ef-fects of the dead SAF? If yes, isthis justified?

2. On the actions taken bythe MILF-AHJAG and MILF-CCCH after it was known thatthere was an encounter

a. Were there lapses in thehandling of the situation by theMILFAHJAG and MILF-CCCH?

b. Did the Crisis Team doeverything it could to immedi-ately stop the firefight?

3. On the allegations thatthe MILF is coddling Marwan.

a. Did the MILF coddleBasit Usman and Marwan?VVVVV. FINDINGS. FINDINGS. FINDINGS. FINDINGS. FINDINGS

1. As to the armed encoun-ter

a. What led to the annedclashes between the PNP-SAFand the

BIAFforces in the early

morning ofJanuary 25, 2015?The operation of the PNP-

SAF in Mamasapano on Janu-ary 25, 2015 caught the BIAFforces by surprise. The BIAFforces, mostly from the 105BC,are residents of Mamasapano,mostly from BarangayTukanalipao. The action ofsome of the men of 105BC ingoing to Sitio Amilil, as wastheir usual practice wheneverthere are clashes or impendingclashes, was justified, as themain purpose was to ensurethat the clashes do not happenin the populated areas. As therewas no coordination betweenthe government and the MILFthrough the AH/AG and CCCHmechanisms, the BIAF cannotbe faulted for concluding thatthe PNP-SAF forces that theychanced upon in Sitio Amililwere enemies, especially afterthey were fired upon, and aftertwo (2) of their men were shotand killed by the PNP-SAF.

The assertion of the 105BCthat it was the 55SAC whomade first shots is supported bythe circumstances obtaining atthat time. The 55SAC was al-ready in the cornfield, and itwas the 105BC that was mov-ing in when the first gunshotswere fired. Besides, there wasvery little illumination at thattime (0430H), negating thepossibility of the moving BIAFto spot the already positioned55SAC in the cornfield while thelatter had the advantage of hav-ing night vision goggles.

The action of the MILF-CCCH in informing the GPH-CCCH about the reported en-counter in Mamasapano at0638H shows that the MILF wasconcerned about preventing orstopping any armed clash be-tween the parties. It was alsoMILF-CCCH's Chair RasidLadiasan who suggested to theGPH-CCCH that they neededto go to Mamasapano so thatthey could effectively enforce aceasefire.

Clearly, there was violationof the implementing guidelinesof the ceasefire agreement be-tween the GPH and the MILF.Article II of the ImplementingOperational Guidelines of theGRP-MILF

Agreement on the GeneralCessation of Hostilities (signedon November 14, 1997) readsthis way:

Police and military actionsand administrative logistic ac-tivities shall continue to be un-dertaken by the GRP through-out Mindanao and the entirecountry. In the pursuit thereof.Confrontational situations be-tween the GRP and MILF forces

shall be avoided by prior coor-dination with the latter. Theseactions include, but are notlimited to, the following:

1. Peacekeeping andpolice actions such as preven-tive patrols, investigations, ar-rest, searches and seizures un-dertaken by the Governmentagainst criminality, especiallyagainst piracy, robbery, kid-napping, cattle rustling, mur-der and other criminal acts.[Underscoring supplied]

In the Revised joint AFP/PNP AHJAG OperationalGuidelines for the Ad Hoc jointAction Group (AHJAG) signedby the Armed Forces of the Phil-ippines, the Philippine Na-tional Police and the Chair ofthe GPH Negotiating Panel onJuly 23, 2013, it is also clear thatthere should be coordinationbetween the government andthe MILF. The pertinent provi-sion of said Guidelines is foundhereunder, appearing on page7 of said document:

f. Except for operationsagainst high priority targets, alist of which shall be providedby the GPH Panel to the MILFPanel, the AHJAG shall informthe GPH and MILF CCCH atleast 24 hours prior to the con-duct of AFP/PNP operation inorder to allow sufficient timefor the evacuation of civiliansand to avoid armed confronta-tion between the GPH andMILF forces.

This provision, read withthe rest of the document and inconsonance with the main pur-pose of the creation of theAHJAG reiterates the need forcoordination with the MILFthrough its CCCH, at least 24hours before the conduct of theoperations against wanted per-sonalities. However, there is anexception, and the exception iswith regard to high priority tar-gets, in which case the coordi-nation can be done for less thanthe minimum 24 hours. The ex-ception pertains only to thenumber of hours within whichto coordinate and not to the re-quirement for coordination.

It is interesting also to notethat one of the signatories tothis document, representingthe Philippine National Policeas Chief PNP, is Police DirectorGeneral Alan Purisima, whohad admitted "advising" PNP-SAF Chief Getulio Napenas notto coordinate with the AFP andthe Acting PNP Chief, as hehimself (Purisima) would takecare of such coordination.

b. Were there lapses on theground in heeding the call forceasefire?

The MILF CCCH, uponlearning of the January 25, 2015encounter, immediately un-dertook steps to effect aceasefire and prevent blood-shed. But there were so manycircumstances obtaining in theencounter site that hamperedits efforts. These circumstancesincluded the difficulty in com-munications as cellular phonesof the BIAF members were ren-dered inutile because of the in-termittent and weak signal inthe encounter site, or weredrained of power due

to the power outage thenight before. The fierce fightingthat was already on-goingwhen the CCCHs and the IMTintervened. It was happening inan open field and had evolvedinto a battle of survival for thecombatants. The ceasefiremechanisms were not coordi-nated through the protocolsunder the ceasefire agreement.

Given these circum-stances. the MILF CCCH im-mediately suggested to its

counterpart that they go to theencounter site in order to talkto the commanders and inter-position themselves in themidst of the encounter. WhenUstadz Wahid Tundok went tothe encounter site in SitioAmilil, his purpose was pre-cisely to talk to the men in thefield. And despite the heavyfighting, he was able to finallyarrive at the encounter site totalk to some of the men to ceasefiring before 1330H.

From this account, it isclear that the 105BC, upon re-ceipt of the order to stop firing,immediately ceased shootingat the 55SAC. There were nolapses in heeding the call for aceasefire. Unfortunately, it wasalready too late as most of theSAF's 55 SAC had already beenkilled in the course of the in-tense fighting even before theorder for a ceasefire was re-ceived on the ground.

The Special InvestigationCommission found the follow-ing undisputed facts:

1. The PNP SAF did not co-ordinate their entry and opera-tion in Tukanalipao.Mamasapano with the existingcoordination mechanismssuch as the AHJAG and theCCCH of the peace panels.

