Archive for March 12th, 2007
No Marines detailed at Comelec — spokesman
MANILA, Philippines — No Marine troops were detailed at the Commission on Elections (Comelec), a spokesman for the Philippine Marine Corps said Monday, amid reports its men did nothing to put out the fire that razed the building of the poll body in Manila over the weekend.
Marine troops were pulled out from the Comelec main headquarters in the historic district of Intramuros in January 2002 following the abolition of the Marine Guard Battalion, said Lieutenant Colonel Ariel Caculitan.
“The Philippine Marine Corps has no unit, not a single unit [deployed] to secure the facilities of the Comelec,” the Marine spokesman said.
The Comelec also did not request the Marines to secure its Manila offices in this election period, he added.
Manila fire marshal Senior Superintendent Pablito Cordeta on Sunday said Marines guarding the Comelec buildings would be asked why they failed to call firefighters when fire broke out.
Malacañang has ordered an investigation into the blaze as the Comelec gave assurances it would not affect the conduct of the May 14 mid-term elections. The fire destroyed documents and guns for security officers but did not affect documents needed for the upcoming polls.
The Comelec and the Department of National Defense signed a memorandum of understanding in October 2006, limiting the role of soldiers during elections to responding to “serious armed threats.”
The MoA was an offshoot of allegations of widespread cheating, allegedly involving the military, in the 2004 elections that saw President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo win a fresh six-year mandate.
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MILF briefly ‘holds’ gov’t troops in Lanao — general
MANILA, Philippines — Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters held troops from the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade for about two hours Sunday in Limba, Bayabao town, Lanao del Sur province, a military commander said.
The MILF, led by commander Mercury, disarmed the soldiers who had, themselves, earlier disarmed seven rebels who engaged the group of alleged bandit leader Dimaporo Masacal alias Delta Force in a firefight in Taluan village at around 3 a.m. Sunday, Major General Ben Mohammad Dolorfino, chairman of the Ad-Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), said.
“They [Army troops] were held by the MILF,” Dolorfino said in a phone interview.
Dolorfino said the Army troops, who had come from Marawi City, were not aware the MILF had operated against Masacal’s group earlier, prompting them to disarm the rebels.
But the general blamed the incident on the secessionists, saying the MILF is not allowed to hunt down wanted criminals and at most, can only set up a “blocking force.”
“What transpired yesterday was [due to] the overzealousness of the MILF,” the military commander said.
The MILF released the 16 Army men at around 6:30 p.m. after the AHJAG, the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH), and international ceasefire monitors interceded, Dolorfino said.
“We have ceasefire mechanisms so it was resolved peacefully,” he said.
Two of Masacal’s henchmen were killed in the encounter with MILF troops in Tulunan. Masacal, who is facing multiple murder charges, escaped, Dolorfino said.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu could not be reached on his mobile phone when sought for comment.
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Internal AFP probe clears Metro troops of electioneering
NCRCom working in Muslim communities
MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE) An internal investigation has cleared troops from the Armed Forces’ National Capital Region Command (NCRCom) of campaigning against leftist party-list groups, the Metro Manila military commander said Monday.
At the same time, the NCRCom began working on Muslim communities in the national capital region, holding a dialogue dubbed “Bridging Leadership.”
“We did not see any indication, based on the words of these witnesses, that there was electioneering,” Major General Ben Mohammad Dolorfino, NCRCom chief, told reporters.
Dolorfino said he submitted the investigation results to Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos earlier Monday.
The NCRCom staff judge advocate, Lieutenant Colonel Feliciano Loy, led the weeklong investigation that ended Saturday.
Investigators questioned around 100 residents in slum areas covered by the party-list group Gabriela’s complaint before the Comelec, Dolorfino said.
Gabriela accused the solider of harassing and threatening its members and of warning residents against voting for left-leaning party-list groups.
The militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan; New Patriotic Alliance) dismissed the NCRCom report as a “farce.”
“What evidence did they [NCRCom] evaluate? Whose testimonies? Residents, out of fear, will surely clear the soldiers before the military investigators,” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said in a text message.
Meanwhile, Dolorfino called the “Bridging Leadership” program was a “sister” program of the “Code” or community development program that saw 260 soldiers deployed to the depressed Metro Manila communities.
Code is the military’s “left-hand” approach in combating the communist insurgency, which involves community service and dialogues. Dolorfino said “Bridging Leadership” involves dialogues and not require additional troop deployment.
Dolorfino hosted a dialogue with the Muslim community in Taguig City on Monday with his police counterparts. He said similar dialogues are set in the cities of Caloocan, Quezon, Manila, Pasig, Parañaque and Taguig.
“This is our proactive effort…The bridging leadership concept is [for] lasting peace, [finding] solutions to problems, involving all stakeholders,” he said.
Asked if the dialogues with Muslim communities were meant to deny sanctuary to suspected terrorists, Dolorfino said: “It could be a result. Many aspects of community life are covered here, to make communities law abiding, peace-loving and productive, and supportive of the duly-constituted authority.”
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