Arrest warrant out vs 9 cops in Sulu killing of army men
The Jolo, Sulu Regional Trial Court (RTC) has ordered the arrest of nine policemen accused of killing four soldiers in the town last June, the Department of Justice (DoJ) said on Friday. Prosecution Attorney Honey Delgado, spokesperson of the Office of the Prosecutor General, also said the court is scheduled to hear prosecutors’ motion for […] The post Arrest warrant out vs 9 cops in Sulu killing of army men appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
House arrest warrant vs Quiboloy moot – lawyer
Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s lawyer says the arrest warrant issued by a House of Representatives panel is moot as the panel’s hearings are already adjourned......»»
‘Quiboloy warrant stands despite SMNI franchise revocation’
Despite the revocation of the franchise of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), the arrest warrant issued against pastor Apollo Quiboloy by the House of Representatives committee on legislative franchises still stands......»»
NPA nabbed by CIDG at NAIA Terminal 1
A MANHUNT operation resulted in the arrest of a member of the New People’s Army-Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NPA-NEMRC) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1. Detectives of CIDG Rizal together with Intelligence Division, 404th A MC RMFB 4A, AFP and PNP Aviation Security Group, Airport Police, effected the arrest at the NAIA Terminal […].....»»
4 more Region 13 senior NPA leaders nabbed in Surigao del Sur
Authorities are guarding tightly the detention facility where four long wanted leaders of the New People’s Army, two of them women, are clamped down following their arrest early this week in Lianga, Surigao del Sur......»»
Phl Army belies abduction of 3 IP advocates; insists “they were NPAs”
The Philippine Army on Thursday belied reports that soldiers abducted three individuals “falsely identified” as Indigenous People’s defenders, insisting that they were members of the New People’s Army. Bgen Randolph Cabangbang, commander of the PA’s 203rd Infantry Battalion-2nd Infantry Division lambasted the Karapatan Group for accusing the military of abducting Alia Encelo, Job Abednego David, and Peter Del Monte. Cabangbang said the Karapatan’s claims on the disappearance of supposed rights advocates are “distorted and full of lies.” Karapatan group condemned the arrest of three personalities who were conducting a probe on “human rights violations in connection to reports of bombings and shelling by the 203rd IB around the area earlier this year.” In response, Cabangbang said the three individuals "were captured and arrested” during a legitimate military operation in Barangay Lisap, Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro on 23 September. He then insisted that the three individuals were members of the NPA’s Main Regional Guerrilla Unit as he cited the guerilla’s combatant profile and gallery. “During the capture, they attempted to resist and reach for some objects inside their bags and upon seeing that they have been surrounded, decided to heed the soldiers' call not to move anymore,” he said. “They were in possession of improvised landmines and grenades inside their bags that they probably planned to use in ambushing government troops,” he added. The Army official said the three would be facing charges of violating Republic Act 9516 (An act Further Amending the Provisions of PD No. 1866, As Amended, Entitled to Codifying the Laws on Illegal/Unlawful Possession, Manufacture, Dealing in, Acquisition or Disposition of Firearms, Ammunition or Explosives or Instruments Used in the Manufacture of Firearms, Ammunition or Explosives, and Imposing Stiffer Penalties for Certain Violations Thereof, and For Other Relevant Purposes) and Violation of Section 4(a) and 4(d), Republic Act No. 11479 (Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020). Cabangbang said one of the captured, Alia Encelo, 19, was an active member of Gabriela Youth prior to joining the NPA in January this year. While Job Abednego David and Peter Del Monte, both 29 years old, have been with the NPA for more than 6 years, he added. “Job, from Quezon City, is a Fine Arts student at a prestigious school, and Peter, a high school drop-out from Tondo, Manila. They were later on identified by former rebels, who have surrendered, to be NPA members," Cabangbang said. “The captured rebels claimed that they have been in hiding for months, owing to the continuous military operations, and have not eaten a decent meal for two months,” he added. The post Phl Army belies abduction of 3 IP advocates; insists “they were NPAs” appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PM wants Armenia to ratify ICC treaty