2. The BIAF forces residingin Mamasapano were not in-formed the PNP SAF operationconducted on January 25, 2015.

3. The MILF CCCH was thefirst to inform their counter-parts in government of the un-fortunate encounter inMamasapano on the said date.

4. The MILF CCCH was thefirst to suggest to their counter-parts in government to imme-diately proceed to the encoun-ter site to find ways to effect aceasefire and disengage thefighting forces.

c. Did the BlAF membersuse unnecessary force in fight-ing the PNp•SAF? Did theyengage in mutilation? Did theydesecrate the dead?

After the initial advantageof surprise on the part of thePNP-SAF, the BIAF got the up-per hand in the fighting. Theirstrong points included famil-iarity with the terrain, their lo-cation vis-a-vis their adversar-ies, their superior number, andthe use of the "Barrett".

During the battle, thePNp•SAF stayed in the corn-field while the BIAF forces wereable to cover themselves in theriver banks, and coconut treessurrounding the cornfield. Thefighting also became so intensethat at one point, the men wereshooting at each other withonly 3-4 meters between them.

Despite the advantages,the BIAF did not use unneces-sary force or employ anymethod of warfare that violatedInternational HumanitarianLaw. Rather, they faced theiradversaries employing theweapons that were available tothem, and using their advan-tages to the fullest.

Reports about mutilation,beheading, and willful killingare unfounded. The viral videoof an armed man shooting atclose range a man apparentlyfrom the PNP-SAF 55 SAC whilethe latter was lying down on theground and already wounded,does not clearly show that itwas BIAF's l05BC which is re-sponsible for this It is a knownfact that there are other armedgroups in the area including theBangsamoro Islamic FreedomFights (BIFF), and privatearmed groups (PAGs). Any ofthese groups could have en-tered the encounter site afterthe MILF pulled out of the area

after a ceasefire was effected, aswas in fact witnessed by thewithdrawing l05BC men. This isalso consistent with the narra-tive of the Crisis Team thatwhen they entered the area ataround 1530H, they sensed thepresence of armed mentherein.

The Special InvestigativeCommission also looked intothe question of whether BIAFelements desecrated the deadbodies of the slain 55SAC mem-bers, as some of the bodies ofthe latter were found in the farend of the river banks whenthey were located by the re-trieval teams organized by Cri-sis Team with participation ofthe local officials. But the l05BCmembers say that they did notmove the dead bodies of the55SAC, except when it was nec-essary in order to get their fire-arms. It must be noted that inthis narrative, it was not thelOSBC that was the last groupto be at the encounter site.There was the BIFF and otherpeople who had come in just asthe lOSBC was leaving. Also,many of the other bodies wereretrieved only the next day. Inthe meantime, the municipalgovernment had mobilizedpeople (civilians) to help in theretrieval. The Barangay officialsof Tukanalipao, Dasikil andLibutan provided the necessaryassistance. The Officials hadalso mobilized their ownpeople for the retrieval opera-tions. Hence, there were a lot ofcivilians who had entered theencounter site. Many of thembrought the dead bodies nearthe river, as the bodies were tobe brought across the river inorder to be transported to thehighway of Mamasapano.Given the above circum-stances, some of the personalbelongings of the SAF who werekilled in the encounter mayhave been taken by otherarmed groups and civilianswho participated in the re-trieval operations. Some of thepictures taken during the re-trieval operations are attachedhereto, one showing civilianspulling on a rope that had beentied to the foot of a cadaver,dragging it out of its originalposition. The next pictureshows how the bodies weretaken out of the encounter siteacross the river, as part of theretrieval operations.

d. Did BIAF members takethe firearms and personal ef-fects of the dead SAF? If yes, isthis justified?

The members of the BIAF,in the course of fighting andafter it had waned, took stepsto retrieve the bodies of theirfallen comrades and used thisopportunity to take war boo-ties when it was apparent thatthe enemies had already died.

This is nothing extraordi-nary. In fact, this is the usualaction taken by rebel groups.It is also recognized as an ac-ceptable behavior of armednon-state actors under Rule49 of Customary Interna-tional Humanitarian Lawbased on a study conductedby the International Commit-tee of the Red Cross. The saidrule provides that' The partiesto the conflict may seize mili-tary equipment belonging toan adverse party as warbooty." This customary lawhad already been set forth inthe Lieber Code (or the in-struction signed by PresidentAbraham Lincoln to theUnion Forces of the UnitedStates during the AmericanCivil War).

CCCCContinue to page 5ontinue to page 5ontinue to page 5ontinue to page 5ontinue to page 5

FULL TEXT OF MILF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE COMMISSION (SIC) REPORT ON THE MAMASAPANO INCIDENT

The Mindanao Examiner 5Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2015

CCCCContinued frontinued frontinued frontinued frontinued from page 4om page 4om page 4om page 4om page 4Still, in the interest of peace,

these firearms have been re-turned to the government onFebruary 18, 2015. The MILFleadership took the initiative ofasking their men to return thefirearms.

As to the personal effects ofthe slain PNP SAF, the Commis-sion finds the assertion of the105BC elements that they hadtaken the firearms primarily, asthese are certainly of greatervalue to them. Especially con-sidering that there was an orderto retreat from the encountersite, the 105BC had to pull outwithin a limited period of time.It is also noteworthy that whenrequested by Mayor Ampatuan,some civilians did return somepersonal effects and equipmentbelonging to the slain PNP SAF,thereby showing that civilianalso had access to them.

e. Did the MILF coddleBasit Usman and Marwan?

The MILF and the civilianresidents in Mamasapano didnot know that Basit Usman andMarwan were in their commu-nity. The house in whichMarwan was found and killedbelonged to Ustadz Baguindali,who had died in 2008. The MILFdid not know that Marwan andUsman had moved intoBarangay PembalkanMamasapano. When Marwanwas killed, he was with thegroup of Basit Usman, in the vi-cinity where the BIFFand thebreak-away group ofMohammad Ali Tambako arebased. The house is found inBarangay Pembalkan,Mamasapano, which is morethan 3 kilometers away fromwhere the MILF combatantswere living in BarangayTukanalipao. It is not at areawhere the MILF has presence orcontrol. Note that the site wherethe encounter between the BIAFand the 55SAC took place is notin Pembalkan, but about 2 kilo-meters away in Sitio Amilil inTukanalipao.

