PUNO: CRIMINAL CHARGES FILED VS. KUMANDER BRAVO, UMBRA KATO, MORE THAN 80 OTHER MILF RENEGADES

by: www.dilg.gov.ph

Criminal charges that include double murder, robbery-in-band and arson were filed before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Lanao del Norte against Moro Islamic Liberation Front leader Abdulrahman Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, and over 80 of his cohorts in connection with the series of slayings of civilians and other lawless acts committed by these lawless MILF elements, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said yesterday.

At the same time, Puno called on the MILF central leadership to assist ongoing efforts by law enforcers to apprehend and bring to justice Bravo, his fellow MILF renegade leader Umbra Kato and their co-conspirators to prove its sincerity in pursuing the peace process.

“The filing of cases against are already known to the MILF central committee. We are hoping that they will assist the government in bringing to justice these lawless elements,” Puno said in a press briefing at the national police headquarters in Camp Crame . “If they are truly committed to peace and want the peace process to continue, then we expect them fully to cooperate with our system of justice.”

The DILG chief said the MILF Central Committee’s inaction in helping government pursue these rogue elements “is tantamount to a tacit approval” of the brutal acts committed by them.

“If the leaders in the MILF Central Committee cannot help the government, then this will just show that they do not have the right to speak for the MILF because they cannot even control their members. Perhaps we should not be talking to them,” Puno noted. “Kapag hindi sila tumulong, nangangamba ako sa mga mangyayari sa susunod na mga araw.”

Among those who were included as respondents in the criminal cases filed against Bravo and Kato were the 31 MILF members who surrendered recently to the government. Puno, however, said that if these 31 respondents are willing to turn state witnesses against their cohorts, then they may be accorded a different treatment by state prosecutors since they were merely acting on orders from their superiors and cannot be considered the most guilty.

An initial 90 respondents, among them, Abu Sawaf, Abu Subair, Alin Pangalian and Lunday Dayaan alias Commander Topsider, were included in the charges filed against the MILF renegades, which include one count of double murder, three counts of frustrated murder, one count of murder with frustrated murder, robbery in band, arson, and serious illegal detention, Puno said.

Puno said he will proceed to various areas in Mindanao early next week to hold dialogues with local government executives, Ulamas and Catholic bishops on how to restore normalcy to the lives of the people in areas that were attacked by the MILF.

Among the issues to be discussed during these dialogues, Puno said, are the deputization of members of civilian volunteer organizations (CVOs) as police auxiliaries who will assist the Philippine National Police (PNP) in securing villages prone to MILF attacks.

PNP chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. made it clear that police auxiliaries to be deputized by the PNP will be limited to their respective barangays.

These auxiliaries, he said, will undergo extensive background checks, training and “re-arming” before they can be deputized to assist the PNP in securing barangays.

Puno called on the people in Mindanao to leave the task of fighting rogue MILF members to the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) instead of taking it upon themselves to carry out this responsibility.

He said that the PNP “will see in the course of the next few days” how may police auxiliaries are needed to secure villages in certain parts of Mindanao

THE POWER OF TWO

by Nima S. Sevilla

Two of the most sought after and promising young lawyers of the Municipality of M'lang are now neophyte members of the 16^th Sangguniang Bayan of M’lang, Atty. Russel M. Abonado and Atty. Regerick L. Benito. Both lawyers were batchmates in high school at thr Notre Dame of Mlang for SY 1991– 1992.

Atty. Russel M. Abonado finished his preparatory Bachelor of Arts major in Social Science at the Southern Baptist College in 1996. He started his first year of law proper at the Ateneo de Davao University but was able to finish his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Mindanao in 2001.

Atty. Regerick L. Benito on the other hand, finished his preparatory Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at Christ the King Seminary in Quezon City and graduated Magna Cum Laude. He was then a part-time instructor at the University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao City while earning his Bachelor of Laws at the Ateneo de Davao University where he finished in year 2001.

The two (2) lawyers took and passed the bar exams in 2002 and started practice with the same law firm in Kidapawan City, but eventually put up their individual law offices. Atty. Abonado became the Provincial Legal Officer of the Province of Cotabato from year 2004 to the early part of 2007, while Atty. Benito practiced his profession at the Public Attorney’s Office in Kabacan, Cotabato. The latter won the COTELCO Board of Director’s election in May 2005 but resigned in March 2007. In their fervent desire to serve their people in the municipality, both resigned from their respective positions, run and won in the May 2007 local elections as members of the Sangguniang Bayan,.

