AFP: Nur forges alliance with Abu Sayyaf,
http://web.archive.org/web/20011120092641/http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/ABS/INEWS-NOV2001.NSF/Provincial/20011121013
Beheaded Abu Sayyaf hostages found tortured,
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/ABS/INEWS-MAY2000.NSF/Provincial/20000512008
Anti-crime groups to block Mendoza's appointment,
http://web.archive.org/web/20011120092641/http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/ABS/INEWS-NOV2001.NSF/Provincial/20011121013
Beheaded Abu Sayyaf hostages found tortured,
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/ABS/INEWS-MAY2000.NSF/Provincial/20000512008
Anti-crime groups to block Mendoza's appointment,
Erap amenable to hospital detention
Gov't to replace Erap nominees in PNB
'Trigger happy' cops identified
Gov't to replace Erap nominees in PNB
'Trigger happy' cops identified
KMU calls Estrada an enemy of laborers
Separate labor codes urged
January 25, 2000, Estrada, Joseph
JOSEPH (EJERCITO) ESTRADA, born on April 19, 1937, he studied grade school at Saint John's Academy in San Juan and finished high school at Mapua Institute.
________________________________________________________________________
April 8, 2000, Mercado, Orlando,
ORLANDO "ORLY" MERCADO is the 21st Secretary of the Department of National Defense.
Basilan
Sulu Province
Abu Sayyaf
Separate labor codes urged
January 25, 2000, Estrada, Joseph
JOSEPH (EJERCITO) ESTRADA, born on April 19, 1937, he studied grade school at Saint John's Academy in San Juan and finished high school at Mapua Institute.
The lure of the limelight prompted him to drop out the Polytechnic University during his early 20's.
It was through the movies that he earned his image as the hero of the masses. He became one of the icons of the action genre during the 60's and joins the FAMAS Hall of Fame in 1981
In 1967, Estrada entered the politics and was elected as mayor of San Juan, a post he held for 16 years. His service to San Juan was given merit when he was awarded one of the Ten Outstanding young Men for Public Administration.
He ran the senatorial race in 1987 and won, landing in 17th place.
There was no stopping him from aiming high and became the Vice-president of the Philippines in 1992. He served the Ramos Administration for the next five years as the chairman of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission.
By then his popularity was insurmountable. His motto, "Erap para sa mahirap" won the mass' confidence during the May 1998 elections.
Joseph Estrada became the 13th President of the Republic of the Philippines.
It was through the movies that he earned his image as the hero of the masses. He became one of the icons of the action genre during the 60's and joins the FAMAS Hall of Fame in 1981
In 1967, Estrada entered the politics and was elected as mayor of San Juan, a post he held for 16 years. His service to San Juan was given merit when he was awarded one of the Ten Outstanding young Men for Public Administration.
He ran the senatorial race in 1987 and won, landing in 17th place.
There was no stopping him from aiming high and became the Vice-president of the Philippines in 1992. He served the Ramos Administration for the next five years as the chairman of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission.
By then his popularity was insurmountable. His motto, "Erap para sa mahirap" won the mass' confidence during the May 1998 elections.
Joseph Estrada became the 13th President of the Republic of the Philippines.
________________________________________________________________________
April 8, 2000, Mercado, Orlando,
ORLANDO "ORLY" MERCADO is the 21st Secretary of the Department of National Defense.
A product of the public school system, Secretary Mercado graduated valedictorian at the Celedonio Salvador Elementary School and with honors at the Manuel A. Roxas High School.
He was sent to represent the country in the New York Mirror Youth Forum in New York, U. S. A. in 1961.
He supported his college education by working as a casual laborer at the Manila City Engineers's Office and later as clerk at City Hall.
He earned the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and Master of Arts in Communication from the University of the Philippines and obtained a doctorate degree in Political Science from the University of the Philippines in 1989.
He got his first break as a broadcaster when he landed a job as RadioTV announcer of the Republic Broadcasting System while taking his Political Science course at the State University.
He was elected on his first try at national politics to the First Regular Batasang Pambansa as an opposition Member of Parliament in Quezon City. He topped the May 14, 1984 elections.
He was appointed by President Corazon Aquino in 1986 as theChairman of National Parks and Development Committee.
He was first elected Senator in 1987 and re-elected in 1992.
He headed the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, committee on Environment and Natural Resources, and Committee on cooperatives. He also headed Senate Sub-committee II on finance.
He was sent to represent the country in the New York Mirror Youth Forum in New York, U. S. A. in 1961.
He supported his college education by working as a casual laborer at the Manila City Engineers's Office and later as clerk at City Hall.
He earned the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, and Master of Arts in Communication from the University of the Philippines and obtained a doctorate degree in Political Science from the University of the Philippines in 1989.
He got his first break as a broadcaster when he landed a job as RadioTV announcer of the Republic Broadcasting System while taking his Political Science course at the State University.
He was elected on his first try at national politics to the First Regular Batasang Pambansa as an opposition Member of Parliament in Quezon City. He topped the May 14, 1984 elections.
He was appointed by President Corazon Aquino in 1986 as theChairman of National Parks and Development Committee.
He was first elected Senator in 1987 and re-elected in 1992.