It should be noted that asearly as 2005, Marwan, andother individuals with "terror-ist" tags have been oredred toleave MILF camps and commu-nities. This policy of cleaning itsranks of

terrorists has not changedand is the very reason why thegovernment has continued ne-gotiating peace with the MILF.It is also the policy that under-lies the creation of the Ad Hocjoint Action

Group (AHjAG), where theMILF is to coordinate and coop-erate with the AFP and PNP inthe interdiction of criminal ele-ments in MILF communities.

2. Actions taken by theMILF CCCM

As pointed out earlier, itwas the MILF CCCH Chair whocalled the attention of the GPHCCCH about the encounter inMamasapano at 0637H ofjanuary25, 2015. It was also theMILF CCCH Chair who pro-posed for the physical presenceof the respective CCCHs and theInternational Monitoring Team(IMT) in Mamasapano in orderto effectively implement aceasefire, as the fighting had al-ready started and communica-tions through cellular phoneswere not working because ofweak signal. Thereafter, the jointCCCHs and the IMT created aCrisis' Team and proceeded in aconvoy of vehicles toMamasapano.

It was around 1130H whenthe CCCHs and the IMT arrivedin Mamasapano.

While in Mamasapano, itwas the CCCHs and the IMT,

constituted as a Crisis Team,that sought ways to reach thecommanders on the ground.They were able to talk to Com-manders Zacaria Goma andWahid Tundok of the MILF BIAF.It was also the Crisis Team thatcoordinated with the AFP andthe PNP SAF for the rescue of thesurviving 84SAC.

All said, the MILF CCCH incooperation with the GPHCCCH did everything it could.and despite all difficulties, tostop the fighting and to save thesurviving PNP-SAF after theceasefire was effected.VI. FINDINGS AND RECVI. FINDINGS AND RECVI. FINDINGS AND RECVI. FINDINGS AND RECVI. FINDINGS AND RECOM-OM-OM-OM-OM-MENDAMENDAMENDAMENDAMENDATIONSTIONSTIONSTIONSTIONS

1. As to the liability of MILFmen who took part in the clash

The BIAF members werejustified in fighting back after itwas fired upon by the PNP-SAF55 SAC in Tukanalipao. Withoutprior coordination, the BIAF didnot know that the forces in Sitioamilil were government forceswith whom there is a holdingceasefire agreement. When theywere fired upon in the woodenbridge of Tukanalipao, the BIAFcould not have done anythingelse but to fire back, as two (2) oftheir men were instantly killedin the assault of the PNP-SAFmen.

Granting, without admit-ting, that there is any liability onthe part of the 10SBC for the vio-lation of the ceasefire, the disci-plinary action should be carriedout by the MILF. This is in accor-dance with the ImplementingOperational Guidelines on theGeneral Cessation of Hostilities.Article II, (4)(b) of said Guide-lines provides:

c. The CCCH shall informimmediately the commandersof GRP and MILF forces whoseunits or members are alleged tobe violating this ImplementingGuidelines and Ground Rules. Itshall be the responsibility of theGRP and MILF to take immedi-ate and necessary actions tostop any violation and punishrespective forces who violatethis Implementing Guidelinesand Ground Rules.

Item 5 of the same ArticleIII ofthe Guidelines is also rel-evant:

5. Disposition of violationsof cessation of hostilities.

The GRP and the MILF willtake appropriate actions ontheir respective forces who vio-late this Implementing Guide-lines and Ground Rules.

Surely, this case is coveredby the Implementing Opera-tional Guidelines as it pertainsto the engagement in hostilitiesby forces of the MILF and theGPH. It is not an ordinary crimethat may have been directed atcivilians, but direct armed con-frontation between the partiesthat have signed a ceasefireagreement.

As to the matter of liabilityfor commission of acts that areviolative of international hu-manitarian law, there is no evi-dence that would show this. Infact, the evidence shows thecontrary-that is, it was not theBIAF which was responsible forthese acts. A scrutiny of the viralvideo showing the killing of Jo-seph Sagonoy, a member of theSSSAC, does not clearly identifythe killer as one of the membersof the BIAF. Even the allegationthat the firearm of Sagonoy isone of the 16 firearms that werereturned by the BIAF to the gov-ernment does not prove that thekiller of Sagonoy was a BIAFmember. The taking of the fire-arms is different from the act ofkilling. And as stated by the BIAFmembers, they took the fire-arms of the dead SSSACand

those who had been immobi-lized, but there was at least oneother group that had come intothe encounter site after the BIAFleft it at around 1400H. And itwas not until 1600H that the Cri-sis Team was successful in enter-ing the encounter sight. Therewas a good two (2) hours whenthe other armed group, i.e., theBIFF, was able to get into theencounter site and may havecommitted the despicable act.

2. As to the liabilityofPNP•SAF

The MlLF should file a pro-test regarding the violation ofthe ceasefire by the PNP SAF.The coordination that is re-quired under the OperationalGuidelines was not undertakenby the GPH. Without the coor-dination, the gun battle was in-evitable when the two armedgroups crossed paths, especiallyafter the BIAF was fired upon bythe PNP-SAF. Furthermore,there should be investigation todetermine the liability of P02Christopher Lalan of the PNP-SAF SSSAC, who killed four (4)combatants of the MILF whilethe latter were sleeping inside amakeshift mosque in BarangayTukanalipao, Mamasapano atpast 1300H on January 26, 2015.Under international law, theMILF men would be consideredhors de combat as they were notin a position to make an assaulton P02 Lalan. Protocol Addi-tional to the Geneva Conven-tions of 12 August 1944, and re-lating to the Protection of Vic-tims of International ArmedConflicts (Protocol I), 8 June1977, provides:

Article 4.Safeguard of anenemy hors de combat

1. A person who is recog-nized or who, in the circum-stances, should be recognized tobe 'hors de combat' shall not bemade the object of attack.

2. Aperson is 'hors de com-bat' if:

(a) he is in the power of anadverse Party;

(b) he clearly expresses anintention to surrender; or

(c) he has been renderedunconscious or is otherwise in-capacitated by wounds or sick-ness, and therefore is incapableof defending himself:

provided that in any ofthese cases he abstains from anyhostile act and does not attemptto escape.[Underscoring sup-plied]

In addition, P02 Lalankilled a civilian, MohammadAmbilang, who was unarmedand who had said so and put uphis hands in the air to show suchfact. Despite this, he was showand killed by P02 Lalan, an un-justified act that would put thisin the ambit of violation of In-ternational Humanitarian Law.