Armed and equipped with knowledge and experience in legal matters, both lawyers are no longer be confined to argue in the four walls of the court room, but also in the four walls of the Sangguniang Bayan’s Legislative Chamber.

WE MUST FIGHT FOR OUR DIGNITY

Written by Manny F. Piñol - Vice Governor, North Cotabato
http://www.cotabatoprov.gov.ph/

Sunday, 11 November 2007

Much has been said and written in the media about the incident last Friday, Nov. 9, at the Davao City Golf Club where I allegedly struck a South Korean national with a golf club causing him injuries.

It is unfortunate that the media trivialized the incident and made it appear like an ordinary fracas between hotheaded individuals. Had the media investigated deeper, they would have appreciated the bigger picture that would explain why it had to happen.

I actually did not play golf that morning. I was whiling my time on the putting green in between the clubhouse and the 9th hole while waiting for an appointment at noontime when a Filipino golfer who happens to be a friend came up to me to complain that a South Korean national who was playing behind him with two others (an elder man and a woman) hit a ball towards him and even shouted at him.

That is a no-no in the game of golf which is considered as a gentleman’s game. But more than that I thought that it was very rude on the part of a foreigner to do that to a Filipino right in his homeland.

I advised the Filipino golfer to talk to the Korean which he did as soon as the three got off the 9th green. Instead of apologizing, I heard the Korean shout at the Filipino saying that the reason why he did it was because the Filipino was playing slow.
There was an exchange of heated words from the two prompting me to step forward and tell the Korean that if the Filipino was playing slow, he should just have told his caddy to advise the player in front of him to play faster. “Do not shout at Filipinos. We Filipinos do not like to be shouted at. You are just a visitor in this country. This is not South Korea,” I told the foreigner. Instead of heeding my advice, however, he turned at me and started shouting at me too prompting me to confront him.

I was carrying the putter which I was using on the practice green and as I was nearing him he shouted: “Common hit me, hit me!” I wanted to hit him right there and then but his older companion came to me and appeased me. It was at this point when he poked his golf club at my face, prompting me to parry the club and hit him. He tried to fight back but people nearby pushed him back.

The Davao City Golf Club Board of Directors has issued an order banning that South Korean from ever playing in the golf course not only because of that incident last Friday but also because of previous incidents where he displayed arrogance and lack of courtesy and respect to other players.

Should I be embarrassed that I was involved in that incident? No! I believe I did the right thing. I cannot allow a foreigner to insult a Filipino right in his own home. I will never allow a foreigner to poke his golf club at my face and not do anything about it.
I am even sorry that that was the only damage I inflicted on him for all of the insults he hurled at that Filipino golfer and at me. I should have and could have done better.
Many foreign nationals look down upon us simply because we cannot even stand up and fight for our dignity as a people. And I thought I imparted that message to that rude and arrogant South Korean.

I have nothing against Koreans in general. Many of them are my friends. But this particular Korean should be taught a lesson on how to behave in a country where he is just a visitor.
I would have wanted to keep silent on this issue because I felt I had delivered the message but since the media have trivialized this issue to the point of making me look like a hotheaded hooligan, I will pursue my effort to teach this foreigner a lesson.

Today, I will ask my lawyers to petition the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation to initiate summary proceedings for the deportation of this rude and arrogant foreigner from my country.
The complaint filed by the Filipino golfer with the police department of Davao City and my own affidavit including the statements of those who witnessed the incident will be submitted to the BID.

This particular foreigner must be taught a lesson that we Filipinos could stand up to fight for and protect our dignity as a people.
With this statement, I hope the media now would be able to appreciate the bigger picture. Beyond the swinging of the golf clubs and the welts resulting from that, there is a story of a Filipino who will stand up and fight for his and his people’s honor and dignity.

Provincial Government Projects.

North Cotabato Gov. Manny Piñol checks the work of the asphalt paving machine of the provincial government in a recent dry run. Asphalting of provincial raods and selected major arteries is set to start this year following the inauguration of the North Cotabato Provincial Asphalt Plant at Barangay Pag-asa, Mlang. (http://www.cotabatoprov.gov.ph/)

Moslemen T. Macarambon New COMELEC Commissioner.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita congratulates Commissioner Moslemen T. Macarambon of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) following the latter’s oathtaking Monday (Nov. 5) at the Presidential Guest House in Malacañang. Looking on is Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye.