StevenWarRan Research: Inquirer 2007

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April 20, 2007, Associated Press, Philippine Army Vowed to Crash Abu Sayyaf Militants after Beheadings, by Paul Alexander, Diigo,

The Philippine army, outraged by the beheadings of seven Abu Sayyaf hostages whose heads were delivered to troops on southern Jolo island, ordered its units Friday to intensify efforts to wipe out the "barbaric" militants.

The men—six road project workers and a dried-fish factory worker—were kidnapped at gunpoint by the al-Qaida-linked militants in two separate incidents Monday near the town of Parang, 960 kilometers (600 miles) south of Manila, the military said.

Two severed heads were turned over to a group of civilians late Thursday, who were ordered to take them to an army detachment in Parang. The five other severed heads were handed over to army troops at another detachment in nearby Indanan town, the military said in a statement.

The rest of the remains were recovered in Parang early Friday, Sulu provincial Governor Ben Loong told a government radio station, and appealed for calm. He said all the victims were Christians from Zamboanga city on the main southern island of Mindanao.

"The government and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are here. The government will take care of you, no matter how long this trouble will last," Loong said.

All other construction projects on Jolo were suspended because of security concerns, he said.

Maj-Gen Ruben Rafael, commander of military forces on Jolo, said the civilians were ordered to take the heads by Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad, who operates in Jolo's mountainous forests.

The United States, whose troops have been involved in counterterrorism training and campaigns on Jolo to draw local support away from the militants, has offered a US $15,000 reward for information leading to Parad's capture.

"This is a retaliation for the killing of one of their commanders," Rafael said. "This is a terrorist act that should be condemned by all."

He said the company that employed the road workers had refused to pay a ransom demanded by Parad.

The Philippine army commander, Lt-Gen. Romeo Tolentino, after learning about the beheadings, ordered his units on Jolo "to double their efforts and intensify military operations to destroy the barbaric Abu Sayyaf to prevent them from further harming the hardworking, peace-loving and innocent civilians of Sulu" province.

The Abu Sayyaf has not issued any statements claiming responsibility for the kidnappings or beheadings.

The notorious group is on a list of US terrorist organizations and has a reputation for bombings, mass abductions and beheadings in the Philippines.

The Abu Sayyaf and its Indonesian allies from Jemaah Islamiyah have been blamed for plotting several bomb attacks, including a February 2004 blast that ignited a fire aboard a ferry, killing 116 people in Southeast Asia's second-worst terror attack.

It has been the target of a massive US-backed military offensive on Jolo that started in August and has resulted in the deaths of its top two leaders.

Loong said that the kidnappings showed the Abu Sayyaf remains capable of banditry and terrorist acts despite a number of battlefield losses.

An estimated 300 to 400 Abu Sayyaf gunmen remain at large on Jolo.

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July 16, 2007, Inquirer, 'This isn't my son,' ma of dead Marine cries, by Christine Avendaño, Diigo,

MANILA, Philippines -- Overwhelmed with emotion when they saw their loved ones in their coffins, one young woman fainted while others wept. Another woman, Sonia Panaga, wailed and stomped her foot on the floor on seeing the remains of her first-born, Cpl. Russel Panaga.

But she simply could not recognize him.

"Hindi yan ang anak ko (That's not my son)," Sonia, rent with grief, said as she hung on the arm of a relative.

As relatives swarmed around to comfort her, Sonia insisted it was not her Russel and that maybe there had been a mistake.

Sonia was among the mourners who viewed for the first time Sunday the remains of 14 Marines killed in an ambush by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas and Abu Sayyaf bandits on Basilan island on Tuesday last week.

Her son was among the 10 Marines who were beheaded.

Some were not just beheaded; their bodies were also mutilated.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales, speaking on Church-run Radio Veritas, was appalled, saying that whoever carried out the atrocities were not human.

"Kahit sino, hindi ako bumabanggit na kahit sino pa man, basta gumawa ng ganun, hindi tao (Whoever did this, and I won’t mention anyone, whoever did this are not human)," Rosales said.

For the first time since the carnage, Marine officers admitted that not only were the dead Marines beheaded and mutilated, they were also robbed of their personal effects -- rings, watches and even cell phones -- by their killers.

Marine Commandant Maj. Gen. Nelson Allaga told reporters that accounts by some of the nine soldiers wounded in the ambush showed that they saw their attackers chopping up the fallen soldiers' remains.

"Nakita pa tinataga nga yun wounded e (They saw their wounded comrades being hacked)," Allaga said.

The mother of 11 children, Sonia said her son was "kalbo" (bald) -- at least that was the way he looked the last time she saw him weeks ago when he came home to Bicol for a visit.

Her relatives tried to hush her, telling her it was their Russel all right.

The remains in the casket had hair.

The Marines were heading back to their base in Iligan after conducting a fruitless search for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi when they were ambushed.

The remains of Russel and the other Marines were brought to Manila from Zamboanga City the other day for a wake at the Philippine Marines headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

Allaga said military investigators were trying to piece together what happened on Tuesday. He noted that the ambush and succeeding firefight happened over a wide area.

The Army vehicles traveling in a convoy were far apart from each other and Allaga said Marines at the back of the convoy couldn't possibly have known what was happening to their comrades in front.

Pure sadism

Asked what message the attackers were trying to send by chopping off the heads of the Marines, Allaga said that in past encounters he had been in, such as in the Cordilleras, beheadings were done to signal total victory.

"When you go after the head, you are going after the center of gravity, as though your victory would be complete if you could remove the head," he said.

Allaga said the mutilations simply were acts of "sadism."

"It's even a cowardly act ... because if you are really a warrior, [you would not do it] because he's already dead," he said.

Marine spokesperson Lt. Col. Ariel Caculitan said that some of the slain Marines had their hands or legs cut off.

In a few instances, the military was unable to recover the body parts of these soldiers, he said.

Caculitan said that one soldier had his limbs cut off and this only showed “how savage these people are.”

Gloves on

At Sunday’s wake held at the gymnasium inside the Marine compound, some of the slain soldiers had gloves on to hide their missing hands, Navy spokesperson Commander Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said.

The dead Marines, in uniform, lay in white caskets flanked by rows of white wreaths from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Consoled by Marine officers after her outburst, Sonia finally admitted to reporters that it was indeed her son who was lying in the coffin.