Armenia-Russia relations seemed on the brink of breakup Sunday as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan lashed at Moscow for failing to help protect his countrymen against Azerbaijan’s military offensive in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh. In nationally televised comments, Pashinyan, who is being blamed by Armenians for the deaths of separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh, called the security guarantees of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization as “insufficient” and that Moscow failed to help Armenian defenders in the disputed territory. Azerbaijani troops defeated Armenian rebels in Nagorno-Karabakh last week and are now disarming the separatists under a truce brokered by Moscow on Friday and with Russian peacekeepers facilitating the demilitarization. Pashinyan added that Armenia should ratify the treaty which established the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war. No sympathy The first Red Cross aid convoy has crossed into the disputed Armenian enclave as Azerbaijan forces showed off Saturday part of the captured rebel arsenal: Sniper rifles, Kalashnikov rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and four tanks painted with cross insignia. At Armenia’s Kornidzor border crossing, five kilometers from the Hakari bridge, the convoy’s route, dozens of angry Armenians await news of their relatives in Karabakh. The first group of Nagorno-Karabakh refugees entered Armenia on Sunday, an Agence France-Presse team at the border said. The group of a few dozen people were questioned by Azerbaijani border guards before entering the Armenian village of Kornidzor, where they were registered by Armenian officials. On the other side of the border in the Azerbaijani town of Beylagan, just outside the breakaway region, local civilians had no sympathy for their Armenian neighbors and were celebrating their government’s victory over the rebels. State television played patriotic music paying tribute to the nation and its army, and the roadside was lined with flags and portraits of dozens of local “martyrs,” fallen in the fighting during the previous 30 years. WITH AFP The post PM wants Armenia to ratify ICC treaty appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Motorbike-riding duo with handguns nabbed
Operatives of the Manila Police District -Ermita Police Station 5 in a roving patrol duty arrested two individuals aboard a motorcycle carrying hand guns early morning Wednesday in Malate, Manila. Police identified the two as Chris Jefferson Sevilla y Quindara, 24 years old, single, jobless and resident at #2643 P. Zamora Street, Pasay City, and Rudolf (not his real name), 17 years old, single, student and resident of Pasay City. The two riding in tandem was arrested along Vasquez corner Nakpil Streets, Barangay 697, Malate, Manila at around 6:30 a.m. The report showed that while police were conducting motorized patrol they spotted the duo aboard a white and black motorcycle without plate number. The responding police officers saw the back rider “Rudolf” holding in his right hand the one unit .45 caliber without serial number, and later discovered that the said firearm was loaded with five pieces of .45 caliber cartridge. The arresting police officers accosted the suspect and confiscated the said firearm, hence the arrest. Subsequently, the other arresting police officers noticed that the butt of one unit of Colt.45 caliber 1911 US ARMY with serial number 37612, loaded with four pieces of .45 caliber cartridge accidentally protruded in the right waist of driver suspect Sevilla. They likewise confiscated the said firearm. The two suspects are presently detained at the MPD-PS5 and will be charged for Violation of 10591(Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition) in relation to B.P. 881 Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines and will be presented to the Manila Prosecutor’s Office for inquest proceeding. The post Motorbike-riding duo with handguns nabbed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Red-tagged individuals create their own classification (1)
It is amusing to read about individuals or groups protesting about being tagged as New People’s Army or NPA supporters, or even communists themselves. At least one of them filed a civil suit for damages against two anchors of a program in SMNI for allegedly tagging him as a communist sympathizer and his mother as a closeted communist. Red-tagging has become a whipping boy of leftist organizations and their sympathizers. The dwindling number of left-leaning party-list representatives who survived the electoral debacle of their comrades have become the mouthpiece. They have been regularly and constantly attacking the government officials who described them as supporters of the communist rebels. This protesting sector of our society has described red-tagging as “the act of labeling individuals or groups as “communist fronts,” “communist terrorists,” or communist sympathizers.” They have likened such acts to “McCarthyism” in the 1950s in the United States. The American Heritage Dictionary defines McCarthyism as “1. The political practice of publicizing accusations of disloyalty or subversion with insufficient regard to evidence; and 2. The use of methods of investigation and accusation regarded as unfair, to suppress opposition.” McCarthyism is known as the “second Ref Scare” in the United States. It was an era of “political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a campaign spreading fear of alleged communist and Soviet influence on American institutions and Soviet espionage in the United States during the late 1940s through the 1950s.” Joseph McCarthy, a Wisconsin