3. As to the weapons andpersonal effects of PNP-SAFwho were killed inencounter

While the taking of warbooties is justified in interna-tional law, in the interest ofpeace, these were returned tothe Government of the Philip-pines. It should also be notedthat other armed groups andordinary civilians also took thefirearms and other personal ef-fects of the killed SAF. Hence, theMILF can only return those thatwere taken by its combatants.

4. As to the issues and vio-lations to the GPH - MILFCeasefire Agreement and theImplementing Guidelines of theAd Hoc Joint Action Group

The PNP SAF violated theGPH - MILF Ceasefire Agree-ment and the ImplementingGuidelines of AHJAG as it didnot coordinate the operationsthrough the established proto-

cols of the ceasefire mecha-nisms. If only the ceasefiremechanisms were accorded thenecessary coordination in thisoperation, this unfortunate andtragic encounter could not havehappen and the primacy of thepeace process between the GPHand MILF safeguarded.

The BIAF - MILF forceswere categorized as enemyforces by the PNPSAV' despitethe fact that there is an existingceasefire agreement and thesigning of the GPH - MILF Com-prehensive Agreement on theBansamoro (CAB).

5. As to IHL and humanrights Violations, committed bythe PNP-SAF

The PNP-SAF committedHuman Rights violations. P02Christopher Lalan committedhuman rights violation when hekilled the four (4) MILF menwhen they were asleep insidethe langgal who were in no po-sition to defend themselves. Heshould likewise be held ac-countable for killing

Mohammad Ambilang, acivilian who has clearly shownno aggression as he in fact raisedhis hands and made known thathe is a civilian. The injury sus-tained by Ambilang in the backindicated that the killing was at-tended by qualifying circum-stances that aggravated the ac-tions of P02 Lalan.

The PNP-SAF must also beheld accountable for the deathof Badrudin Langalen whosedead body was found inside theposition of the 55SAC blockingforce in Sitio Amilil,Tukanalipao, Mamasapano.The same accountability mustbe sought for the 8-year-old Sa-rah Tot.VII. AVII. AVII. AVII. AVII. ACTION POINTCTION POINTCTION POINTCTION POINTCTION POINTSSSSSFORFORFORFORFORTHE MILF LEADERSHIPTHE MILF LEADERSHIPTHE MILF LEADERSHIPTHE MILF LEADERSHIPTHE MILF LEADERSHIP

1. Failure ofintelligence inthe 10SBC and H8BC areas ofresponsibility.

Operationally, the 105BCand the 118BC cover, amongothers, the municipality ofMamasapano. As regular basecommands, these structures in-clude appropriate intelligenceunits designed to gather andclassify information. Informa-tion gathering is vital to the op-eration of the Base Commandsand the BIAF, as a whole. Fur-ther, information is vital in theoperations of the force, whetherin times of peace or war. TheCommission notes with con-cern the glaring failure of intel-ligence on the two Base Com-mands both in their failure tointercept and monitor the entryfor Marwan and Usman in thearea near the communities ofthe MILF. While it is true that thehouses occupied by Marwanand Usman are in BarangayPembalkan, Mamasapano,some three (3) kilometers awayfrom the MILF communities,agood intelligence operationshould have enabled these BaseCommands to detect and reportthe presence of Usman andMarwan to the

BIAF Command. The laxityexhibited by the two Base Com-mands, perhaps influenced bythe over confidence in the rela-tive peace obtaining in theircommunities brought about bythe ceasefire agreement withthe overnment and the signingof the CAB, should not go unno-ticed. This attitude should notbe tolerated. The Commissiontherefore recommends that theleadership imposes appropriatedisciplinary action against theerring officials of the 105 BC andthe 118 Bc.

The same failure of intelli-gence is true with respect to theentry of the more or less 300

PNP-SAF into the MILF Com-munity in BarangayTukanalipao. Ideally, everymovement of governmentforces and other armed groupsin MILF communities must bemonitored and correspond-ingly reported. The failure of in-telligence in the case of the Janu-ary 25, 2015 incident inMamasapano resulted in thedeaths of 17 MILF combatantsand three (3) civilians, the injuryof the 25 MILF combatants aswell as the injury of four (4)civilians.3Appropriate sanctionis recommended.

2. On the need to transitionthe relationship ofthe BIAF andthe AFP/PNP from preventionof hostilities to greater partner-ship and cooperation.

The CCCH and the AHJAGare mechanisms created by theParties during the course of thepeace negotiations but prior tothe signing of the Comprehen-sive Agreement on theBangsamoro (CAB). The CCCHwas established through the"Implementing AdministrativeGuidelines of the

GRP-MILF Agreement onthe General Cessation of Hostili-ties “signed on 12 September1997 to enforce the agreementof the parties on the cessation ofhostilities and to prevent theoccurrence of violence betweenthe armed forces of the parties.The AHJAG was createdthrough the Joint CommuniquéBetween the Government of theRepublic of the Philippines andthe Moro Islamic LiberationFront signed on May 6, 2002 inCyberjaya, Malaysia. TheAHJAG is designed to work intandem with the CCCH for theisolation and interdiction ofcriminals operating in MILF ar-eas. The AHJAG required theparties to undertake joint ac-tions. Under the CAB and theAnnex on Normalization. newmechanisms meant to redefinethe new relationship of the par-ties were created. Post-CAB andunder the Annex on Normaliza-tion the following mechanismswere envisioned to effect greatercooperation in addressing secu-rity challenges, such as the JointNormalization Committee(JNC), Joint Peace and SecurityCommittee (JPSC) and the JointPeace and Security Teams(JPSTs). Post CAB, note that themechanisms, not just the ac-tions. are joint. A new level ofpartnership on security issought to be established by theoperationalization of thesemechanisms.

In view of the foregoing, theCommission recommends tothe leadership that measures beimmediately undertaken so thatthe new security mechanismsbe immediately put in place.The MILF leadership must di-rect its Peace Panels and its rep-resentatives in the JNC to con-vene with their respective coun-terparts from government totake immediate steps tooperationalize the Joint Peaceand Security Teams so that itmay properly perform its func-tions and thereby establish anew relationship between theBIAF and the Security Forces ofthe GPH.

3. The case of MalWan andBasit Usman

The hut where Marwanwas found and killed on January25. 2015 is situated in BarangayPembalkan, Mamasapano. It isaround three (3) kilometersfrom Barangay Tukanalipaowhere the MILF combatants arebased and where the BIAF en-countered the 55SAC. The hut ismade of light materials anditsfloor area measures 8x12 feet.

