“Our call is to stop militarization, not only in the UP Mindanao campus but also in all other campuses all over the country.”

Student leaders of the University of the Philippines (UP) lambasted what they called “militarization” of the state university’s Mindanao campus, part of which is threatened to be converted into a military camp.

In a press conference co-organized by the student group National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) held in UP Visayas Iloilo City campus on July 7, student leaders joined the calls of UP Mindanao to end militarization in their campus, particularly, the expansion of a military training ground.

The student leaders feared even more intensified military presence in the campus, which not only violates the atmosphere of academic freedom, but also previous agreements between UP and other government agencies.

“Sa UP Mindanao, kapitbahay lang namin ang military camp. Minsan nagugulat na lang kami na may nagja-jogging na military men sa loob ng campus (UP Mindanao is located beside a military camp. Sometimes, we are surprised some military men are jogging inside our campus),” said Prince Harvey Arellano of the UP Mindanao USC.

The UP Mindanao campus is located in Mintal village, Tugbok District in Davao City, near Camp San Gabriel of the 11th Regional Community Defense Group Army Reserved Command.

On May 15, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) requested at least 20 hectares of land inside the 204-hectare UP Mindanao campus, to be used as training ground for the Reserved Officer Training Corps (ROTC).

Earlier in June, UP Mindanao student councils appealed to the UP administration and local officials to reject the request, which was formally filed by the 11th Regional Community Defense Group with the Davao City council.

A statement by the UP Mindanao University Student Council (USC) said the requested land will be converted into a military reservation which will be called “Camp Gov. Vicente Duterte,” after President Duterte’s late father, who was governor of then unified Davao province.

“Our call is to stop militarization, not only in the UP Mindanao campus but also in all other campuses all over the country,” said Romen Wabina, chairperson of UP Mindanao USC.

Under the 1989 tripartite agreement between UP, the Department of National Defense (DND), and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), also known as the Soto-Enrile Accord, military forces are barred from entering university premises, hence their presence in campuses like UP Mindanao raises grave concerns for students and some officials.

The original Soto-Enrile Accord was signed in 1982 by then student leader Sonia Soto and Defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile which bans military intervention in student activities on campus. The accord was updated in 1989 by an agreement between UP President Jose Abueva and then Secretary of National Defense Fidel V. Ramos.

Meanwhile, a UP Mindanao Chancellor emphasized in a dialogue with the student councils that because of UP’s autonomy, the use of its land area is not within jurisdiction of the city council, and the UP Board of Regents will have the final decision on the AFP’s request. The Chancellor also confirmed that her office has yet not received any such request.

Student councils also raised their concerns over Duterte’s pronouncement to revive the mandatory ROTC, which was abolished in 2001 after the murder of a cadet who exposed the corruption in the system.

ROTC is one of the three major components of the National Service Training Program (NSTP), pursuant to the Republic Act 9163. According to the law, ROTC is “designed to provide military education and training to tertiary level students in order to motivate, train, organize, and mobilize them for national defense preparedness. ROTC technically prepares college students for AFP service.

The program was made optional and voluntary in 2002 after the murder of University of Sto. Tomas student Mark Welson Chua in 2001. In 2016, youth group Kabataan Partylist filed a bill to completely abolish ROTC in all tertiary schools, both private and public. Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago cited physical and verbal abuses, bribery, extortion, and corruption as bases for filing the bill.

UP Mindanao USC also expressed how ROTC have been used to justify military presence in their campus. Amid Dutete’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao, the council continues to call to stop militarizing universities and campuses.</s>CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said Northern Mindanao is set to lead regional development in the country for adopting the two development plans.

In a keynote address during the Northern Mindanao Development Forum held here on Tuesday, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia lauded the region by adopting the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022 (PDP) and the Northern Mindanao Regional Development Plan.

“Knowing that regional development is a main thrust of the PDP, which is anchored on President Duterte’s 0-10-point Socioeconomic Agenda and geared towards the long term vision, we committed that they too will have their chance to attend, participate, and lay claim on the country’s mid-term development plan as their own,” he said.

 Pernia said both plans were crafted through intensive multisector and multilevel consultations to ensure inclusivity of the people in every aspect of each plan.

Northern Mindanao’s development framework adopts the national development framework which stands on the pillars of malasakit (caring), pagbabago (change), at patuloy na pag-unlad (continuing progress), he said.

“This is well expressed in the region’s vision ‘to be a major gateway and leading industrial core and trade center in Southern Philippines, with dynamic men and women enjoying equal opportunities, in sustainably harnessing its agricultural and natural resources in building a decent, harmonious, and safe environment,’” he added.

The NEDA chief said Northern Mindanao will implement strategic interventions coined as GATEWAY, which stands for: Good governance and peace and order; Access, logistics and other infrastructure; Trade, industry and tourism; Environment and sustainable development; Well-being and improved welfare; Agriculture and fishery; Youth empowerment and education.

These interventions supported by science, technology and innovation will firmly drive the development of the region, he said.

Some may question the capability of Northern Mindanao to achieve this goal, but it is important to note that the region contributes 4 percent on average to the country’s gross domestic product, and about 26 percent to Mindanao’s economic growth, the cabinet official noted.

The region has the highest contribution to agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing in Mindanao, and the second highest, after Davao, in terms of contribution to industry and services sectors in the southern Philippines, he added.

“The region is mainly composed of manufacturing, agriculture and forestry, and trade subsectors. This confirms the potential of Northern Mindanao to be a major industrial hub and trade center in Southern Philippines,” Pernia pointed out.

Pernia stressed that the National Spatial Strategy foresees Metro Cagayan de Oro to become the fourth metropolitan center by 2025, based on projected population growth and functional role as a principal gateway and trans-shipment hub in Northern Mindanao.

It will also remain a key educational center in the region, he said.

The plan further highlights the potential of the region, particularly in the industries of banana, rubber, bamboo, cacao, coco coir, coffee, agribusiness and tourism.

The region’s projected growth will be further boosted by President Rodrigo Duterte’s issuance of Executive Order 27 on June 1 this year, directing all government agencies and instrumentalities at the national and local levels, including government-owned and -controlled corporations to align their plans, programs and budgets with the plan, he said.

This means that the national and local government units need to work together toward common goals, he said.

“With all these plans and programs aligned and effectively laid out, I am confident that Northern Mindanao will not only be the gateway but will also be a leader in regional development in the country,” Pernia added.</s>President Duterte is seeking to revive a peace accord—known as the Bangsamoro basic law (BBL)—aimed at ending decades of insurgency in Mindanao in the southern Philippines, where government troops have battled Islamic State (IS)-linked militants for two months.

As much as 30 percent of the bill that Duterte’s predecessor failed to pass has been revised, with the draft now providing for other Muslim groups to be included in the process, Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said on Monday at a forum in Manila.

Mineral deposits in Mindanao, a region that holds half of the country’s reserves, will be comanaged by the government and the Muslim autonomous region, he added.

The proposed BBL was set to be submitted for Duterte’s approval at the presidential palace on Monday afternoon, his spokesman Ernesto C. Abella said at a briefing. Duterte, who was mayor of Davao City for two decades before becoming president, will also push for the measure in a meeting later on Monday with lawmakers. The heads of the Senate and House of Representatives are both from Mindanao.

The government is targeting to pass the bill in the first quarter of 2018, its chief negotiator Irene Santiago said.

Duterte, who has been grappling with the standoff between the army and militants in Marawi City, could potentially use the peace accord as a lever for other rebel groups to lay down their weapons. An end to the insurgency could also help unlock investment in the south. As many as 200,000 people have been killed in four decades of rebellion.

“We have a greater chance of having the Bangsamoro bill passed this time,” Santiago said at the forum in Manila. “We have all things going for us now. We have a president from Mindanao, and even Congress leaders from Mindanao.”

The Moro National Liberation Front, a separate rebel group founded by Nur Misuari, is expected to submit its own version of the bill, presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza said last week. Misuari’s group, whose siege of Zamboanga City in 2013 led to the deaths of at least 203 people, was excluded from peace talks under then-President Benigno S. Aquino III.

Misuari has offered to help the government fight the Maute militants linked to IS in Marawi, where more than 500 people have died since clashes started on May 23.

Aquino, who signed a pact with the Moro Islamic group in March 2014, failed to get the Mindanao bill through parliament before he left office, hindered by a public backlash over a botched antiterrorism raid in early 2015 where Muslim rebels killed 44 police commandos.

“I never doubted that President Aquino was serious and committed in having the bill passed,” Iqbal said. “I see the same thing with President Duterte. The only difference is that Aquino is from Luzon and President Duterte is from Mindanao.”</s>The article you have been looking for has expired and is not longer available on our system. This is due to newswire licensing terms.</s>Three inmates were killed and one was injured on Sunday in a jail break that saw 14 prisoners escaping from prison in the Philippines, authorities said.

 

 A senior police official said the prisoners escaped in the early hours of Sunday from the jail on the island of Jolo, where several militant groups linked to the Islamic State (IS) operate, reports Efe news.

 

 The three inmates were shot and killed by police who were chasing them, according to the Inquirer daily.

 

 The incident took place after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte visited the island on Saturday.

 

 In January, nearly 160 inmates, including prominent members of the militant group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), escaped from a prison in North Cotabato on the island of Mindanao following an armed attack.</s>In this photo released by Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO), Malacanang Palace, President Rodrigo Duterte, center left, wearing a bullcap and an assault rifle slung on his shoulder, walks with other military officers and security men inside the camp of the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade, Light Armored Division, Friday, July 7, 2017 in the outskirts of Iligan city in southern Philippines. | Photo Credit: AP

Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen abducted four workers in a school in a southern Philippine province where President Rodrigo Duterte visited troops waging an offensive against the militants, officials said on Sunday.

About 20 militants barged into a grade school compound in Sulu province’s Patikul town shortly after midnight Saturday and seized six painters and carpenters, one of whom managed to escape and alerted the police. Army troops later rescued another worker.