Senator, started what appeared to become a national witch-hunt in the United States in the late forties and early fifties. He rose to national prominence in the US after an alleged three-year undistinguishable stay in the US Senate, after delivering a speech in Congress where he claimed to have a list of “members of the communist party and members of a spy ring employed in the US State Department.” As a result of McCarty’s speech, congressional hearings were conducted by the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities that led to the imprisonment of 10 Hollywood screenwriters and directors. Likewise, hundreds of their colleagues in the movie industry were placed on the “blacklist.” The so-called human rights groups in the Philippines claim that red-tagging is often done without evidence. A human rights alliance group, Karapatan, slammed the NTF-ELCAC for gaining “notoriety in the red-tagging, harassing and intimidating political activists and other government critics and for instigating mass surrenders of civilians alleged to be supporters of the revolutionary movement.” Karapatan alleged, “Many of the victims of NTF-ELCAC’s red-tagging campaigns had ended up arrested and detained on trump-up charges, while others have been killed by vigilante groups or in armed encounters staged by the military.” There is a whale of a difference between the red-baiting in the United States during the McCarthyism period and the so called red-tagging in the Philippines. For one, those who have been red-tagged, if they feel they have been unjustly classified as communist supporters or secret members of the NPA, can always resort to civil suits for damages, just like one of them did. Unlike the late Senator McCarty, the perceived violators of their human rights are not immune from lawsuits. McCarty was immune from being sued when he red-tagged suspected members of the communist party because he enjoyed parliamentary immunity when he delivered the red-tagging speech. The claim that those red-tagged by government officials led to their deaths is just a claim. The human rights groups have not produced any proof of that. As to those arrested and jailed, it only means there was probable cause for the crimes they have been charged with — hence, the courts issued warrants for their arrest. As to the claim of trump-up charges, there have been instances where the courts have dismissed those criminal cases filed against them because the prosecution failed to produce the quantum of proof required by law in court. They can seek judicial redress by filing malicious criminal prosecution against those who made up the false charges plus damages. (To be continued) The post Red-tagged individuals create their own classification (1) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Reward up for Western Visayas NPA leaders’ arrest
A reward of more than P11 million has been offered for information leading to the arrest of the remaining New People’s Army (NPA) leaders in Western Visayas......»»
Ukraine war recruiters arrested in Cuba
Cuban authorities have arrested 17 people suspected of recruiting locals and nationals in Russia to fight in Ukraine. Cesar Rodriguez, who is heading the investigation of the trafficking ring, announced the arrest in Havana on national television on Thursday. He said one person was suspected of being an “organizer of these activities” while two others were suspected recruiters. The father of two young men recruited by the alleged ring appeared on state television, saying that one of his sons left Cuba in July while the other is still on the island and is being investigated. Last week, Miami’s America TeVe newspaper published what it described as testimonies from two teenagers who said they had been tricked into working alongside the Russian army on construction sites in Ukraine. Another Cuban man told the media outlet that he had signed up with Moscow’s armed forces hoping to legalize his status in Russia. The Cuban government announced Monday the crackdown on the trafficking ring that was incorporating recruits into the military forces operating in Ukraine. The Attorney General’s Office said judicial authorities were considering charges of “human trafficking, mercenarism (and) hostile acts in a foreign state,” which could carry sentences of up to 30 years in jail, life imprisonment or even the death penalty. The Cuban government has categorically denied any complicity with Russia in the alleged trafficking. WITH AFP The post Ukraine war recruiters arrested in Cuba appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ex-OPEC president Diezani Alison-Madueke charged with bribery
