Rumors of war sweep Lanao

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (BEN BALCE / Oct 18) – Residents of a Lanao town where major fighting started between government forces and secessionist rebels in 2000 are bracing for a rebel offensive after the month of Ramadan.

Mayor Jackmar Maruhom of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte, told his constituents to "get ready for an emergency" after Oct. 24, the end of Ramadan.

"Public schools in elementary and high schools will be the venue for evacuation centers as one the contingency plans of the local government," Maruhom said on Tuesday.

Maruhom said the reported attacks would come from the two MILF camps in the towns of Munai and Poona-piagapo also in Lanao del Norte.

MILF fighters based in Munai under a Commander Bravo reportedly have been given the mission of taking over Kauswagan in a repeat of the 2000 hostilities.

Kauswagan was retaken at the cost of scores of soldiers killed.

The Army’s 4th Infantry Division based here declined to comment on the reported threat.

In a press conference Monday, Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz quoted intelligence reports as saying MILF fighters are converging in the hinterlands of Lanao del Norte.

But the rebels could just be gathering for consultations on the peace talks between the MILF and government.

The peace talks in Kuala Lumpur have been suspended over a deadlock on the coverage of a proposed "ancestral homeland" for Muslims.

Dr. Safrullah Dipatuan, vice chairman of the Bangsamoro Development Authority and a member of the MILF peace panel, said there was no order from the MILF leadership for the movement of troops.

"It’s only order is to prepare the MILF ranks for any untoward incident within their respective camps, meaning defensive positions," Dipatuan said.

Dipatuan said that if ever there are some movements of MILF troops, they should go back to their camps and take up defensive positions.

MALAYA, The National Newspaper

Marawi hospital hit by fire

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – (BEN BALCE / Oct. 18) - The 105-year-old Amai Pakpak Medical Center in Marawi City was destroyed by fire at around 2 a.m. Tuesday.

SFO1 Sibana Camid, arson investigator, said the fire could have originated from the ceiling of the intensive care unit or the janitorial room and could have been due to electrical overload.

Some 40 patients, two of whom were in ICU, were safely evacuated by hospital staff before two huge blasts believed to be exploding nitrogen tanks rocked the burning building.

Damage was placed at P45 million.

"Though electrical overloading is our theory, we do not discount the possibility of Arson," hospital chief Dr. Amer Saber said.

"We would like to ask for an official investigation by the NBI authorities to come up to the real cause of the incident," said Saber.

Saber also appealed to the Department of Health and local officials for immediate assistance in the form of equipment donations.

The hospital, constructed by the Americans in 1901-1902, was originally used as barracks by American scouts and was only converted into a hospital in the early ‘30s.

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Basit Usman's deadly profile

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao ((JOHN UNSON / October 16) — Abdulbasit Usman, the principal suspect in last week’s bombings in Central Mindanao, once served as cook and janitor for policemen holding him in detention for his alleged involvement in a terror attack four years ago.

An ethnic Maguindanaon better known as "Basit," Usman was first implicated in the April 2002 bombing of the Fitmart department store in General Santos City, which led to his detention for a couple of months at the headquarters of the 1206th Provincial Police Mobile Group, then under Chief Inspector Auselito Cabang, in Alabel, Sarangani.

Usman was driving a van, on his way to South Cotabato, when Region 12 police from General Santos City stopped him at a checkpoint in Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat and served him a warrant of arrest in connection with the Fitmart bombing.

Usman’s name in the warrant, however, was incorrect, prompting the Region 12 police to put him under the custody of Cabang at the 1206th headquarters while prosecutors were initiating the required amendments to his case.

While in detention, Usman was not regarded as a suspect in an extremely heinous offense. He was free to move around the premises working as janitor, cook, and as "spotter" for other terrorists operating in the South-Cotabato Sarangani-General Santos City (Socsargen) area.