"I was just shocked," she said, apologizing. "It was because my son was a handsome man."

Embalming fluid

While she was talking to reporters, a Navy servicewoman interrupted, telling her that she probably did not recognize her son because of the embalming fluid that left his face bloated.

She agreed that it might have been the fluid all right.

Bacordo said that Russel’s death came after he had survived two other “close” encounters.

Russel was one of two soldiers from a Marine unit who survived a previous encounter with Abu Sayyaf and another deadly firefight with the group last year, in which Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani was killed.

One of the bandits in Tuesday’s ambush even used the cell phone he took from one of the Marines to call the latter’s wife and tell her they had killed him, according to Bacordo.

The killer even called

Bacordo said Private First Class Reuben Doronio Jr., who hailed from Cebu and, at 20 years old, was the youngest among those killed, had called his wife during the firefight.

"But the conversation was cut short. The wife tried to call back but could not reach him," he said.

Later, Doronio's wife received a call from her husband’s phone.

It was someone claiming that he and his companions had killed her husband, according to Bacordo.

"Pinatay na namin asawa mo. Yan ang napala niya kasi sundalo siya (We killed your husband. That was his fate because he was a soldier)," was what the caller told Doronio's wife, Bacordo said.

"You can see how very callous they are. They don’t have any feelings," Bacordo told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

Cardinal Rosales said if those who beheaded the Marines claimed to have a god, the only way to explain their brutality was they might have been losing the minds given to them by their god.

"You're losing your conscience, too. If that’s the case, even a snake will be afraid of you. Even evil will be afraid of you," he said.

"It (brutality) can never be justified,” Rosales said. "It has nothing to do with religion, nothing to do with culture. It has to do with the human person. If you want to be human, join the human society. Abide by its decency, its morality." With a report from Nikko Dizon
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July 12, 2007, Inquirer, TV reporter sees empty houses before all hell breaks loose, by Christine Avendaño Julie Alipala,

MANILA, Philippines -- GMA 7 reporter Jun Veneracion had an eerie feeling when the convoy of seven military vehicles, one of which was carrying him and his two television crewmembers, rolled on Tuesday through an area where the houses were empty.

The 36-year-old broadcaster, who had been in the media for 12 years, recalled past conversations with soldiers who had told him that empty houses in a village in volatile places, such as Basilan province, signaled "trouble" was just around the corner.

His fears came true.

Soon, he and his crew were in the middle of mayhem, a deadly ambush in which at least 14 Marines were killed by combined forces of the Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“I got a first-hand experience of hell,” Veneracion said in a phone interview. “It was like hell.”

Veneracion said heavy firing “from all directions” erupted minutes after the convoy had turned back to assist a dump truck, the last vehicle in the convoy, which had gotten stuck in mud.

By that time, he and cameraman Julius Catibog and assistant cameraman Donny Roxas, had already gone down from the 6-wheeler truck carrying them and 20 other Marines.

Time for prayers

He said the first salvo -- which lasted about five minutes and included rounds of mortar --was very scary.

“I prayed and prayed for the firing to stop,” said Veneracion.

But his prayers were not answered.

Soon, the heavy firing resumed and all they could do was take cover, drop down on their knees and run, and then run again in order to escape the flurry of bullets.

“It went on and on so what we did was dumapa, gumapang, dumapa (hit the ground, crawl, hit the ground).”

“Actually, hinihintay na lang namin na tamaan kami (we were just waiting to get hit),” Veneracion said.

He added that the attackers were so near he could hear their voices.

"We heard them shouting, Allahu Akbar (God is great), many times while they kept on shooting and we thought that it was our last," he added.

"Lahat ng klaseng dasal ginawa na namin (All kinds of prayers, we said them all)."

In between the firing that began at 10 a.m. were frightening periods of waiting for the next volley of shots to erupt.

He said that whenever they were down on the ground taking cover, he and his teammates would look at each other.

"We were ready to surrender to our fate," he said.

There was a point Veneracion said when he felt tears in his eyes. A Marine became teary-eyed himself in the face of the heavy assault.

"The firepower of the other side was far greater than that of the military," he said.

Marines held on

By his own count, Veneracion said the Marines were “vastly outnumbered.” They were about 100 compared to the “500” very determined attackers, he said.

“But even if they were outnumbered, the Marines stood their ground,” he said.

Despite the shooting around them, the television crew was able to videotape the firefight, he said.

But when they had to rush to another location, the crew had to abandon its camera equipment. It was later retrieved by military reinforcement teams.

Veneracion said it was around sundown that he and his crew, with other Marines guiding them, were able to run to a location held by military reinforcement teams.

It was 30 minutes of walking and running, and finally relief that their ordeal had ended.

Never again

It was a “miracle, to say the least,” he said.

One of his cameraman, Roxas, sustained a slight wound in the left ear after being hit by shrapnel.

“We were lucky enough to survive,” Veneracion said. “It’s hard to go back to this kind of situation again.”

Veneracion said he and his crew joined the Marines hoping to get a good story -- until one of the trucks found the mud.

Veneracion said that Roxas told him: "I only see this in movies."

“For me, this is my last (coverage) of this kind,” Veneracion said.
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July 13, 2007, Inquirer, Imam’s killing may have triggered beheadings, by Julie Alipala,

ALBARKA, BASILAN -- The gruesome killing of an imam (religious leader) in the village of Ginanta here might have prompted members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to attack a Marine contingent, according to the town mayor.

Ustadz Matarul Hakim Alkanul, who was partially blind, was found dead near his house in the morning of July 10 in Ginanta, Mayor Jakilan Karam told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

The imam’s body was riddled with bullets, his hands and feet tied with rope, Karam said.

Hours after Alkanul’s body was discovered, Marines searching for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi were ambushed by MILF forces in the village. Fourteen soldiers were killed while nine others were wounded. Ten of the fatalities were beheaded.

“Because of what happened to the only imam here, the people were angry,” Karam said in Filipino.

Even so, Karam and police officials could not say who was behind the imam’s killing.

Brig. Gen. Ramiro Alivio, 1st Marine Brigade commander, denied any military involvement in the death of the imam.

“They just concocted that story. If indeed there was an imam killed or wounded, he might have been caught in the crossfire. But as far as we are concerned, we don’t execute people,” Alivio said.