Former OPEC president Diezani Alison-Madueke has been charged with bribery offenses relating to her time as Nigeria's oil minister, the UK National Crime Agency said on Tuesday. Alison-Madueke, 63, has been on bail since first being arrested in London in October 2015. She will appear in court in the British capital on 2 October, the NCA said. Soon after her arrest, her family's lawyer told AFP she would strongly contest corruption allegations that have dogged her during and after her time in former president Goodluck Jonathan's government. Alison-Madueke, in office from 2010 to 2015, was the first woman to be oil minister in Nigeria and the first female president of the global oil cartel OPEC. The head of the NCA's international corruption unit, Andy Kelly, said in a statement: "We suspect Diezani Alison-Madueke abused her power in Nigeria and accepted financial rewards for awarding multi-million-pound contracts." The NCA said Alison-Madueke allegedly benefited from at least £100,000 ($127,000) in cash, chauffeur-driven cars, flights on private jets, luxury holidays for her family, and the use of multiple London properties. The charges also detail financial rewards including furniture, renovation work and staff for the properties, payment of private school fees, and gifts from top designer shops such as Cartier jewelry and Louis Vuitton goods. "Bribery is a pervasive form of corruption, which enables serious criminality and can have devastating consequences for developing countries," Kelly said. "These charges are a milestone in what has been a thorough and complex international investigation," he added. Alison-Madueke has been living in the upmarket St John's Wood area of north London since she was first arrested, and undergone chemotherapy for breast cancer, according to her family. At the time of her arrest, the NCA said only it had detained five people in London on suspicion of international corruption, without naming those held. The Nigerian government of Jonathan's successor Muhammadu Buhari later confirmed Alison-Madueke's arrest and said its law enforcement agencies were cooperating with their British counterparts. Former army general Buhari began an anti-corruption drive after taking office. The NCA said that assets worth millions of pounds in relation to the case have been frozen as part of the investigation. In March, the agency, which targets international and organized crime, provided evidence to the US Department of Justice allowing them to recover assets totaling $53.1 million linked to Alison-Madueke's alleged corruption. The post Ex-OPEC president Diezani Alison-Madueke charged with bribery appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Beware of fake bills, says SPD
The Southern Police District warned the public on Sunday against counterfeit money following the arrest of a former Army soldier who used counterfeit money in a store. According to SPD director Brig. Gen. Roderick Mariano, small store owners should always keep their vigilance against fake bills, now that the “ber” months are approaching and shopping season peaks. “We urge the public to immediately report any person to the authorities using such bills in any transaction for appropriate action as the “ber months’ or the peak shopping season draws near,” Mariano said. The SPD’s statements come after authorities arrested a certain Kevin Jhon Soncio, a dismissed Army soldier after using counterfeit money in a sari-sari store in Barangay Fort Bonifacio Taguig City on Friday evening. The police report said the suspect paid a P1,000 bill for one pack of cigarettes. The witness, a minor who was tending the store during the incident, examined the bill and discovered it was fake. He immediately sought the assistance of village officials, who eventually arrested the suspect. Authorities seized from Soncio nine P1,000 counterfeit bills and different identification cards. During the arrest, the suspect introduced himself as a member of the Philippine Army. Upon validation, police found that he was already dismissed from the service and that he carried falsified documents. The suspect is now facing charges of violation of Article 168 of the Revised Penal Code or Illegal possession and use of false Treasury or Bank Notes and Other Instruments of Credit, usurpation of authority, and falsification of public documents. Meanwhile, the Taguig City Police is now preparing a counterfeit money verification request to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. The post Beware of fake bills, says SPD appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sulu gov defends arrest try on ex-vice mayor
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Sulu Governor Abdusakur M. Tan yesterday defended the serving of an arrest warrant for murder on former Maimbung Vice Mayor Pando Mudjasan that sparked a gunfight between police and suspected armed civilians, killing one officer and wounding 14 others, on 24 June. The police operation is legitimate and Mudjasan's defiance has no legal or moral basis to stand on, Tan said. Government security forces failed to arrest Mudjasan after he was alerted by gunfire near his residence. “Mudjasan is now considered a fugitive from the law,” the governor said. The shootout lasted for about 10 hours, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Saturday resulting in casualties on both sides. The government suffered 14 wounded and one fatality. “To act with impunity and to challenge the enforcers from exercising their mandates, resulting in the displacements of innocent civilians and the loss of lives and others, is the height of defiance against authority and the power of the state,” according to Tan. “The affected community is not the right forum for him to defend himself against the charges filed against him. The court is,” he said. "His audacity to drag the Moro