Usman eventually escaped on Oct. 22, 2002 and has since gone underground. A year later, Usman’s custodian, Cabang, then due for promotion as police superintendent, and a subordinate, were found tortured and shot in the back of their heads by unidentified men while allegedly negotiating the surrender of Pentagon gang leader Tahir Alonto in a remote guerrilla enclave at the border of Tulunan, North Cotabato and Datu Paglas, Maguindanao.

Police and Army intelligence communities believe Usman could have set up the surrender of Alonto, wanted for more than 30 kidnappings in Central Mindanao , to lure Cabang and avenge Usman’s detention in Alabel. Usman’s family in Bentong District in Polomolok has since left and is believed to be in hiding somewhere in Maguindanao, where they have relatives both in the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front. Usman, his relatives said, was still a member of the MILF when Fitmart was bombed in 2002.

Before Usman’s escape, his family had questioned the legality of his arrest and had even sought the help of the Commission on Human Rights to secure his release.

His relatives in Maguindanao are convinced that Usman may have indeed established a link with the Jemaah Islamiyah through some Indonesians in General Santos City who gave him sanctuary after his escape.

It was in General Santos City where the slain JI operative Fathur Rohman Al-Ghozi was arrested in early 2000 for possession of explosives. Usman was again on the military’s watch list after he was rumored to have been spotted with Abu Sayyaf chief Khadaffy Janjalani and JI operatives Dulmatin and Umar Patek in Maguindanao from June to September in 2004.

There had been talks of Usman’s involvement in the deadly Dec. 23, 2003 bombing in Datu Piang, Maguindanao, which left 18 people dead and more than 20 others wounded.

One of the fatalities in the Datu Piang bombing was Mayor Saudi Ampatuan, son of Maguindanao Gov. Datu Andal Ampatuan. MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said Usman was long dropped from the roster of the front due to his alleged involvement in heinous crimes.

Highly placed sources from the military’s intelligence community said they are now validating reports from civilian informants that months before the Oct. 10 bombings, Usman was in the hideout of a Moro separatist commander and preacher who had trained abroad.

There are also reports detailing links between Usman and Egyptian national Dia Al-Gabre, who was arrested at the Cagayan de Oro airport some three years ago, together with a Maranaw bomb expert Muklis Yunus, while waiting for his Manila-bound flight. Al-Gabre himself has a shady personality.

He resided in Cotabato City in the 1990s and introduced himself to neighbors and friends as a journalist. He was always present in multisectoral peace dialogues then and traveled extensively from Cotabato City to parts of the Zamboanga peninsula.

Al-Gabre made a black umbrella and chessboard handy and played chess with friends in areas he frequented. Region 12 police had said they would file criminal charges against Usman, and Indonesian-born Dulmatin and Patek for the October bombings in Makilala and the cities of Cotabato and Tacurong.

Chief Superintendent German Doria, Region 12 police director, told the Notre Dame Broadcasting Network in Cotabato City that they have gathered enough evidence against the three terror suspects. The attacks, according to Doria, were carried out in retaliation for the arrest in Sulu two weeks ago of Dulmatin’s wife and two sons.

John Felix Unson

Bombing alert up in Oro, region 10

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Karapatan says Ablon, others in military’s list of battle

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (By BEN BALCE/ Oct. 14) -
HUMAN rights group Karapatan, bared over the weekend, that priests from the Philippine Independent Church have either received information that they are in the military’s order of battle or have been harassed by death threats.

The alleged list include Fr. Terry Revollido of Pangasinan, Fr. Romeo Tagud of Negros, Fr. Marco Sulayao of Panay, and Fr. Sonny Teleron of Western Mindanao, and this city’s PIC priest Fr. Roberto Ablon.
The Philippine Independent Church here reported that Fr. Ablon and the four other priests, received death threats following the murder of Bishop Alberto Ramento in Tarlac City.