Deep hatred

The Marines were on their way back to their headquarters in Campo Uno in Lamitan City when they were ambushed, he said.

Tipo-Tipo town is a known stronghold of the MILF led by Hamsa Sapanton, according to Maj. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, 4th Infantry Division commander.

"I remember that at the height of the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf Group, there were no reported or monitored encounters in the area," Ferrer said. "Most of the engagements against these bandits were in Sumisip and Tuburan."

Karam, however, could not say who was behind the beheading of the 10 soldiers.

"But you could see the deep hatred," he said.

No man's land

Senior Supt. Salik Macapantar, Basilan police chief, confirmed the killing of Alkanul, "but we are still investigating if the mutilation (of the Marines) had something to do with the killing of the imam."

Albarka is one of three newly created towns here. It used to be part of Tipo-Tipo municipality.

Ginanta is now considered a no-man’s land. Some 2,000 residents had abandoned their homes since Tuesday, Karam said.

Three neighboring villages -- Linungan, Magtawa and Makalang -- had also been deserted by their residents who fled to Tuburan and Lamitan towns.

"We don’t have an evacuation center here," Karam said.

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July 16, 2007, Inquirer, Editorial, Pit of despair, Diigo,

MANILA,Philippines -- The Arroyo administration's initial response to the unprovoked ambush of Marines conducting a search-and-rescue operation in Basilan last Tuesday, and the gory beheadings that followed it, has been measured, nuanced and above all firm. The public should give it its unmistakable, unqualified support.

Instead of ordering an immediate retaliation against the gang of decapitators, both administration officials and the military top brass have employed a strategy of deliberation. We do not think this act of will, for surely it requires an enormous amount of individual and institutional will power to subsume a sense of outrage under a sense of restraint, is a sign of weakness. On the contrary, we think it allows the government to respond to the July 10 massacre from a position of strength, and with some hope of salvaging the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

The strategy is best summed up in a well-turned declaration from President Macapagal-Arroyo. "We will run after those who killed our Marines, but we will not run away from the peace talks," the President said the other day.

"Running after" the perpetrators means both undertaking the necessary military preparations (unlike those who have immediately called for blood, the soldiers who will return to the Albarka area in Basilan can lose their lives, especially in insufficiently planned missions) and forcing the MILF to surrender the decapitators to the criminal justice system. AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon has asked the government peace panel to demand that the MILF, through the Coordinating Committee for the Cessation of Hostilities, "bring us the perpetrators of the crime who are their members." The military is giving the MILF one week to comply. Now these measured steps do not strike us as irresolute or directionless.

"Not running away" means using the grievance mechanisms already in place, and leveraging all that has been gained in years of on-again, off-again negotiations to bring the country closer to, not farther away from, an effective peace agreement. It is our sense that, in the last few years, the military leadership has learned to accept the wisdom of a peace deal as the lasting solution to the Moro separatist crisis. (Among other things, a peace agreement on the lines of the 1997 accord with the Moro National Liberation Front will allow the Armed Forces to deploy most of its forces against the communist insurgency.)

Striking the balance between the two imperatives outlined in the President's declaration is a difficult act; this is where supportive public opinion comes in. It can help steady the administration's hand, and in the process show the country the way out of the pit of despair.
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July 19, 2007, Cebu Daily News, Opinion, Unclenching fists, by Juan Mercado,

CEBU, Philippines—“You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist.” And the beheading of 10 marines slain in a Basilan ambush, and the mutilation of their genitals, infuriated including those who’ve backed peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Demands for harsh reprisals have surged to stridency unheard since General Teodulfo Bautista and his men were ambushed at a Patikul peace meeting. Upon assurances of safe passage by Sulu rebels, they went unarmed – and were cut down.

The decapitations fractured the Third Geneva Convention. Article 13 prohibits disfigurement, whether of prisoners or the dead. But international law rarely figures in the calculus of many MILF leaders, even as countries, the world over, have made “command responsibility” a keystone of governance.” That spurns accountability under standards acceded to by 194 countries and Philippine laws. This disdain trickles down to foot soldiers.

What stokes today’s raw anger, however, is not MILF’s expanded claim to Basilan as their territory. Sez who? snapped columnist Ana Marie Pamintuan. That has been the near-universal reaction. And what law empowered them to kill trespassers? asked Cebu Daily News’ Ricky Poca. “That’s not an argument of a civilized mind.”

No, it is not. Indeed, Islam prohibits suicide, and corpses, from conflict, are to be respected. Families of combatants, as well as their sick, old and clergy, must be protected. “Do not aggress as God does not like aggressors.” (Qur’an: 2:190).

Departure from this humane standard, shared by all major faiths, stokes today’s fury. Those who looted the cell phone of Private First Class Rueben Doronio sent mocking messages to his family. “Binaboy ang aking anak,” wailed a mother at the Villamor Air Base necrological rites. Translation dilutes the anguish in “binaboy.” (“They mutilated my son like a pig.”)

This is a brutal negation of a common humanity – done to “a piece of divinity in us that owes no homage unto the sun.” Yet, it was not always this way.

Muslims, lumads and Christians, for years, lived side-by-side in peace, as Philippine Human Development Report case studies note. “Our playmates and classmates were all Maranaos. And we went caroling to both Christian and Maranao homes. During Ramadan, we fasted. We called the hilot who helped our mother during deliveries “ina” – the Maranao term for mother.

Migration into Mindanao, land grabbing, fraud by corrupt Muslim “leaders” and embedded poverty were fuel for revolt. Even today, life expectancy in Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, at 52 years, is almost a generation shorter than 71 for Cebu. Using international development yardsticks, Maguindanao finds itself bracketed between India and Yemen.

The 1970-72 onslaught by lowland “Ilaga” vigilantes and rouge military lit the fuse for the eruption. Damage spread with the October 1972 Muslim National Liberation Front uprising. And MILF continued this campaign of armed conflict while negotiating, after MNLF crumbled from Nur Misuari’s inept leadership. Nur spoke of carving six-lane highways in his native Sulu. He refused to be bothered by literacy scraping 58 percent. Seven out of 10 lacked potable water.

“Peace is not only better than war but infinitely more arduous,” George Bernard Shaw once said. And the past half century has seen painful efforts to rebuild bridges: from ulamas and bishops regular consultations to today’s peace talks with international cooperation. Malaysia is “referee” in peace talks with MILF.

In his 20 February 1981 address to Muslim representatives in Davao, the late Pope John Paul II summed up the search for common values: “I deliberately address you as brothers: that is certainly what we are, because we are members of the same human family, whose efforts, whether people realize it or not, tend toward God and the truth that comes from him. But we are especially brothers in God, who created us and whom we are trying to reach, in our own ways, through faith, prayer and worship, through the keeping of his law and through submission to his design.”

That hope has been further blurred by MILF’s stances: admission of staging the ambush; pledges to punish those who violated Islamic tenets (let alone Filipino and international standards), then refusal to identify or hand over perpetrators. MILF, meanwhile, flaunts the unproven claims of 30 marines killed.

That splashes fuel on to an already raging fire. It does little to allay already deep suspicion that MILF harbors foreign terrorists. And its de-cajon brush-off claim that attacks are staged by rouge commanders, not under MILF control, is wearing thin.

The issues of transparency, responsibility, justice and impunity must be addressed. Whether Abu Sayyaf or MILF members did the mutilation and looting of the fallen cannot be just be brushed aside. A reassessment of the peace talks does not cancel the peace process. Fairness reinforces that process. And it is necessary because many of the insurgent grievances are legitimate.

But we cannot just skid back to normalcy, as if nothing happened. After all, the MILF does not live on another planet. Like the rest of us, they find themselves in an international community that holds standards to set us off from savages.

What really is at stake here is whether we can end this discord in our time, so all our grandchildren can live in peace. Failure to do that will only dump on them this old conflict, made more lethal by Al-Qaeda aberrations of a faith that teaches Allah is “the merciful, the compassionate…”

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July 19, 2007, Cebu Daily News, Opinion, Ouano intramurals, by Malou Guanzon-Apalisok,

CEBU, Philippines—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s 7th state of the nation address on Monday before a joint session of Congress is expected to issue a presidential call to arms for what happened to 14 Marine soldiers in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan last July 10. Perpetrators of the grisly murder are believed to be members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), who didn’t stop at killing the Marines but mutilated their bodies to show their utter contempt for the military and the government.

From media reportage about the incident, the Marines were searching for kidnapped Italian priest Gianciarlo Bossi. Against the advice of local government leaders, military soldiers stepped into combat zone, reportedly under the heavy influence of MILF and ASG.

Like in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York six years ago, the leader of the country bears the heaviest pressure in dealing with such gruesome incidents. The Sept. 11 jet hijackings left more than 6,000 dead or missing at New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in rural Pennsylvania. Back then, President George W. Bush was being aggravated to launch a Gulf War-style posse against Osama bin Laden, whose whereabouts are as fabled as his ability to conduct terror attacks through his vast terrorist network operating in Western China, Algeria and the Philippines.

But despite the huge resources of the United States, it opted to come up with a layered response because of the risks that accompanied the launching of an all-out war against the enemy. Despite the sentiment of a large segment of the US population at that time, the stance was easier said than done. Indeed, the US government had the dossier against the prime suspect in the attacks, but Bin Laden was no ordinary enemy. He was the symbol of radical Islamic states, a moving target in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan.

The "Powell Doctrine," the theory that wars are best won by deploying "overwhelming force," was also rejected “for the simple reason that the enemy has hardly any visible military assets or civilian economic infrastructure, and may not even be ultimately dependent on his current territorial home base. And applying such force in territories where he has sought support or shelter could open up a protracted and costly conflict with forces currently on the sidelines,” media reported in the wake of the attacks.

In layman’s parlance, innocent lives could be endangered, which could fuel a huge backlash among conservative Arab countries friendly with the US. The position of Islamic clerics in Afghanistan was also problematic for they were not keen to hand over the Al-Qaeda chief to the US. In the end, it opted to launch “sustained land combat” that eventually allowed North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces to pounce hard on Bin Laden and the Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan.

If the Philippine government is still viewing the secessionist movement in Mindanao within the framework of political struggle, then we can say the Basilan attack was a disaster waiting to happen. Observers in the decades old secessionist movement in Mindanao believe the dissidents have turned to Al-Qaida connections for direction and funding. Which means the struggle has long modified from political to religious, which is Bin Ladin’s guiding principle -- a global 'jihad' against the U.S. because of its support for Israel and for moderate Arab regimes. In the Philippines, the assault against a Catholic missionary says it all.

The alleged killing of an imam or religious leader as the cause of the Basilan attack is an indication that the MILF and their ASG cohorts have taken the jihad against the Philippine military to heart. In which case, it will be all the more complicated for the Arroyo administration to come up with a clear response to the terrorist attacks.

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July 10, 2007, Inquirer, Dozens of Indian troops missing, feared dead after clash,
July 10, 2007, Inquirer, 27 women, 3 children rescued from Pakistan mosque -- army,
July 10, 2007, Inquirer, 50 militants, 8 soldiers killed in Pakistan mosque,
July 10, 2007, Inquirer, 20 militants, 3 troops dead at Pakistan mosque -- army,

July 11, 2007, Inquirer, Terror tag on CPP-NPA to scuttle peace talks -- Bayan,
July 11, 2007, Inquirer, Marines outgunned, outnumbered -- reporter,

July 16, 2007, Inquirer, Editorial, Pit of despair, Diigo,

July 17, 2007, Inquirer, Military verifies claim Abu leader wounded in Basilan clash,
July 17, 2007, Inquirer, Military denies hand in killing of Imam,
July 17, 2007, Inquirer, Accused Marine officers shave heads over Basilan,
July 17, 2007, Inquirer, RP asks international monitors to probe Basilan clash,
July 17, 2007, Inquirer, 2 Marines killed in Jolo clash with Abu Sayyaf,
July 17, 2007, Inquirer, MILF won’t surrender rebels behind beheading of Marines,
July 17, 2007, Inquirer, Do justice to slain Marines,

July 18, 2007, Inquirer, Peace hangs in the balance in Mindanao -- officials,
July 18, 2007, Inquirer, ARMM police to press charges vs MILF over Basilan attack,
July 18, 2007, Inquirer, Another Marine battalion joining hunt for comrades' killers,
July 18, 2007, Inquirer, Bossi dropped as military priority,
July 18, 2007, Inquirer, Abu Sayyaf ambush kills 2 more Marines,