This kind of house is referred toby the locals as "dal'san" - aplace for temporary stay used byfarmers as temporary restingplace for the day while they areworking on their farm lots. Thishut used to be the dal'san ofUstadz Baguindali, a member ofthe BlAF who died in 2008. Thehut where Basit Usman stayedis located some 119 meters fromthe hut where Marwan wasfound and killed. The two hutsare surrounded by corn farmsand banana trees and isolatedfrom the other houses inPembalkan. BarangayPembalkan is not an MILF con-trolled area and in fact, the areais frequented by elements of theBIFF and the forces ofMohammad Ali Tambako, abreakaway group of the BIFF.Also, during the wet season, thisarea is often inaccessible as theLiguasan Marsh expands andinundates this area. Farming isconducive only during the dryseason.

According to the civilian-residents interviewed by theCommission, the person livingin the hut where Marwan wasfound and killed introducedhimself as "Madz." The resi-dents of this Sitio never knew theperson livin in the hut wasMarwan.

During the ocular inspec-tion, the Commission foundthat there were very few bulletholes on the wall of the hutwhere Marwan was found andkilled. The trajectory of the bul-lets also indicate that the fatalshot did not come from theshots fired outside the house asthe bullet holes are roughly 18inches above the floor. If theshots were fired while Marwanwas lying down, he could nothave been hit while if he wasstanding and engaged the ele-ments of the SAF in a firefight,the injuries sustained shouldhave been at his lower body andnot on the chest. There are alsono bullet holes on the floor of thehut. In all likelihood, the fatalshot must have been fired atclose range and while Marwanwas lying on the floor.

In the immediate vicinityof the hut, there are no indica-tions of bomb explosion as thereare no craters on the groundaround the hut. Neither is thereindication of an intense firefightin or around the hut.

The sparse provision insidethe hut and the thick vegetationgrowth (weeds) in the immedi-ate surroundings of the hut in-dicate the occupants have justrecently occupied the hut.

The 84SAF encounteredthe BIFF on their withdrawaland intense fighting occurred inan area in about 927 metersfrom the hut where Marwanwas found and killed. Informa-tions indicate that Marwan wasburied by the forces ofMohammad Ali Tambakoaround the areas of BarangaysPembalkan and Dasikil, knownlairs of the BIFF and the forcesof Mohammad Ali Tambako.

The MILF in 200S, pursuedwith renewed vigor the policy ofcleansing its camps and com-munities of individuals with ter-rorist tag. The policy remainsuntil today. Measures, howeversuch as spot checks by the lead-ership must continue to be un-dertaken to ensure that none inthe rank and file of the BIAF li-aise with terrorist. It is recom-mended to the leadership thatthe General Staff of the BIAF putin place additional measures toensure that the policy laid downin 200S in regard to terrorist arevigorously carried out in all theircamps and communities.

FULL TEXT OF MILF SPECIAL INVESTIGATIVE COMMISSION (SIC) REPORT ON THE MAMASAPANO INCIDENT

Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 20156 The Mindanao Examiner

IMT members with Sulu Vice Gov. Sakur Tan. (Photo by Ahl-franzie Salinas)

Globe Telecom launches ‘GlobeMedia Excellence Awards 2015’ZAMBOANGA CITY –Globe Telecom, the Philip-pines’ largest and majorprovider of telecommuni-cations services, haslaunched “Globe MediaExcellence Awards 2015”for print, broadcast andonline media as part of itsadvocacy and to encour-age media excellence andrecognize journalists whoare breaking new groundsin their field.

Executives from GlobeTelecom led by MarigoldEndriga and LouiseAntoniette San Antonio ar-rived in Zamboanga Citywith Doris Mongaya andShaira Cutamora, ofPRWorks Inc, their co-or-ganizer for GMEA 2015,and met with local journal-ists and editors and pub-lishers and briefed themabout the much awaitedannual event.

Cutamora said theGMEA 2015 has three cat-egories – Print: Reporter ofthe Year; Investigative/Ex-planatory Story of the Year;Columnist of the Year andPhoto Journalist of theYear. For Broadcast: Re-porter of the Year for Radio;Reporter of the Year forTelevision; and Investiga-tive/Explanatory Story ofthe Year for Television. Andalso Online: Blogger of theYear and Social Media Ad-vocate of the Year.

She said there will bethree nominees per cat-egory per area. She said forMindanao areas – Cagayande Oro, Davao, GeneralSantos and Zamboangacities, the deadline for sub-mission of entries is onJune 30, 2015. Entries maybe submitted to: Globe Me-

dia Excellence Awards c/oJambie del Rosario, 7thFloor, Abreeza CorporateCenter, J.P. Laurel Avenuein Davao City.

She said there will be arecognition night for thenominees in GeneralSantos, Zamboanga andCagayan de Oro prior theawarding event in Davaofor Mindanao and this willalso be attended by theScreening Committee andJudges per area. Winnerswill be flown to Davao forthe Awarding on Septem-ber 24 this year.

Cutamora said all en-tries for the GMEA 2015shall explore and advocateany or a combination ofthe following areas of con-cern: Business and Entre-preneurship, Informationand Communication Tech-nology, Environment andDisaster Response, Gover-nance and Social Progressand Youth and Education.

She said a major con-sideration will be the socialimpact or a piece or bodyof journalistic work.

A maximum of six en-tries may be submitted forPrint and Broadcast Cat-egories; and ten for Online.Entries must be submittedin both hard (printed page)and soft (PDF saved in CD,with URLs for Bloggers/So-cial Media) copies. En-trants writing/reporting inBisaya, Hiligaynon,Chavacano, and othersshall be required to have anEnglish translation of thearticles or reports for thebenefit of judges who arenot proficient in the locallanguage, according toCutamora.

She said in case of

lengthy investigative or ex-planatory reports, the en-trant should have an En-glish summary that shouldinclude the unique high-lights and points. Sheadded that entrants are re-quired to attach referenceson their entry’s social im-pact and this may includescreenshots of social me-dia discussions and shares;references to subsequentreports and commentaries(print, radio, and blogs)arising from the entry; ac-tions by government offi-cials, civil society, and/orordinary citizens; amongother proofs of social im-pact.

Prizes and awardsrange from P5,000 toP20,000, including tro-phies and plaques for thewinners. There will be apanel of judges for Visayasand Mindanao and eachpanel will have sevenmembers coming from thefollowing sectors – govern-ment, nongovernmentalorganization, business, IT,media, academe and theChurch.

Organizers said entryforms can be downloadedfrom globe.com.ph/meawards and those inter-ested may also call GlobeTelecom at telephonenumber (032) 416-7159 oremail them atglobecmea@gmail.com.

For its part, GlobeTelecom said it recognizesthe importance of develop-ing local languages tostrengthen the nationalidentity even as Filipinoskeep the edge in Englishproficiency during this ageof information. (MindanaoExaminer)

IMT visits Sulu, praises local officialsfor huge support to peace processSULU – Members of theMalaysia-led Interna-tional (Ceasefire) Moni-toring Team visited thesouthern Filipino prov-ince of Sulu to pay theirrespect and courtesy tothe local provincial offi-cials.

The IMT Batch 10,headed by Maj. Gen.Datu Sheik Mouhsin binSheikh Hassan, of theRoyal Malaysia Army,met with Vice Gov. SakurTan and thanked him forthe support of the provin-cial government to thepeace process.

Among those in thegroup of the Malaysiangeneral were Col.Mohammad Radzi bin

Abdulhamid (Royal Ma-laysia Army), Col. WanAmir Zaki bin WanHassan (Royal MalaysiaAir Force), Maj.Baharuddin (IndonesiaArmy), Supt. Azhar binSepawi (Royal MalasiaPolice), Deputy Supt.Mohammad Hafidz binAbubakar (Royal Malay-sia Police), Capt.Mohammad Azman binHadji Kamaruddin (RoyalMalaysia Police) and Sgt.Kamaruddin bin Yusof(Royal Malaysia Army).They were also accompa-nied by local army offi-cials.

Vice Gov. Tanthanked the IMT, whichis based in Cotabato City

near Maguindanao prov-ince on Mindanao Is-land, for visiting Sulu.The official also ex-changed gifts with theIMT commander.

The visiting soldiersalso toured the local mu-seum and were impressedby the colorful and richhistory between Sulu andMalaysia during the reignof the Sultanate of Suluand North Borneo.

Vice Gov. Tan re-newed his support to thepeace process andpraised Malaysia andother member countriesin the IMT for their com-mitment to bring peace insouthern Philippines.(Ahl-franzie Salinas)

The IMT Batch 10, headed by Maj. Gen. Datu Sheik Mouhsin bin Sheikh Hassan, of the RoyalMalaysia Army, with Vice Gov. Sakur Tan.(Photo by Ahl-franzie Salinas)

The Mindanao Examiner 7Mar. 30-Apr. 5, 2015

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Troops embrace Jesus Miracle Crusade International MinistryBrother Danny Cuarteros of the Jesus Miracle Crusade

ISABELA PROVINCE – Itwas a glorifying experi-ence indeed for army sol-diers, who, despite theirlife and death mission tokeep peace alive and pro-tect democracy, havemanaged to give much oftheir time to reflect andthanked the Jesus MiracleCrusade InternationalMinistry for bringing thewords and love of God totheir camp in SanMariano town in thenorthern Filipino prov-ince of Isabela.

In celebration of their19th church anniversary,members of theTuguegarao OutreachStation of the JesusMiracle Crusade Interna-tional Ministry, broughtenlightenment and faithto the headquarters of the86th Infantry “High-lander” Battalion inAlibadabad village.

Members of the armybattalion patiently waitedfor the Bible-bearing menand women – all clothed

in white and blue – of theJesus Miracle Crusade In-ternational Ministry.

The much encounterbetween soldiers andpreachers of God startedwith songs of joyfulpraises with a youthfuland followed by solemnsongs glorifying JesusChrist – the Lord and Sav-ior of Christians, a greatprophet of Muslims, andone the best philosophersamong the unbelievers.

The tiger-faced sol-diers listened intently tothe miracles that hap-pened in the lives of aformer battered wife – Sis-ter Rose Balisi, who was inthe past endured beingbeaten up regularly by heralcoholic husband,whose life turned aroundfor good after they werebaptized in water. And therags-to-riches story ofdirt-poor impulsive gam-bler Brother KamshyGabuyo, who stole moneyfrom his wife that wantedhim dead, and is now will-

ing to pay for it.And also the heart-

touching story of BrotherDanny Austria, a scion ofa wealthy family who wasable to put a stop to hisdrug addiction, and hisfamily’s unthinkable en-try into the United States.Also the near-death expe-rience of Brother IsmaelManaoat, a former dis-tributor of wines and li-quor; and BrotherRolando Danao, alias KaWilly, a former member ofthe communist rebelgroup New People’s Army,who testified – in thename of God – that for theone whole year in the

SUPPORT PEACEIN MINDANAO

Southshield Soccer Team Rules78th Araw ng Dabaw Bootfest

The players of the Southshield soccer team and their coaches Greg Napuran (right) and JianJun Yu (left) that recently won the nine and under and 10 and under divisions of the 78th Arawng Dabaw bootfest at Tionko Football field in Davao City.

DAVAO CITY – TheSouthshield soccer teamdominated the recently con-cluded 78th Araw ng Dabawfootball tournament at theTionko Football field here.

The Southshield soccerteam members are studentsof Southpoint School whowon the nine and under and10, and under divisions ofthe annual football tourna-ment.

The nine and underteam of the Maa-basedschool is composed of BobBenedict Braceros, KarlSumampong, Charles KennChiu, Andrei JoshuaGuingguing, RhyanGabrielle Jamisola Dordas,Kristoff Madrid, DevonKierulf and Zyk Lopez whobeat Anak Bansalan 1-0 towin the championship.

The team coached by

former University ofMindanao goalie GregNapuran won the crownwithout any defeat due to thestrong effort of the team andmost valuable player KarlSumampong.

The 10 and under teamcoached by Pagadian Citynative Jian Jun Yu and led byAdrian Elarmo, AlexisTabada, Aaron Pelonio andRian Mendoza, won thechampionship after beatingAnak Bansalan in the Finalsvia a thrilling penalty shoot-out 2-0.

Alexis Tabada, a mem-ber of the Davao City 12 andunder team, was declared asmost valuable player in thedivision after scoring thegame winning looping goalsin the penalty shoot-out.

Meanwhile, the sevenand under team of

Southshield lead by JianMatthew Goyonan and YuanJakob Guingguing took thesecond place behind cham-pion Hyenas in the sametournament.

