2 US soldiers, RP Marine killed in Sulu bombing

09/30/2009 MALAYA

BY VICTOR REYES

TWO American servicemen and a Philippine Marine were killed and two other Filipino soldiers were wounded yesterday morning in a roadside bombing in front of a military detachment in Indanan town, Sulu.

Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., AFP public affairs office chief, said the Americans, who were members of the US Seabees, were to supervise the construction of the five-kilometer Kagay road in Indanan.

"It was an EID attack or improvised explosive device attack," he said.

"These US servicemen, from the data we gathered, were non-combatants," said Brawner.

He said the soldiers, who were on board a US Humvee and escorted by Philippine Marines, were on a re-supply mission.

The US servicemen were the first two casualties of the US armed forces in Mindanao since October 2002 when a military training facility in Malagutay, Zamboanga City was bombed by suspected Abu Sayyaf terrorists, resulting in the deaths of a US soldier and several Filipinos.

Early this month, a pillbox exploded at Jolo town pier in Sulu while US troops were unloading supplies from a watercraft. No one was killed or injured but the US troops and their Marine escorts fired warning shots.

Brawner said they still have no information as to the identities of the suspect or suspects but he noted that members of the Abu Sayyaf operate in the area.

Brawner said the military believes that the US-assisted projects in the area would not be affected by the incident. "We believe that the projects will still go on," he said.

He said the US soldiers have completed similar construction projects in Indanan such as the Barangay Kagay Medical Clinic, Barangay Buansa Elementary School, Barangay Buansa road, the Barangay Bato-bato road, Barangay Kagay Elementary School.

The US embassy in Manila, in a statement, confirmed the death of two servicemen but withheld their identities pending notification of their kin.

"They lost their lives serving others, and we will always be grateful for their contributions to improve the quality of life on Jolo," US Ambassador Kristie Kenney said in a statement.

Sen. Francis Escudero said the deaths of the two US soldiers emphasize the need to renegotiate the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement and the presence of American troops in Mindanao.

"Now is the time to renegotiate the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement to clarify the US role and presence in Mindanao and to correct the onerous provisions of the treaty," he said.

"In a situation where American troops are embedded in our own military, casualties are inevitable in a war of attrition," he said.

"It is my hope that this incident will not lead to direct US involvement in combat operations," he said.

Senators had adopted on second reading a resolution filed by Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, calling for the renegotiation or outright abrogation of the VFA.

Escudero said the Arroyo government should explain to the people the actual benefits on the presence of American troops in Mindanao before it starts renegotiating the VFA with the US.

"The US military presence in Mindanao is aimed at protecting America’s strategic interests. Let us not fool ourselves into believing that they are there for us," he said. – With JP Lopez

Mindanao Conflict: Tipo-Tipo Fiasco

Marine officers probed: Wrong frequencies prevented aerial bombing, strafing


Tell that to the Marines

It appears that the intervention of OIC Defense Chief Norberto Gonzales in the Tipo-Tipo fiasco may have prevented military ground commanders from pursuing Moro rebels after the firefight. Politicians should not intervene in military operations. Radio snafu is a flimsy excuse.

Excerpts from Daily Tribune: “They (officers) said if not because of him (Gonzales), our men could have already pursued the enemies right from that incident in Tipo-Tipo. But he intervened. He paraded himself in Basilan, talked to the local government units there, governors, other civilians including the MILF or members of the CCCH (Ceasefire Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities). He should get out from the DND (Department of National Defense). He may be good in another Cabinet post but not in the DND,” the Yes Arms spokesman said.

“He (Gonzales) is creating too much furor already within the AFP, (causing) more dissension on the part of our soldiers. They (Malacañang) are making our soldiers look stupid when these people are more intelligent than their leaders who show no leadership,” Aparri said.
He added the soldiers who survived the Al-Barka clash “feel that they are being sacrificed by this government for an objective that they don’t know.”


Related Links:

Trillanes: Govt execs led Marines to death trap
Ancestral Domain in Comparative Perspective
Ancestral domain still top issue when talks with MILF resume
SELF-DETERMINATION AND PEACE IN MINDANAO
The Akbar connection
The Story of the Moros

‘Blatant’ cheating in Sulu exposed

The deliberate stalling tactic to delay the proclamation winning senatorial candidates is a reminiscent of 2004 fraudulent presidential election. Malacanang and elections chief manipulator Benjamin Abalos are cooking the DEVIL’S RECIPE-electoral fraud. There’s strong proof that systematic cheating in Maguindanao, Lanao and Sulu in favor of Gloria’s TUTA and yet Comelec chief Abalos have no enthusiasm to investigate alleged election irregularities. The presence of ex-generals Lomibao and Palparan and election operators in Lanao Del Sur special elections may have something to do with devil’s recipe. Malacanang is determined the entry of additional 3 TU bets in the magic 12 by hook and by crook and this is an invitation of an uprising. Gloria Arroyo’s bogus presidency is a by-product of massive cheating in Mindanao.


‘Blatant’ cheating in Sulu exposed
Election officials accused of collusion

BY DENNIS GADIL

A LAWYER for the Genuine Opposition yesterday said poll cheating was so blatant in Sulu province that even the incumbent congressman and the governor actively participated in rigging the results.