July 19, 2007, Inquirer, Malaysia agrees to send int’l team to probe Basilan incident,
July 19, 2007, Inquirer, 2 Marine commanders relieved over Basilan carnage,
July 19, 2007, Inquirer, Commander of Marine unit attacked in Basilan replaced,

July 19, 2007, Inquirer, Charges readied against Moro rebels,
July 19, 2007, Inquirer, 2 suspected communist rebels killed in Mindoro clash,
July 19, 2007, Inquirer, MILF won't yield men in Basilan clash,

May 1, 2007, New York Times, Philippines deems Peace Corps murder a closed case, by Carlos H. Conde,

August 29, 2007, GMA News, Campbell kin to help set up tourism info center,

September 19, 2007, Sun Star, 20 US Peace Corps volunteers assigned to CAR, none in Ifugao,

September 26, 2007, GMA News, Envoy: Peace Corps men more security conscious,

October 8, 2007, GMA News, Campbell hit with hard object, PNP dentist testifies,

October 13, 2007, GMA News, Campbell’s slay suspect pleads for forgiveness,

April 8, 2008, GMA News, Julia Campbell's mother fails to hear killer's tale,

April 9, 2008, GMA News, Julia Campbell killing: Court ruling out June 30,

June 30, 2008, GMA News, Court convicts suspect in Julia Campbell killing,

July 2, 2008, GMA News, Duntugan lawyers to question Campbell verdict, by Floro Taguinod,

April 4, 2009, GMA News, Campbell's murder haunts Mt. Province’s tourism industry, by Floro Taguinod,

April 22, 2012, GMA News, Army: Six rebels killed in Mountain Province clash,

December 15, 2012, GMA News, AFP to have holiday truce; NPA to observe own ceasefire in 'Pablo'-hit areas,
December 17, 2012, GMA News, Troops observing holiday truce attacked by suspected NPA rebels in Iloilo,
December 24, 2012, GMA News, Despite ongoing truce with NPA rebels, military to remain vigilant,

January 18, 2013, GMA News, Suspected NPA rebels seize cop, soldier at ComVal checkpoint,

January 24, 2013, GMA News, 2 suspected NPA rebels killed in Sorsogon clash,
January 24, 2013, GMA News, NDRRMC: 85 families evacuated from NCotabato due to AFP-NPA clash,

15,000 banana plants in Dole plantation chopped down; NPA suspected

Suspected NPA rebels seize cop, soldier at ComVal checkpoint

NPA kill militiaman's wife in Albay – Armed Forces

CPP re-extends ceasefire to Jan. 15

January 3, 2013, GMA News, CAFGU member slain in North Cotabato NPA attack

PHL communist rebels call off truce

PHL's 6th most wanted man nabbed in Negros Oriental

7 Army soldiers hurt in Basilan ambush by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits

Army colonel found guilty in bungled Al-Barka operation

Palace firm on 'no-ransom policy' for kidnapped Australian

Australia welcomes proof Abu Sayyaf hostage Rodwell alive

Kidnapped Australian in PHL not hopeful of freedom

Police: Suspected Malaysian Jemaah Islamiyah member killed in Davao City

Kidnap victims identify Abu Sayyaf captors at DOJ hearing

Hinihinalaang miyembro ng Abu Sayyaf, arestado sa Zamboanga City

Govt forces arrest suspected Abu Sayyaf bandit in Zamboanga City

Abu Sayyaf leader Sahiron placed on FBI’s Most Wanted list

July 19, 2007, Cebu Daily News, Opinion, Ouano intramurals, by Malou Guanzon-Apalisok, Diigo,
July 19, 2007, Cebu Daily News, Opinion, Unclenching fists, by Juan Mercado, Diigo,

July 20, 2007, Inquirer, Military bent on hunting down Marines’ killers

July 20, 2007, Inquirer, MILF to military on Bossi: ‘We told you so’
July 20, 2007, Inquirer, Barbaric and treacherous act
July 20, 2007, Inquirer, Public’s blind spot on Marines’ ambush
July 20, 2007, Inquirer, MILF won’t turn in Marine killers

July 29, 2007, Inquirer, Sison’s lawyers to use Supreme Court ruling to quash case

July 29, 2007, Inquirer, DoJ to ask GMA-7 news crew to testify on Basilan clash

July 29, 2007, Inquirer, South quiet after Philippines suspends offensive
July 29, 2007, Inquirer, Kidnapping ‘blessing in disguise’

July 30, 2007, Inquirer, Joint team appeals for extension of Basilan clash probe
July 30, 2007, Inquirer, 'No Basilan offensives'--Palace

July 30, 2007, Inquirer, 1,700 Islamist casualties in RP since 2000--rights report
July 30, 2007, Inquirer, EU hopes Basilan ceasefire will be extended
July 30, 2007, Inquirer, Estrada gives P500,000 each to kin of slain Marines
July 30, 2007, Inquirer, So what if no Speaker was elected in time?

July 30, 2007, Inquirer, 'Limited police action' in Basilan means all-out war
July 30, 2007, Inquirer, Events leading to Basilan crisis echo 2000 all-out war

July 31, 2007, Inquirer, 3 MILF rebels killed in Maguindanao ambush

July 31, 2007, Inquirer, RP commitment crucial to Mindanao peace--Malaysian minister
July 31, 2007, Inquirer, Gonzales: ‘No timeframe for getting Marines’ killers’
July 31, 2007, Inquirer, Negotiators want one more day

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August 28, 2007, Inquirer, PNP: 'AFP took shortcuts to get Basilan beheading warrants',
August 28, 2007, Inquirer, Marine slain in 2006 clash with Abu Sayyaf honored as hero,
August 28, 2007, Inquirer, Troops continue to pound main Abu group in Basilan,
August 28, 2007, Inquirer, PNP to file raps vs communist rebels for Burgos kidnap,
August 28, 2007, Inquirer, 'Secret' peace talks held in Kuala Lumpur--MILF exec,
August 28, 2007, Inquirer, Marines shell Abu Sayyaf position, seal off 2 Basilan towns,
August 28, 2007, Inquirer, Police warns of terror bombings in Metro Manila,

August 29, 2007, Inquirer, Marine gets award a year after death in Sulu,

August 31, 2007, Inquirer, Estrada group gives P1M to kin of slain Army men,

August 31, 2007, Inquirer, 'Abu leaders reported dead are alive'--local officials, Diigo,