Karapatan northern Mindanao coordinator Beberly Musni said Fr. Antonio Ablon received the threat through a text message on Friday at 4:45 p.m.
She said that like Ramento, Ablon is an outspoken critic of the Arroyo government , while the other activist priests and pastors are all members of PCPR and connected with the militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).

According to several militant groups, Ramento received death threats before he was found dead from multiple stab wounds in his convent Tuesday last week.

Musni said Ablon is also a secretary general of the human rights group Karapatan in the region and is a member of the Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) National Council based in Cagayan de Oro.

The text message said: “Fr. Ablon patay gani ang supreme bishop ikaw pa kaha, I-sample ka namo dinhi sa CDO” (Fr. Ablon, even the supreme bishop was killed, we will make you an example here in Cagayan de Oro).”

Musni said Ablon also asked the police to blotter the said cellular number for future reference and for possible tracing of the whereabouts of the suspect.

Musni said the message, which was sent from cellphone No. 09203546270, clearly warned that Ablon could be the next victim of extrajudicial killings.

“Still unknown, but at least I have the suspect’s cellular number,” Ablon said
Police on Friday said Ramento was not a case of extrajudicial killing as militants claim, but a simple case of robbery with homicide.

Police said four suspects who were arrested Thursday on Ramento’s killing were members of a criminal gang involved in robbery and cellphone snatching, among others.

Musni, however, said the text message allegedly came from the State Security Forces.

“We strongly suspect that the source of this message could only be the military agents who are dutiful in their mission to intimidate, suppress and brutally silence the voices of dissent that have exposed the fraud, corruption and human rights abuses of the Arroyo administration,” Karapatan said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Musni added that the group Karapatan is still conducting its own investigation on Ramento’s killing and has so far came up with an initial report that may not necessarily tally with the police claims.

“There are still things that don’t add up. There were death threats against Bishop Ramento just before his murder,” Musni said.

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Dog bites increasing, city health office warns

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY - The Committee on health chaired by City Councilor Simeon Licayan is now apprehensive on the tremendous increase of dog bite cases in both urban and rural barangays in the city.

Licayan said that recent report submitted to his committee revealed that no less than three cases of dog bites reported to the City Health Office (CHO).

"This is very alarming. This means that the number of stray dogs are already increasing," he said.

Even with the number of cases brought to the CHO for treatment, Dr. Rachel Dilla said they have enough supply of medicines for cure against possible rabies infection.

"Bisan daghan nadala sa clinic naa pa gihapon ta'y mga tambal nga ikahatag. Pero mas maayo gyud nga masulbad na kining pag-pamaak sa mga iro sa kadalanan," she said.

The recent incident included a government employee assigned at the Hall of Justice who was bitten by a suspected rabid dog several meters from the City Veternary Office (CVO).

The City Veterinary Office is tasked to conduct "Operation Pamatong" against stray and suspected rabid dogs. They are also tasked to vaccinate dogs against rabies disease.

Licayan said his committee has recommended for the massive apprehension of stray dogs within the residential and commercial areas in the city including those in the subdivision area.

He said he received several complaints that residents in the subdivision area were chased by stray dogs who roamed around the streets looking for food.

Kung makapaak kini dili nimo maila ang tag-iya,? he added.

City Veterinary officer-in-charged Dr. Perla T. Asis said they only had one-team who conducted the Operation Pamatong in the entire city.

She said for the month of August alone, they had able to apprehend some 132 stray dogs from the area of barangays Kauswagan, Iponan, Carmen, Lapasan, Consolacion, Patag, Bulua and Upper Balulang.

Of the 132 apprehended only 15 were claimed by the owners after paying administrative fine of P250.00. Those unclaimed were being subjected to euthenasia.

During the committee meeting, De Asis suggested that those dogs remain unclaimed would be sold to the crocodile farm owned by the Limketkai located at Opol, Misamis Oriental.

"Mas maayo na lamang nga ibaligya para maka-collect of revenues ang siyudad," she said.

Mindanao Gold Star Daily