"We have witnesses to prove (that) on May 13, lahat ng ballots filled-up na ng tao ng mga pulitiko, kasama ang Comelec municipal election supervisor, (as) per instruction of the provincial election supervisor," Diego Palomares, a former judge, mayor and assemblyman, said in a media briefing at the GO headquarters in Makati City.

He added: "We have documents to support, walang election sa Luuk, Kalingalan-Caluang at Tungkil."

Palomares said a policeman who executed an affidavit even claimed seeing Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan and Rep. Munir Arbison personally supervising the filling up of ballots and election returns (ERs) on the eve of Election Day.

"Ang incumbent Rep. Munir Arbison, kasama ang provincial Gov. Sakur Tan, pumasok sa municipal hall where the ballots and election paraphernalia were stored. They took control and supervised the filling up of ballots," Palomares said, quoting the affidavit of the policeman whom he refused to identify.

He said Arbison, a re-electionist congressman who represents the second district of Sulu, and the wife of Tan, Hajja, even personally filled up the ballots.

Palomares said in Kalingalan-Caluang in Sulu, a barangay chairman spearheaded the filling up of ballots from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. of May 14 or hours before the opening of polling precincts.

Palomares said he and his son, Dunhill, a law student in Davao City, were able to obtain the affidavits of more than a hundred voters and watchers who attested that no actual voting took place in the second district of Sulu which has at least 100,000 voters.

He said the affidavits run from A to U.

Sulu’s second district is composed of 10 municipalities including Luuk town where Alan Peter Cayetano and Benigno Aquino III got zero votes.

Palomares said would-be voters were shooed away by the regional Comelec officials during Election Day and were told that they have already voted.

Palomares said the voters also affixed their own thumb marks on the affidavits as proof that the thumb marks found on the ballots were not theirs.

The GO lawyer said they worked on the affidavits for four days. Palomares said the witnesses are willing to come forward.

Palomares said more than a hundred voters who were already working in Sabah, Malaysia were also able to "vote" with the others voting for them.

He said he witnessed election fraud in Sulu but he was only told by the perpetrators, some of whom were board of election inspectors, to go ahead and sue them.

"Yung ibang (watcher) na nagrereklamo, binibigyan nila ng balota at sinasabihan, ‘sige ilagay mo kung sino’ng gusto mo’ para matahimik ka lang," he said.

Palomares stressed that the corrupt BEIs and Comelec officials should be charged with electoral sabotage.

Re-electionist Sen. Panfilo Lacson said they will use the affidavits of the voters and watchers as basis in filing charges against Comelec officials in Sulu before the Ombudsman. Lacson said the case will be filed Monday.

"Comelec na lang yata ang hindi nakakaalam na may widespread cheating. Now we have two witnesses," Lacson said.

Lacson said his group will provide security to Palomares and his son.

Lacson and GO spokesman Adel Tamano showed a footage of policemen from the Regional Mobile Group (RMG) shooing away watchers from a polling precinct in Ganasi, Lanao del Sur.

The policemen took over the counting and even personally tallied the votes.

Tamano said the watchers were allowed to return only after some hours and were told to just sign the ERs, indicating that the counting was over.

As of Thursday, the Comelec had canvassed 88 percent of the votes and hopes to wind up its tally Friday.

Comelec has finished counting all 154 certificates of canvass (COC) from overseas absentee voting, and 104 COCs from local and local absentee voting for a total of 258 COCs.

The Comelec, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers ordered the second deferment of the COCs from Maguindanao.

The NBC arrived at the decision at the conclusion of arguments between Provincial Election Supervisor Lintang Bedol, administration lawyer Romulo Macalintal and opposition lawyers.

"With the admission of Bedol that none from opposition was present, none of copies for dominant minority has been furnished, considering the number of zeros, the board has resolved to defer the canvassing of the COC from Maguindanao," chairman Benjamin Abalos said.

Abalos said they will require the presence of other election personnel from the municipalities, BEIs and the province to give a hand in explaining the "step-by-step" conduct of canvassing in the whole province.

Bedol appeared before the NBC after his presence was required by the board when the reading of Maguindanao COCs was deferred last Tuesday.

The COCs revealed that Team Unity swept the senatorial race with Luis Singson in No. 1.

Seven GO candidates got zero votes. They are Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino, Alan Peter Cayetano, Nikki Coseteng, Panfilo Lacson, John Osmeña, Sonia Roco and Antonio Trillanes.

Francis Escudero was at 13th place followed by Manny Villar and Loren Legarda. Aquilino Pimentel III was at 17th place.

Bedol failed to recount the procedure that the provincial canvassers went through after it was questioned by opposition lawyers.

He also admitted that he is still in possession of the ER copies of the dominant minority party as well as that of the Namfrel as there was no one who claimed it. – With Gerard Naval . MALAYA .

Related Links:
PCIJ: All eyes on Lanao del Sur
Davao del Sur cheating
Davao City Vote Padding
Lanao del Sur election returns transfered to a hotel by Garci men