October 17, 2020, Camp Bautista, Jolo, Sulu – Amidst the bad weather being experienced in Sulu Sea for the past two days, the Naval Task Group Sulu rescued five (5) individuals at about 7:40 AM today after their motorized boat capsized last October 16 in Patikul waters.
Heeding to the report of municipal officials of Patikul, Sulu wherein one (1) motorized boat with marking “FV OK LNG” had capsized in Patikul waters due to bad weather last October 16, 2020, the Naval Task Group Sulu under the Command of Col Ruben B Candelario PN (M) immediately dispatched its Multi-Purpose Attack Craft (MPAC) BA 493 to conduct search and rescue operations in the general vicinity of the Sulu Sea. After almost seventeen (17) hours of search operations to rescue the six (6) passengers of the ill-fated boat, naval personnel of NTG Sulu were able to save five (5) passengers at the vicinity of Bacungan and Panganaa islands of Brgy Bonbon, Patikul, Sulu.
“We were able to rescue 5 adult males from Brgy Tanjung, Indanan, Sulu namely, Kaisar Pulalon, Judimar Pulalon, Alvin Pulalon, Rene Pulanon, and Alnaser Hadjirul. They were directly brought to the nearest wharf in Brgy Tando Batu, Luuk for immediate medical care by the Rural Health Unit of said municipality. We are still searching for Arman Pulalon, the last remaining passenger. These individuals are local fishermen from Indanan, Sulu who came to Patikul waters amid heavy rains to fish.” said Col Candelario.
“I commend the personnel of NTG Sulu/4th Marine Brigade for the successful search and rescue operations. In close coordination with the LGUs of Patikul and Luuk, we are still searching for the last remaining fisherman in the coastal waters of both municipalities. I have high hopes that Arman Pulalon will survive the tragedy. The naval assets of Joint Task Force Sulu under the direct control and supervision of Naval Task Group Sulu are still on dispatch for search and rescue operations.” said MGen William N Gonzales, the Commander of Joint Task Force Sulu.
“As part of our mandate in securing the people of Sulu province, we are capable of conducting Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief or HADR operations utilizing all of our Naval, Air, and Ground assets. The JTF Sulu is always ready to serve, save lives, and protect properties.” MGen Gonzales added.
#AFPyoucanTRUST#supportourtroops
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AFP CHIEF A BIGOT AND ISLAMOPHOBE: CPP
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) stands in solidarity with the Moro people in denouncing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Gilbert Gapay’s allegation that madaris are being used “to recruit suicide bombers.”
“Gapay displays fascist bigotry and anti-Muslim chauvinism for baselessly associating the Islamic madrasah or school (“madaris” is the plural form) with ‘radicalization’ and ‘terrorism.’ This stunning accusation reveals the AFP’s deep-seated religious prejudice against Muslims and the Moro people,” CPP argued.
The AFP’s plan to investigate Moro students is utterly discriminatory and incites religious intolerance, hatred and Islamophobia, the party explained.
It comes at a time when a newly-minted Duterte fanatic at the House of Representatives who masquerades as a youth representative seeks to investigate colleges and universities alleged to be the centers for the recruitment of New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas, as what the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) has been perorating about for years.
“This program is clearly part of the regime’s continuing campaign of suppression against the Moro people’s struggle for genuine self-determination in order to rob them of their ancestral lands and rich natural resources, similar to what has been done in Marawi,” CPP pointed out.
By falsely accusing the madaris of being hubs for “suicide bombers,” Gapay is only repeating the “fascist regime’s baseless accusation against Lumad schools being a ‘training ground for New People’s Army (NPA) fighters’ that became the excuse to attack communities of indigenous people (IP) sand pave the way for aggression into Lumad ancestral land.”
The attack on madrasas is just one facet of the Anti-Terrorism Law (ATL) that is now being invoked to suppress religious freedom on the basis of allegations that flutter in the minds of corrupt Duterte military officials.
Without any proof, the AFP conjured a specter of “suicide bombers” and peddled this in its press releases in order to justify its plan to escalate aggression against Moros and pocket millions of pesos in intelligence funds, CPP concluded. (marvyn benaning)
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AMBUSHES IN SURIGAO DEL SUR, SAMAR FOLLOWED RULES OF WAR: CPP
Oct. 9 NPA clash with military in Bukidnon kills 4 soldiers, injures 3
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) has clarified that the recent ambushes mounted by the New People’s Army (NPA) in Surigao del Sur and Samar are well within international rules of war.
CPP issued the statement in response to the condemnation of the NPA tactical offensives by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Saturday, October 10, 2020.
“With all due respect, we take exception to CHR’s presumption that the attacks were ‘senseless violations on the right to life,'” the party stressed.
As this developed, the NPA in Bukidnon reported another clash with the military in Barangay Slaysayon, Quezon, Bukidnon at 11 a.m. on Friday, October 9, 2020, that killed four soldiers and injured three others.
Dereka Magtanggol, spokesperson of NPA-Bukidnon, said the NPA guerrillas deployed a command-detonated explosive (CDX) against the military unit operating on the area. Magtanggol reported that after the clash, the military bombed the barangay.
“The three ambushes referred to by the CHR were all aimed at military targets and are legitimate acts of war as stipulated in the Geneva Conventions,” CPP explained.
The October 4 encounter in Lianga, Surigao del Sur was against the Magahat-Bagani paramilitary backed up by the Philippine Army (PA) and acting as the implementor of attacks against indigenous communities hatched by the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC.)
Three armed paramilitary men were killed in the firefight, including its leader, Hawudon Jomar Bucales, who was accused of perpetrating the bloody Lianga massacre in 2015.
Investigations conducted by the NPA have determined that Bucales is the mastermind behind the 2015 massacre of civilians in the same town that killed two Manobo leaders and the head of an alternative school system for indigenous communities.
“The Magahat-Bagani is a tool used by the 3rd Infantry Battalion in combat and psywar operations,” CPP disclosed. (Marvyn Benaning)
The October 2 ambush in Lanuza town in the same province was against Private First Class (Pfc) Ariel Guinsod Maca, a member of the 36th Infantry Battalion (IB) who handled CAFGU recruitment in Barangay Pakwan and reportedly coerced Lumad residents to surrender as "NPA members."NPA-Northeast Mindanao spokesperson Sandara Sidlakan dismissed claims that Maca was tortured.
The ambush last October 7 in Jiabong town, Samar, was against local counterinsurgency police forces. "We are awaiting details from the local NPA command as regards reports that civilians were hurt in the action," CPP said.