August 31, 2007, Inquirer, MILF to gov't: 'Make peace talks grand agenda',

August 31, 2007, Inquirer, New Marine chief to 'plotters': 'Come home',
August 31, 2007, Inquirer, 200 media workers killed in Iraq since 2003,
August 31, 2007, Inquirer, Basilan, Sulu offensives on despite Ramadan--defense chief,
August 31, 2007, Inquirer, Ransom paid for South Korean hostages--report,
August 31, 2007, Inquirer, Mindanao solons lament: Arroyo broke promise on budget hike,

August 31, 2007, Inquirer, Dutch judge extends detention of Sison,

April 14, 2010, Inquirer Mindanao, Powerful figures behind Abu Sayyaf's latest attack -- police, by Julie Alipala, Diigo,

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August 29, 2007, Inquirer, Marines hit for haste in getting Basilan beheading warrants,
05:33:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- A Basilan police officer said the military apparently took a short cut in securing arrest warrants against 127 persons suspected of beheading 10 Marine soldiers in Al-Barka town on July 10.

Senior Supt. Salik Macapantar, the Basilan police chief, said the Philippine National Police was "now obliged to explain why even the names of those already dead or those who are really innocent were included in the list."

He said that based on the PNP's initial investigation, only eight people were actually involved in the Al-Barka beheadings but the Marines later submitted eight more names, to make 16.

And while they were conducting further investigation, Macapantar said the Marines had secured more warrants for a total of 127 suspects.

Lamitan City Mayor Roderick Furigay said he was surprised when Ustadz Ameer Usman Mangkabong, a Lamitan spiritual leader, turned up as a suspect.

"An Ameer is equivalent to a bishop and I can vouch for his innocence," Furigay said.

Macapantar said the latest investigation showed that there are only 16 probable suspects in the Al-Barka beheadings. Two have been killed while another suspect has surrendered.

"So our list now contains 13 names," he said.

Meanwhile, as the military resumed offensive operations against the Abu Sayyaf extremist group in Basilan and Sulu, human rights advocates expressed concern that more innocent civilians would be mistaken for Abu Sayyaf extremists.

Lawyer Ulka Ulama cited several cases of mistaken identity that have caused much distress to some Tausug families.

Last Aug. 19, Ulama said soldiers raided the house of the Isnirani family in the village of Tantung, Indanan and arrested three family members.

Ulama said the human rights abuses of the military could be attributed to the fact that residents rarely complain.

Brig. Gen. Ruperto Pabustan, chief of the joint special operations command, has consistently denied his troops were abusing the rights of civilians.

"It will not help us if we do that," he said.

Meanwhile, the military yesterday said government forces have shelled an Abu Sayyaf stronghold in Basilan in preparation for an offensive.

Mortar fire started Monday on a suspected Abu Sayyaf hideout in the jungles of Basilan, said spokesperson Capt. Niel Estrella.

"It's part of our offensive, to soften the target defense. This is to support our ground troops" massed around the al-Qaida linked group, he said by telephone. Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao, and Agence France-Presse
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August 29, 2007, Inquirer, West Mindanao command has new chief, by Julie Alipala.
22:15:00

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- Less than two months into a renewed war with Moro rebels in Basilan and Sulu, the military formally changed the leadership of the Western Mindanao Command on Wednesday, released the increased combat pay for soldiers, and announced the pullout of a battalion that suffered the heaviest losses.

Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon presided over the turnover of the Westmincom here to Marine Major General Nelson Allaga.

Allaga replaced Lieutenant General Eugenio Cedo who is retiring on September 6.

The loss of 57 soldiers during pursuit operations against the extremist Abu Sayyaf group since July has drawn criticism, even from with military ranks.

In his speech, Allaga, previously the Philippines Marines commandant, said the military could end the war against the extremist Abu Sayyaf in two months.

"I am humbled by the opportunities given to me but as you can see, additional guidelines were given to me by the chief of staff and it included sustaining the ongoing operations," he said. He said the two-month timetable for the neutralization of the Abu Sayyaf could be realized.

Allaga also announced the official pullout of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 9 from Basilan in line with "normal rotation and retraining." He said the unit suffered heavy losses, losing 25 men since July.

Esperon, in his own speech at the turnover rites, however, denied that he ordered Allaga to end the war in two months. "We are not finishing the war in two months, please disabuse (your mind of) that," he said.

Meanwhile, Esperon announced he brought with him P600,000 in cash to cover the soldiers’ combat pay for July and August. The soldiers were granted an additional P150 from their current P240 per day combat pay.

There are seven battalions in Basilan and eight battalions in Sulu, or about 7,500 soldiers involved in the offensive. The pay raise amounts to about P4,500 in additional allowances per month.

On the announcement that the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team would cover the Basilan-Sulu area, Esperon said they were still discussing whether this would entail changes in their positions.

Esperon said the military operation would be complemented by more development projects and support from US forces on humanitarian assistance missions. With a report from Jeoffrey Maitem
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September 26, 2006, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, God's Country? Evangelicals and U.S. Foreign Policy, Event Transcript, Diigo,

Winter 09/Spring 10, Political Research Associates, The U.S. Christian Right and the Attack on Gays in Africa, by Kapya Kaoma, Diigo,

January 4, 2010, New York Times, Americans' Role Seen in Uganda Anti-Gay Push,

May 7, 2010, Lusaka Times, Channel funds to projects, not gay rights, donors urged,

January 28, 2011, New York Times, Ugandan Who Spoke Up for Gays Is Beaten to Death,

December 7, 2011, New York Times, U.S. to Aid Gay Rights Abroad, Obama and Clinton Say,

December 22, 2011, New York Times, Op-Ed, Gay and Vilified in Uganda, by Frank Mugisha, Diigo,

Summer 2012, The Public Eye, The Culture Wars Come to Zambia: Intercepting the International Human Rights Agenda, by Kapya Kaoma, Diigo,
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August 31, 2007, Inquirer, 'Abu leaders reported dead are alive'--local officials, by Julie Alipala,

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines -- Two of the most wanted leaders of the Abu Sayyaf are still alive, contrary to claims by the military that they were killed in clashes with government troops in August.

