Mindanao, Philippines: Community wants GPH-NDF to leave them in peace (tags)
LANTAD, Balingasag, Misamis Oriental (MindaNews/25 May) ? The people in what used to be a ?liberated? zone of the communist New People?s Army (NPA) has approved today the ?Lantad Manifesto? asking both the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the umbrella organization of the armed communists, the National Democratic Front (NDF), to respect their right to self-determination and peace.
Pananalanta ng pasistang estado, Nagpapatuloy (tags)
Nagpapatuloy ang pasistang pananalanta ng AFP sa buong Pilipinas. Ayon sa ulat ng AJLPP,walang puknat ang mga pamamaslang at iba pang abusong militar sa bansa. Isang lider magsasaka ang pinaslang sa Masbate at isang lider kabataang Moro ang pinatay sa Zamboanga Sibugay nitong Enero. Patuloy din ang harasment sa mga progresibo at panggigipit sa masang magsasaka sa kanayunan. Ayon pa rin sa ulat mula sa Pilipinas ay nagpapatuloy ang mga pagpataya mga lumalaban sa pamahalaan.
AFP seeks additional troops, P3.5B to quash insurgents (tags)
President Arroyo yesterday said she is merely awaiting the recommendation of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro to approve the proposal of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) leadership to beef up its strength by six battalions to bolster the government’s campaign to stamp out the decades-old local communist insurgency. Presiding over the first AFP Command Conference of 2008 at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday morning, Mrs. Arroyo listened intently to the presentations of the military brass, led by AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr. on the insurgency situation and other threats to national security. Esperon reported to the President that the AFP needs six more battalions and P3.5 billion to implement its “unified command” program. In addition to the six battalions, the AFP hopes to constitute 20 more Cafgu (Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit) companies to help the military fight insurgency in the countryside.