The 12 and under divi-sion of Southshield coachedby Angelo John Adanaplaced fourth in the tourna-ment. With their successfulAraw ng Dabaw campaign,Southshield now hopes toget the championship crownat the Del Monte Cup foot-ball tournament inBukidnon province on April9 and 10. (Bobbie Braceros)

armed group, he killedmore than 20 people, andabandoned this evil deedafter being convinced toserve the Lord Jesus andbaptized at the JesusMiracle Crusade inTuguegarao City.

For the soldiers, thetestimonies of those whospoke before them weresincere as they narratedtheir stories that touchedthe emotions and heartsof the uniformed men andeventually surrendered tothe will of God.

For Colonel Jose Real,the battalion com-mander, the presence ofJesus Miracle Crusade In-

ternational Ministrybrought miracles throughthe power of God. He alsotestified that ever since heassumed command earlylast year and permittedthe Jesus Miracle CrusadeInternational Ministry toregularly conduct Biblestudies and praise wor-ship services, his unit mi-raculously suffered no ca-sualties in armed clasheswith New People’s Armyrebels.

As Jesus Miracle Cru-sade International Minis-try founder Pastor WildeEstrada Almeda alwayssay: “Miracles are eventsthat happen which are

difficult to explain andtherefore unbelievable.But we just have to believebecause these happenedbecause of our livingGod’s will.”

It was also PastorAlmeda who led a dozen“prayer warriors” to a mi-raculous journey andmission of 100-days offasting and prayers thatvictoriously convincedthe terrorist group AbuSayyaf to release the 21Sipadan hostages inTalipao town in Suluprovince in 2000. And thevictorious peace missionis related in vivid detail inthe book, “Miracles inMoroland” written byAmerican professor Dr.Sam Smith.

For his part, JesusMiracle Crusade Interna-tional Ministry MinisterLuke Smith, brother of Dr.Sam Smith, proudly re-lated that Americans takepride in honoring soldiersbecause they chose to risktheir lives to protect theAmerican people. He thentold a story about howGeorge Washington, thefirst President of theUnited States of America,led his army to victory byextolling them to trustGod which led to theprinting of the phrase “InGod We Trust” in all U.S.dollar bills.

Minister Luke Smithand his beloved wife Sis-ter Annaliza Almeda-Smith, assisted by BrotherDanny Cuarteros, andthen asked the soldiers to“surrender their lives” tothe Living God and getbaptized in water in thename of Jesus Christ.

“As a response to thecall, the officers and menof the Highlander battal-ion humbly raised theirhands in surrender. Theythen joined the JesusMiracle Crusade Interna-tional Ministry peace cru-saders in jumping to joy-ful songs and joined themin a traditional militaryboodle fight. It was in-deed a sight to behold,”said Brother Cuarteros,who was also among theprayer warriors that jour-neyed with Pastor Almedain Sulu to free the Sipadanhostages. (With a reportfrom Mindanao Examiner– Manila Bureau)

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Bogo City among 2015UN Sasakawa winners

ogo City has beenchosen as one of the33 winners of the2015 United Na-B

tions Sasakawa Award for Di-saster Reduction. The UN In-formation for Disaster Reduc-tion (UNIDR) announced thisduring the 3rd UN WorldConference on Disaster RiskReduction at the Sendai Inter-national Center in Sendai, Ja-pan recently.

All the 33 winners wererecognized for their outstand-ing contributions to disasterrisk reduction.

Bogo City's flagship pro-gram on Information Man-agement in Preparation forDisasters or “I.M Prepared”Program - a system of disas-ter preparedness measuresthat starts with the family -wins the Sasakawa recogni-tion.

Bogo Mayor CelestinoMartinez Jr. said the “I.M. Pre-pared” program aims tochange the mindset of thepeople from reactive to pro-active and it encompasses be-yond government’s existingmechanisms in addressingpreparedness issues down tothe family level throughbaseline data, family interac-tion and drills, capacity build-ing, barangay informationand education drive inschools.

Martinez said a ready lo-cal government unit can onlybe achieved if the families areready as well while they de-serve the best service from thegovernment. He said most lo-cal governments invest moreon expensive equipment and

training for rescue teams, butundermine the basic and es-sential disaster risk reductionmanagement service which isfamily preparedness.

Martinez claimed that noone should be exposed to haz-ards. "If you prioritize on disas-ter risk reduction and manage-ment response alone, it is tan-tamount to saying that oneshould first be carried away byflood water or screaming forhelp before the government canserve you," he said.

He said another advantageof family preparedness is thatthe local government can maxi-mize its resources efficiently.The four-strong SasakawaAward jury used a criteria to se-lect the final short-list of nomi-nees, assessing how influential,extensive or encompassing,permanent and innovative thenominees actions are.

The winning SasakawaLaureatte Allan Lavel, is a disas-ter risk researcher and consult-ant based in Costa Rica. Bornin Britain, but based in theAmericas for most of his career,Lavel is a highly respected re-searcher and practitioner in di-saster risk reduction. His workspans four decades, adopting amulti-disciplinary and holisticapproach. He has also authoreda number of publications andhas presented papers in 42 dif-ferent countries.

Lavel on the other hand,has pledged his commitment tocoordinate with the City of Bogoand the province of Cebuthrough Governor HilarioDavide Jr. for possible develop-ment and replicating the Bogodisaster risk reduction and

management practice in otherlocal governments. TheSasakawa Award attracted 88nominations from 44 countries,including the Philippines,which placed its official bet onAlbay province. Bogo’s ‘I.M Pre-pared” program has beenhailed as one of the best prac-tices in disaster risk reductionand management by the De-partment of Interior and LocalGovernment which also nomi-nated Bogo to the SasakawaAward.

Because of Bogo's com-mitment to disaster risk reduc-tion and management, the De-partment of Science andTeccnology said it would do-nate a hybrid monitoring sys-tem while the Philippine Insti-tute of Volcanology and Seis-mology said it would also set upa state-of-the-art, solar-pow-ered earthquake monitoringsystem that allows the trans-missions of data every micro-second. Ben FrederickRodriguez, Bogo City’s local di-saster risk reduction and man-agement officer, has beentrained on weather forecastingand the Fleet Numerical Meteo-rology and Oceanography Cen-ter by the Philippine Atmo-spheric, Geophysical and As-tronomical Services Adminis-tration.