Puruji Indama and his right-hand-man, Nuruddin Muddalan alias Nod, "are still alive and are targets of the military operations" in four towns of Basilan province, Senior Superintendent Salik Macapantar, provincial police chief, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.

Unkaya Pukan Mayor Joel Maturan and Albarka Mayor Jakilan Karam also confirmed to the Inquirer that Indama and Muddalan are alive.

Both said, however, that Muddalan was wounded in an August 18 encounter in Barangay Silangkum in Tipo-tipo town.

"He's not the one who was killed by the Marines," Karam said.

Maturan said he received reports that the two Abu Sayyaf leaders were being harbored by influential politicians in Sumisip town. "That is why the pursuit operation has been diverted from Tipo-tipo."

Brigadier General Juancho Sabban, deputy chief of the Western Mindanao Command and commander of Task Force Thunder, which leads the operation in Basilan, told the Inquirer earlier that the five junior officers and 10 enlisted personnel who died in the August 18 encounter in Unkaya Pukan town "finally served justice to those responsible for the beheading of 10 other soldiers in Albarka."

Sabban claimed the mission was fully accomplished as Marines were able to kill a total of 42 bandits, including Indama and Muddalan.

"Our soldiers and officers didn't die in vain," he said in an interview the day after the Unkaya Pukan clash.

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April 14, 2010, Inquirer Mindanao, Powerful figures behind Abu Sayyaf's latest attack -- police, by Julie Alipala, Diigo,

ISABELA CITY, Basilan, Philippines – The Abu Sayyaf attack here on Tuesday, which killed 14 people and not 15 as earlier reported, appeared to have been instigated by some powerful figures, the police said.

"Based on information we gathered so far, there were indications the Abu Sayyaf was being used to sow violence, it was not pure terrorism,” the Basilan police chief, Senior Supt. Antonio Mendoza, said.

Mendoza said the role of the influential persons – whom he would not identify - in the attack also came out during interrogation made on two Abu Sayyaf members who were captured by pursuing authorities on Tuesday.

"These attackers are seemingly mercenaries. Based on some accounts, they were hired, forced to wear the police uniforms and were directed to implement some attacks and of course, there's money involved," he said.

Pressed as to who these people were, Mendoza said they could be politicians, although he would not give categorical answers.

Mendoza added the police were investigating the ownership of the cream Starex van, which was torn by the explosion near the Basilan National High School.

"We have reports the vehicle was owned by a politician, we cannot make public yet the identity pending deeper investigation," he said.

Lt. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, said the military considered the attack an act of terrorism.

"We see it as real terror attack but at the same time, we cannot discount the possibility of political color and it is being investigated by our police in Basilan," Dolorfino said.

He rejected insinuations the Moro Islamic Liberation Front was involved in the blast, which Mendoza described as “well-orchestrated.”

"There is no link established that may involve the MILF here, during a cellphone conversation between (Brig.) Gen. (Eugene) Clemen and the MILF, all their members are fully accounted for," Dolorfino said.

Meanwhile, a day after the explosion, fear was still gripping the city with businesses, banks and government offices closed.

Businessmen said they were selling only to people they knew.

Jessie Tan, a grocery store owner, said they were screening customers because they might be dealing with terrorists already.

Dolorfino said security has been tightened and that the city has been secured by two Marine battalions and a battalion from the police's Special Action Force.

Meanwhile, Mendoza, the Basilan police chief, said only 14, not 15 as earlier reported by the Inquirer, were killed.

Mendoza added that SPO4 Enrico Morales was only wounded, not killed.

Among those killed were Police Officer 1 Elmer Cajalne and civilians Edilberto Lela Luna, Jayjay Laracochea, Rodelio Francisco, Engr. Albert Cenibalo and Ivan Nabi.

Another victim, identified only as Enrico, was brought to Zamboanga City where he later died.

Mendoza could still not provide the names of the three Marine soldiers killed.

The Abu Sayyaf bandit who was killed in the grandstand explosion was named Benzar Indama.

Police and soldiers were pursuing the bandits, who allegedly took hostage a civilian identified only as Ramil, who withdrew towards Lamitan City.

"Wala pa kaming mga tulog, patuloy itong pursuit operation, lahat kumikilos (We have not had any sleep as pursuit operations go on and everybody is helping)," Mendoza said.

Dolorfino of the Western Mindanao Command, said they gathered reports that one of those being pursued was Abu Sayyaf leader Puruji Indama.

Dolorfino said residents saw four bandits hiding in a mangrove area in the village of Tabiawan.

Mendoza said the two suspects who were arrested after the attack have been placed in the Don Navarro Hospital inside Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.

Dolorfino said five more suspects have been under interrogation at the 1st Marine Brigade headquarters in Tabiawan here.

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March 18, 2011, Inquirer, 32 dead in Yemen protest bloodbath—medics

March 18, 2011, Inquirer, Libya shuts down air space—Europe air traffic agency

March 19, 2011, Inquirer, Gadhafi warns against intervention, strikes rebels
March 19, 2011, Inquirer, Hundreds fleeing Libyan rebel city of Benghazi
March 19, 2011, Inquirer, Gaza militants shell Israel
March 19, 2011, Inquirer, Plane shot down over rebel-held city in Libya
March 19, 2011, Inquirer, NPA rebels in Quezon on the decline–Army exec

March 20, 2011, Inquirer, Western, Arab warplanes converge on Italy for Libya mission
March 20, 2011, Inquirer, MILF mum on poll postponement but vows to bring progress to Moros
March 20, 2011, Inquirer, 2 killed, 2 hurt as NPAs attack city police station

March 22, 2011, Inquirer, Gadhafi strongholds bombed but endgame uncertain
March 22, 2011, Inquirer, US F-15 crashes in Libya, crew ejected—command
March 22, 2011, Inquirer, Filipina maids for Gadhafi's nephew want out

March 23, 2011, Inquirer, Low turnout reported for ARMM voter registration
March 23, 2011, Inquirer, Gadhafi defiant, says Libya 'ready for battle'
March 23, 2011, Inquirer, Snipers, shells, tanks terrorize key Libyan city

March 24, 2011, Inquirer, Libya and knee-jerk anti-Americanism
March 24, 2011, Inquirer, Dubai says bid foiled to ship 16,000 guns to Yemen
March 24, 2011, Inquirer, 2 civilians killed in NATO airstrike