National Liberation Front to his side for his crime, that is his alone, smells of a veiled threat to escalate the situation," Tan added. Meanwhile, the Sulu Provincial Peace and Order Council conducted a meeting on the incident at the Capitol Site, Barangay Bangkal in Patikul, Sulu on Tuesday. The PPOC meeting was attended by Police Regional Office in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Director Police Brig. Gen. Allan C. Nobleza, 1102nd Army Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Giovanni T. Franza and its members. PPOC adopted a resolution that would beef up and enhance the operational capability of the PNP Special Action Force in combating criminality, insurgency and terrorism in the province. Tan chairs the PPOC. The post Sulu gov defends arrest try on ex-vice mayor appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
ASG member nabbed in QC
The Southern Police District on Thursday reported that its operatives arrested an individual believed to be a member of the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group and listed as one of the most wanted in Zamboanga. SPD director P/Brig. Gen. Kirby John Brion Kraft narrated that the suspect — identified as Janhar Abdulhari alias Janjan or Julpikar Pendiwata — was arrested on 21 June at about 6:30 p.m. at Tierra Pura Homes in Tandang Sora, Quezon City. Kraft said that the suspect — listed as No. 7 Most Wanted Person (Municipal Level) and No. 5 (Provincial Level) of Zamboanga — was being hunted for a murder case and has been evading arrest for years. Operating teams composed of joint personnel of District Special Operations Unit of the SPD along with other units including the District Mobile Force Battalion, National Intelligence Support Group-NCR, Quezon City Police District-DSOU, 3rd Special Operations Unit of the Philippine National Police Maritime Group and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission joined forces to nab the suspect. The operation was conducted based on intelligence reports about the lair of the suspect in Quezon City. Initial reports showed that the suspect is operating under Kumander Wanning Abdusallam, who was killed in a joint military and police operation in 2016. The arrest warrant, issued by Judge Anthony dela Torre Isaw of the Regional Trial Court Branch 24 in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay, was in connection with a murder case with Criminal Case number 1-8776. Meantime, National Capital Region Police Office director Maj. Gen. Edgar Ala Okubo lauded the efforts of the operating units for their professionalism and dedication to eradicating terrorism in the National Capital Region, as he stated that they will further intensify manhunt operations against wanted persons. In other developments, a total of 111 members of the Communist Party of the Philippines–New People’s Army have surrendered to different police units in the Mimaropa region since January this year, according to Police Regional Office 4B director Brig. Gen. Joel Doria. Records showed that of 111, eight are listed in the periodic status report and the rest are alleged members, supporters and militiamen. Further, 53 of the surrenderers have turned themselves in since the assumption of Doria on 21 March this year. Among the latest surrenderers is “Ka Carlo,” a former member of Milisyang Bayan of Kilusang Larangang Gerilya Ignacio Calabria Magadia, SRMA 4D, ISLACOM, Lucio De Guzman Command, Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee, who surrendered to the personnel of 1st Platoon, 1st Provincial Mobile Force Company at 1st PMFC Headquarters in Brgy. San Isidro, Victoria, Oriental Mindoro on 19 June 2023. The surrender of “Ka Carlo” was through the relentless efforts of the intelligence unit of Oriental Mindoro PPO, in collaboration with the 203rd Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army, and other partner agencies under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. The post ASG member nabbed in QC appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ordinary Russians on trial over Ukraine criticism
Musician and environmental activist Alexander Bakhtin is one of the thousands of Russians arrested for criticizing the Ukraine offensive. His mother, Lyudmyla Bakhtina, 79, recalled the shock of their neighbors when her son was arrested in the Moscow suburb of Mytishchi, one year after he blamed the conflict to Russian President Vladimir Putin through posts on social media. Unlike the audiences of high-profile critics, the trials of ordinary Russians like Bakhtin usually take place away from public attention. The mother and a friend were the only witnesses during Bakhtin’s first appearance in court after he was charged with spreading “fake information” about the Russian army and now faces up to 10 years in prison. “My son is a pacifist, he is against the war. So am I. You can arrest me too!” the mother told prosecutors who asked her if she thinks the Russian army is carrying out a genocide of the Ukrainian population. “(Alexander) wouldn’t hurt a fly. He protects animals, he’s an environmentalist,” Mrs. Bakhtina told AFP with tears in her eyes. The next hearing is on 20 June with Bakhtin, who suffers from bronchitis and heart issues