Bogo is currently formulat-ing its localized weather fore-cast in Cebuano under the su-pervision of Philippine Atmo-spheric, Geophysical and As-tronomical Services Adminis-tration. It is the only local gov-ernment in the Visayas capableof such. (Fayette Riñen, BogoCity)

Cebu’s cassava livelihood projectin Camotes Island is approved

he RegionalProject AdvisoryBoard (RPAB) hasapproved Cebu’sT

proposed P1-million smalllivelihood project for SanFrancisco on Camotes Is-land.

It said the fundingwould come from WorldBank under the PhilippineRural Development Pro-gram (PRDP) of the Aquinogovernment through theDepartment of Agriculture(DA). Estella Rodriguez,PRDP provincial manage-ment project officer, saidthe project was approvedwith minor revisions afterthe RPAB review recently.She said the approval wenton as expected because

some of the documentaryrequirements were waivedto accommodate the needof the typhoon Yolanda-stricken areas.

“The funds would beavailable in three monthstime,” she said. The CassavaProduction and MarketingProject covers 32 hectaresof cassava plantation in SanFrancisco town. Its propo-nent is the Camotes Multi-Purpose Cooperative whichis accredited by the Coop-erative Development Au-thority two years ago.

The cooperative willshoulder 20% of the totalproject cost as counterpart,while the Capitol will con-tribute 20% of the remain-ing 80% of the cost as re-

quired under the agree-ment. This livelihood sub-project is part of the In-vestment for Rural Enter-prises and Agriculturaland Fisheries Productivity(I-REAP) component ofPRDP.

Victor Geralde, headof Capitol’s I-REAP Unit,said Camotes is the topproducing area of Cassavain Cebu. “Camotes Islandproduced more than halfof the two thousand tonsof locally-produced Cas-sava,” he said. At least P7million is allotted by theCapitol this year as coun-terpart of identified liveli-hood projects for PRDPfunding. (RMN, CebuGovernment)

The Comelec has approved Resolution No. 9934 on March 24 for the re-scheduling of theelection period for the April 25, 2015 SK polls. The new resolution further stated that the newelection period will be from April 10 to May 10. (Cebu City Pio)

Pagmugna og trabaho ug pagpakunhod sa inflation rate, mas hingosgan pa sa gobyerno

Color-coded storm-surgewarning, gamiton na sa PAGASA

as hingosganpa sagobyerno angpagmugna ogM

dugang trabaho ug angpagpakunhod sa inflationrate sa nasud sa nahabilingtermino sa administrasyonni Presidente BenignoAquino.

Kini ang giseguro ni

Presidential Communica-tions Operations OfficerSonny Coloma, Jr. humanmigawas ang resulta sa PulseAsia survey nga nag-ingon`gmayorya sa mga Pilipino angdismayado sa pagtubag sagobyerno sa mga problema sanasud.

“In the next 15 months,the administration will inten-

sify efforts at job creationwhile maintaining fiscal dis-cipline in order to rein in in-flation. Good governance isimperative in achieving inclu-sive growth,” matud pa niColoma. Matud pa sa Kalihimnga adunay tukmangmekanismo ang gobyernoaron pagsiguro sa pagmugnaog dugang trabaho taliwala pa

gihapon sa pagpatuman ogdisiplina ug madaginutongpaggamit sa pondo sakatawhan. Gipasabot pa niColoma nga ang maayongpagdumala pa gihapon angmahinungdanong giya sapagkab-ot sa inclusivegrowth. Giingon`g doblehonpa sa gobyerno angpagpaningkamot sa

nahabiling panahon satermino sa administrasyongAquino aron matubag angpanginahanglan ug interes sakatawhan. Mao kini angpasalig sa Palasyo kalabotgihapon sa nahisgotang sur-vey diin ang paghimo ogaksiyon batok sa inflation rate,hangyo nga dugang suholanug pagbatok sa korapsiyon

ang tulo ka nag-unang con-cern o gikabalak-an sapubliko. Base sa maong sur-vey, mikabat sa 46% angangay nga paghimo ogaksiyon batok sa inflation,44% alang sa umento sasuholan ug 40% gikan sakanhi 36% alang sapagbatok sa korapsiyon.(ECB)

apil na sa PhilippineAtmospheric Geo-physical and Astro-nomical ServicesI

Administration (PAGASA)sa ilang mga forecast ugbulletins ang color-codedwarning alang sa mgastorm surge.

Matud pa ni CeciliaMonteverde, Officer-in-Charge sa Hydrometeorol-

ogy Tropical Meteorology In-strument Research and De-velopment station saPAGASA, ang color nga greennagpasabot nga walay alertoug dili kinahanglang mo-evacuatet.

Ang yellow nagpasabotnga alerto o magbantaytungod sa posibleng stormsurge, samtang ang orange okahil nagpasabot nga

posibleng adunay stormsurge ug gi-aghat ang mgaresidente nga mahimongmaapektuhan nga mobakwitna.

Ang red nga warningusab ang nangahologan og“take action” nga nagpasabotnga kinahanglan nangmobakwit ang tanan tungodsa dakung hulga sa kinabuhisa tawo. (ECB)

ng PhilippineCoconut Au-thority (PCA)magmugna ogA

multi-sectoral advisorycouncil nga mohimo ogrekomendasyon saimplementasyon niPresidente BenignoAquino og duha ka ex-ecutive orders kalabot sagi-planong privatizationsa coco levy assets.

Matud pa ni Presi-dential CommunicationsOperations OfficeRSonny Coloma, Jr. nga

nakakuha siya ogpamahayag gikan ni Presi-dential Assistant for FoodSecurity and AgriculturalModernization FrancisPangilinan, kinsa miingonnga ang PCA motubag samga kabalaka sa mga mag-uuma.

Gikataho nga daghangcoconut farmer organiza-tions ang ni-kuwestiyon samga bag-ong executive or-ders nga gipagawas saPresidente diin matud panga ang maong mgamando wala misubay sa

nahisgotan sa niagingkonsultasyon ug may mgapangutana ang mga mag-uuma sa planongprivatization sa coco levyassets.

Sa niaging semana,gipagawas ni Aquino angExecutive Orders 179 ug180 kalabot sa inventory ugprivatization sa coco levyassets. Ang maong mandonagtakda usab ogsumbanan o guidelinesalang sa reconveyance ugsa paggamit sa coco levyassets. (MBCN)

PCA, magmugna og multi-sectoral advisorycouncil nga motuki sa coco levy assets