March 26, 2011, Inquirer, Seven Afghan civilians killed in NATO airstrike—governor
March 26, 2011, Inquirer, Qatar becomes 1st Arab country to fly over Libya

March 27, 2011, Inquirer, Pope urges immediate dialogue and ceasefire in Libya
March 27, 2011, Inquirer, No red alert for NPA’s 42nd anniversary—AFP
March 27, 2011, Inquirer, Snipers kill two in Latakia—Syrian official

March 28, 2011, Inquirer, Crude down in Asia, upward pressure remains

April 1, 2011, Inquirer, Gadhafi: Leaders of airstrikes should go, not me

April 1, 2011, Inquirer, Three guards beheaded at NATO terminal in Pakistan

April 3, 2011, Inquirer, Cordillera rebel group to hand Aquino ‘closure plan’

April 3, 2011, Inquirer, Yemeni soldier gunned down in south – military
April 3, 2011, Inquirer, CPLA presents plan to lay down arms during Aquino’s term
April 3, 2011, Inquirer, 4 Iranian border guards killed in Kurdistan

April 4, 2011, Inquirer, Boy released by Agusan del Sur hostage takers undergoes stress debriefing

April 4, 2011, Inquirer, Girl, 8, killed in clash in Sorsogon
April 4, 2011, Inquirer, Land dispute triggers encounter between MILF group, Mangudadatus

April 5, 2011, Inquirer, Police survive ambush in Compostela Valley

April 5, 2011, Inquirer, Safety of displaced residents in Maguindanao clashes assured
April 5, 2011, Inquirer, Soldier killed, 2 others wounded in Abra clash
April 5, 2011, Inquirer, Army soldiers keep apart warring kin in Mindanao

April 6, 2011, Inquirer, 3 killed as armed men attack bus in Zamboanga Sibugay

April 7, 2011, Inquirer, 7 dead as Philippine rebel resists arrest—police

April 7, 2011, Inquirer, Armed, still dangerous
April 7, 2011, Inquirer, Facebook 'pushing Filipino rebels into oblivion'

April 8, 2011, Inquirer, Peace consultations set on Cordillera Day

April 8, 2011, Inquirer, Top NPA rebel nabbed in Northern Samar

April 9, 2011, Inquirer, 9 Moro rebs slain in Zambo clash
April 9, 2011, Inquirer, UN: Reds agree to do away with child soldiers

April 10, 2011, Inquirer, Protester killed, dozens shot in Yemen demos
April 10, 2011, Inquirer, Hamas declares Gaza emergency amid Israeli strikes
April 10, 2011, Inquirer, A child’s wisdom
April 10, 2011, Inquirer, Mass shootings in Europe—Facts
April 10, 2011, Inquirer, Six killed in Dutch shopping centre shooting spree

April 15, 2011, Inquirer, Islamists kill Italian kidnapped in Gaza--security official

April 16, 2011, Inquirer, 2 Abu Sayyaf gunmen slain in Basilan clash

April 17, 2011, Inquirer, US seeking country to take in Kadhafi—report
April 17, 2011, Inquirer, 70 arrested with Ivory Coast's Gbagbo freed—official
April 17, 2011, Inquirer, More shelling in rebel-held city in western Libya
April 17, 2011, Inquirer, Ivory Coast strongman held in northern town

April 19, 2011, Inquirer, Peace accord won’t solve Moro problems, says rebel leader

April 23, 2011, Inquirer, Christians celebrate last Easter in united Sudan
April 23, 2011, Inquirer, Libyan rebels report gains in Misrata fighting
April 23, 2011, Inquirer, 2 brothers' lives upended in Libyan fight
April 23, 2011, Inquirer, Blasts heard in Tripoli as warplanes fly over
April 23, 2011, Inquirer, Thai, Cambodian troops exchange heavy fire again

April 24, 2011, Inquirer, Fresh clash at Thai-Cambodian border – officials
April 24, 2011, Inquirer, UN chief presses Thailand, Cambodia for ceasefire

April 25, 2011, Inquirer, Bloodbath
April 25, 2011, Inquirer, NATO bombs hit Kadhafi office, rebels advance in Misrata
April 25, 2011, Inquirer, Cambodia says Thai shells damaged ancient temples
April 25, 2011, Inquirer, Death toll in Thai-Cambodian clashes rises to 12

April 26, 2011, Inquirer, 2 soldiers held as ‘POWs’
April 26, 2011, Inquirer, Criminal case filed vs 4 ‘communist assassins’ in Sumera slay
April 26, 2011, Inquirer, Clashes along Thai-Cambodia border spread east
April 26, 2011, Inquirer, Feuding Ivory Coast warlords threaten peace

April 27, 2011, Inquirer, MILF seeks to speed up peace process
April 27, 2011, Inquirer, Clashes along Thai-Cambodia border spread east

April 29, 2011, Inquirer, Test of MILF’s sincerity

April 30, 2011, Inquirer, Army adopts Red tactic in new Bicol counterinsurgency plans

May 2, 2011, Inquirer, NPA owns slaying of police asset in Batangas
May 2, 2011, Inquirer, Tension escalates as navies, pirates take off gloves

September 25, 2012, The Philippine Star, Italian priest kidnapped in PH dies, by Helen Flores, Diigo,

MANILA, Philippines - Basilan Bishop Martin Jumoad yesterday expressed sorrow over the passing of Italian missionary Fr. Giancarlo Bossi, who had served the country for 32 years and was once kidnapped by Islamic militants.

Bossi died Sunday of lung cancer. He was 62.

“We are very sad of the death of Fr. Bossi. We treasure his memories, particularly his missionary work here in Zamboanga del Sur, in the diocese of Pagadian and all other parts of Mindanao,” Jumoad said.

“We pray that there will be more Fr. Bossi in terms of commitment to the ministry and fidelity. We entrust his soul to the Almighty, that he will be given the joy of life hereafter,” he added.

Bossi was born in Abbiategrasso, Milan on Feb. 19, 1950. He joined the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions in Genoa in 1973, and took his perpetual vow on Feb. 3, 1978. He was ordained on March 18, 1978 by Msgr. Aristide Pirovano.

On June 10, 2007, while on a mission in Mindanao, Bossi was kidnapped by alleged members of a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. He was released on July 19 following appeals from the faithful.

StevenWarRan Research

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Inquirer 2007

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