according to his mother, remaining in custody. Not cowards A few hours before Bakhtin’s audience, in another suburb of Moscow, 75-year-old Anatoly Roshchin also faced trial. At the beginning of the conflict, Roshchin held a lone picket protest in front of the Lobnya city hall. “My country, you have gone insane,” his sign read. “If Russians weren’t afraid of going to the streets, there wouldn’t be a war. We are responsible for it,” he said. Feeling “guilty” about Ukraine, Roshchin decided to keep posting on social media despite the ongoing trial. “An opponent who whispers ‘Glory to Ukraine’ in his wife’s ear is not really an opponent,” he told AFP. “I want Ukrainians to know that not all Russians are cowards.” Lobnya City Court charged the retired aeronautical engineer with discrediting the army over some online publications. Roshchin could be sentenced to up to five years in prison. “Such cases are becoming more and more common,” his lawyer Evgenia Grigorieva told AFP. More than 20,000 people have been detained in Russia for protesting the conflict in Ukraine, according to a tally by independent rights group OVD-Info. Thousands of people have been charged with publishing “fake information” on the offensive, others accused of army “discredit.” The post Ordinary Russians on trial over Ukraine criticism appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Resign en masse, Rody tells cops
Former president Rodrigo Duterte demanded yesterday the resignation of the entire Philippine National Police force, saying that many of its members had become the “gatekeepers” for the nation’s illicit drug trade. “We have a fractured police force in this country,” Duterte said on his weekly program over the SMNI channel. Duterte expressed dismay over the Senate’s recent investigation into the alleged cover-up by police officials of the P6.7-billion shabu bust where the drugs were allegedly seized from a police sergeant. He lamented that some police officers were not just protecting drug dealers, “but are into drug dealing themselves.” “The volume is one too many. How many police personnel are involved? There are many; it goes up to the generals,” he said. If he were still president, Duterte said he would order all members of the PNP, from the lowest-ranked patrolman to its chief (General Benjamin Acorda Jr.) to surrender all the firearms issued to them. He said he would then order the Armed Forces of the Philippines to take over police duties following the dismantling of the PNP. “The army would be happy to take over. And I suppose that is what should happen,” Duterte said, adding that he trusted the military more than the police. “The AFP knows what is right and wrong, and what is right for the country,” he said, slamming the “built-in arrogance” of rogue cops, especially those involved in the drug trade. Generals accused of coverup In October 2022, PNP officers seized 990 kilograms of shabu, worth P6.7 billion, from an office in Tondo, Manila. Several PNP generals were accused of trying to cover up the arrest of an alleged drug dealer, dismissed police sergeant Rodolfo Mayo, even as kilos of the drugs were found to have been pilfered. Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos, who oversees the PNP, assured Duterte and the public that the PNP was not hopeless as an organization. Abalos said criminal complaints had been filed against about 50 PNP members, including two generals. Abalos said a plan is afoot to place the PNP Internal Affairs Service under the supervision of the Office of the President or the DILG to make it totally independent of the PNP. Go welcomes raps Meanwhile, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go backed the filing of charges against the police generals and policemen tagged in the coverup in the P6.7-billion drug bust. “I welcome that. That’s the right thing to do. The truth must always come out, and those found guilty should be held accountable and prosecuted,” Go told reporters Thursday. “We, along with [former] President Duterte, fully supported the PNP. That’s why we worked to double their salaries to work against the illegal drug trade so they would not engage in those activities,” he said. ‘PNP functioning well’ For his part, PNP public information chief P/Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said the PNP continues to function well, citing a 10-percent decline in so-called index crimes, from 18,270 from 1 January to 9 June last year to 16,492 crimes for the same period this year. In the campaign against illegal drugs, Maranan said the PNP conducted 19,464 operations, arrested 25,641 persons, and confiscated P6.2 billion worth of illegal drugs for the period cited this year. A total of 836 PNP personnel were dismissed and 1,703 were suspended as of 7 June, Maranan added. “This is a manifestation of the PNP’s well-functioning disciplinary mechanism to weed out those who are unfit to be in the organization,” Maranan said. He said the PNP recently achieved an 80-percent trust and performance rating. The post Resign en masse, Rody tells cops appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
AFP, PNP nab top suspect in Gov. Adiong ambush