Mr. Duterte pinned medals on wounded troops during brief visit on Saturday to Sulu, a predominantly Muslim province about 590 miles (950 km) south of Manila. The tough-talking president has ordered government forces to destroy the ransom-seeking militants who still hold several foreign and Filipino hostages in Sulu’s jungles.

Fourteen inmates, including suspected Abu Sayyaf fighters and drug dealers, meanwhile escaped early Sunday from a jail in a new building that also houses the police headquarters in a government compound in Sulu’s main town of Jolo, officials said.

Three of those who escaped were gunned down by police and another was shot and captured. Army troops were helping police track down the rest with the use of military drones and sniffer dogs, a police statement said.

The new kidnappings and jailbreak reflect the diverse security challenges confronting Mr. Duterte’s administration in the south, where thousands of troops have been separately battling militants aligned with the Islamic State group who laid siege to Marawi city on May 23.

After 55 days of fighting, more than 530 people, including 399 militants and 93 soldiers and police, have died in the violence in the lakeside city, a center of Islamic faith in the southern third of the largely Roman Catholic country.

Troops, backed by airstrikes, are fighting less than 100 remaining militants, who are holding an unspecified number of civilian hostages in four Marawi neighborhoods in an offensive that Mr. Duterte said last week was winding down and may end in about 10 to 15 days. He said that the offensive won’t stop until the last militant is killed.</s>JOLO, Philippines >> Suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen abducted four workers in a school in a southern Philippine province where President Rodrigo Duterte visited troops waging an offensive against the militants, officials said Sunday.

About 20 militants barged into a grade school compound in Sulu province’s Patikul town shortly after midnight Saturday and seized six painters and carpenters, one of whom managed to escape and alerted the police. Army troops later rescued another worker.

Duterte pinned medals on wounded troops during a brief visit late Saturday to Sulu, a predominantly Muslim province about 950 kilometers (590 miles) south of Manila. The tough-talking president has ordered government forces to destroy the ransom-seeking militants, who still hold about 25 foreign and Filipino hostages in Sulu’s jungles.

Meanwhile, 14 inmates, including suspected Abu Sayyaf fighters and drug dealers, escaped early Sunday from a jail in a new building that also houses the police headquarters in a government compound in Sulu’s main town of Jolo, police said.

Three of those who escaped were gunned down by police and another was shot and captured. Army troops were helping police track down the rest with the use of military drones and sniffer dogs, a police statement said.

The new kidnappings and jailbreak reflect the diverse security challenges confronting Duterte’s administration in the south, where thousands of troops have been separately battling militants aligned with the Islamic State group who laid siege to the city of Marawi on May 23.

After nearly two months of fighting, more than 530 people, including 405 militants and 95 soldiers and police, have died in the violence in the lakeside city, a center of Islamic faith in the southern third of the largely Roman Catholic country.

Backed by airstrikes, troops are fighting about 60 to 70 remaining militants, who are holding an unspecified number of civilian hostages in four Marawi communities in an offensive that Duterte said last week was winding down. He said the offensive won’t stop until the last militant is killed.

Duterte, however, has said he would likely extend the martial law he imposed in the south because the situation in Marawi remains critical. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said he gave the president his recommendation on the question of extending or ending martial rule last week.

Nearly 400,000 people, including most of Marawi’s 200,000 residents, have been displaced by the crisis and many have yearned to return home amid the misery in overcrowded evacuation centers.

Duterte’s spokesman, Ernesto Abella, however, said Marawi remains fraught with danger, especially for children and women.

“There is no assurance that areas outside the main battle zone are already safe to reside and live in as incidents of cases of stray bullet victims have been reported,” Abella said. “The clearing of the entire city of Marawi of IEDs and booby traps left by terrorists, unexploded ordnance and other explosives is still ongoing. The danger and risks these pose still remain high.”

Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.</s>Soldiers inspecting a vehicle during operations to find the 10 escaped prisoners.

MANILA Three inmates were shot dead and another wounded after escaping from jail on a southern Philippine island that is the stronghold of Islamist militants.

The casualties were among 14 prisoners who escaped from a police station jail in war-torn Jolo, the authorities said.

Jolo is a base of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group and some of the inmates were linked to them, according to provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Mario Buyuccan.

"They cut the bars of the jail and jumped from the second floor to the roof of the municipal hall building next door. Our troops responded, and the inmates were killed and wounded," he told AFP.

The injured inmate was recaptured while soldiers and policemen were chasing the remaining 10 escapees.

The jail had a total of 32 inmates mostly facing drug charges, Senior Supt Buyuccan added.

The Philippines frequently has mass escapes from prisons which are usually overcrowded, poorly maintained and inadequately guarded.

In the country's biggest jailbreak, more than 150 inmates escaped a prison in the southern Philippines in January after about a hundred gunmen stormed the facility.

In May, Islamist militants waving black flags of ISIS went on a rampage in the southern city of Marawi and freed 100 inmates from two jails there.
A new set of kidnappings and a jail break plague Sulu province in the southern region of Mindanao in the Philippines.