The joint operatives of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police on Thursday arrested the primary suspect in the ambush of Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. that killed his driver and three police escorts on 17 February. The 42-year-old suspect, identified as Lomala Baratumo, alias “Commander Lomala”, was arrested at a checkpoint in Sitio Morales, Barangay Centrala, Surallah, South Cotabato on 25 May. Col. Andre Santos, 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade Commander, said the Joint Task Force Central of the Philippine Army’s 6th Infantry “Kampilan” Division and the PNP have been working together since February to locate the suspect. According to the Kampilan Division, Baratumo has a standing warrant of arrest for murder and is tagged as the fifth most wanted person in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. He was also one of the most wanted persons in Lanao del Sur. The alleged mastermind of the ambush, identified as Oscar Tacmar Capal Gandawali, leader of the Gandawali private armed group, was killed in an encounter with police officers earlier this month. South Cotabato Provincial Police Office temporarily took custody of Baratumo pending his turnover to the Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office. The post AFP, PNP nab top suspect in Gov. Adiong ambush appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
CPP’s guerilla fronts weakening, says NSC
National Security Council assistant director general Jonathan Malaya on Sunday disclosed that the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines — the New People’s Army — is already weakening. Malaya — who also heads the agency’s Strategic Communications Office — said that at least 75 percent of all NPA guerrilla fronts have been dismantled and only 22 out of the original 89 fronts are still operational. “When we say weakened, they are running out of barangays or a mass base. That’s where they get their strength, from the support of the villagers... The remaining 20 guerrilla fronts, some still have weapons,” Malaya said. He added that of the 22 left, 20 are weakened and the remaining two are the subject of focused military operations and development efforts by NTF-ELCAC agencies. “We are monitoring them to eliminate and arrest them. It doesn’t mean that they can’t attack anymore... Let’s expect that there will still be attacks, but their previous formation, when they could organize 20 up to 40 people, that’s already gone,” Malaya said. “The military was committed to ending things this year. They are very, very hopeful that all the guerilla fronts will be finished. We will weaken them and wipe them out eventually,” he added. Malaya also called on Congress to support President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s continued trust to the NTF-ELCAC with marching orders to “sustain the whole-of-nation approach to peace and development” to prevent communist terrorists, their front organizations, and other lawless elements from recruiting, regrouping, and regaining power. “P10 million per barangay is just very small amount that are given to the residents who chose on what should be to prioritize (road, classrooms or livelihood),” Malaya said. “He (Marcos) also directed the Task Force and the local government units to continue working together to seize the gains in the regions and ensure that we carry this momentum towards total victory over communist terrorism under his administration,” he added. The post CPP’s guerilla fronts weakening, says NSC appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pakistani troops, Khan supporters face off
Supporters angry of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s arrest and trial for alleged corruption are facing troops deployed by the government to quell their violent protests. The cabinet Wednesday approved deployment of the army in two provinces and the capital to restore peace, a statement from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said. The decision follows clashes in Pakistan’s largest city Karachi, where security forces fired tear gas to disperse supporters of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Similar clashes and mass arrest of protesters occured in Islamabad and other cities. Khan was arrested Tuesday during a routine hearing in the capital Islamabad and whisked away to an unknown location overnight before appearing behind closed doors in a specially convened anti-graft court at police headquarters. Ali Bukhari, a lawyer for Khan, told Agence France-Presse by phone that the court had approved eight days of physical remand of the former cricket star demanded by the country’s top graft agency. Some protesters took out their wrath on the military, torching the residence of the corps commander in Lahore and pelting the army’s general headquarters in Rawalpindi with stones. Hundreds of police officers have been injured across Pakistan, while in the populous province of Punjab nearly 1,000 people have been arrested. The post Pakistani troops, Khan supporters face off appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
P1 million reward up for Negros rebel leader’s arrest
A reward of P1 million has been offered for information leading to the arrest of a suspected New People’s Army leader in Negros Occidental......»»