He headed the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, committee on Environment and Natural Resources, and Committee on cooperatives. He also headed Senate Sub-committee II on finance.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Basilan
Sulu Province
Abu Sayyaf
SC to rule on Estrada plea by March 13
Malacañang recalls Alonzo appointment
Gov't admits it lacks the numbers to unseat Cojuangco from SMC
Re-exportation of European beef products ordered
PAOCTF insider says Dacer is dead
24 jueteng men nabbed in Central Luzon
PSC, DECS begin talks on 2001 staging of Palaro
Joyce-Aga sitcom premieres on Saturday
Filipinos receive International Peace Award
Gov't-MILF hostilities escalate in central Mindanao
15 Basilan hostages rescued, 4 others dead
Arab leaders censure Muslim rebels in RP
Former militant leaders eyed in forging NPA-MILF alliance
GMA asks Indonesia, Malaysia to help crush Mindanao rebellion
Malaysian official: Misuari not in Sabah
Japan's largest banks record poor earnings
Nissan recalling 300,000 vehicles
Fariñas' wife kills self in San Juan
Parang folk: Resolve six-month poll row
Rev eyes early K.O. in OPBF defense
Carlson suicide shocks family, friends
Malacañang recalls Alonzo appointment
Gov't admits it lacks the numbers to unseat Cojuangco from SMC
Re-exportation of European beef products ordered
PAOCTF insider says Dacer is dead
24 jueteng men nabbed in Central Luzon
PSC, DECS begin talks on 2001 staging of Palaro
Joyce-Aga sitcom premieres on Saturday
Filipinos receive International Peace Award
Gov't-MILF hostilities escalate in central Mindanao
15 Basilan hostages rescued, 4 others dead
Arab leaders censure Muslim rebels in RP
Former militant leaders eyed in forging NPA-MILF alliance
GMA asks Indonesia, Malaysia to help crush Mindanao rebellion
Malaysian official: Misuari not in Sabah
Japan's largest banks record poor earnings
Nissan recalling 300,000 vehicles
Fariñas' wife kills self in San Juan
Parang folk: Resolve six-month poll row
Rev eyes early K.O. in OPBF defense
Carlson suicide shocks family, friends
Pope apologizes to victims of sex abuse by clergy
2 Sulu hostages' deaths mere propaganda -- AFP
CULTS
December 19, 2000 01:17 AM, Cult leader's wealth triggers bloody confrontation,
July 18, 2000, ABS-CBN, 11:32 PM, 4 cult members meted life sentence,
August 14, 2000, ABS-CBN, 5:37 PM, Tadtad cultists face murder raps, rules of engagement questioned,
CUTTING
July 11, 2000, ABS-CBN, Woman cuts off finger for German hostage's release,
December 18, 2000, ABS-CBN, 7:16 PM, More suspects eyed in Rivilla massacre,
September 16, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:13 PM, Binondo thrill killers attack ex-cop, by Jimmy Perez,
November 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:11 PM, 'No truth to Medel's torture claims',
November 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:00 PM, Doctor: No sign of recent injuries on Medel,
November 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:25 PM, Doctors unsure of Medel's condition,
November 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:16 PM, Lina orders probe on Medel's alleged torture,
March 1, 2000, ABS-CBN, 3:28 AM, Female's hacked up corpse found in Pasay,
Military, Police & Judicial Corruption
February 21, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:13 AM, Marines warns of mutiny vs. Wong,
February 28, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:16 AM, Wong denies linking Biazon to any scam,
March 13, 2001, ABS-CBN, 5:39 AM, Ping to sue Joker for libel,
April 16, 2000, ABS-CBN, 9:19 PM, Claudio ousted as Pasay City mayor,
April 17, 2000, ABS-CBN, Bribery allegations mar Power Bill's passage,
July 13, 2001, ABS-CBN, 6:44 PM, Graft raps filed vs Malabon mayor,
August 17, 2000, ABS-CBN, 3:22 AM, Ombudsman suspends Leyte mayor,
Poverty/ Landfill Collapse
May 18, 2000, ABS-CBN, 8:05 PM, Landslide hits Baguio City,
2 Sulu hostages' deaths mere propaganda -- AFP
CULTS
December 19, 2000 01:17 AM, Cult leader's wealth triggers bloody confrontation,
July 18, 2000, ABS-CBN, 11:32 PM, 4 cult members meted life sentence,
August 14, 2000, ABS-CBN, 5:37 PM, Tadtad cultists face murder raps, rules of engagement questioned,
August 13, 2000, ABS-CBN, 10:40 PM, Two cultists' bodies missing in Bukidnon clash aftermath,
August 14, 2000, ABS-CBN, 5:37 PM, Tadtad cultists face murder raps, rules of engagement questioned,
August 15, 2000, ABS-CBN, 5:44 PM, Split perception in Bukidnon cultists' death,
August 15, 2000, ABS-CBN, 5:44 PM, Split perception in Bukidnon cultists' death,
August 17, 2000, ABS-CBN, 2:56 PM, Army downplays video footage in Bukidnon cult shooting
August 18, 2000, ABS-CBN, 2:53 AM, Survivor claims Bukidnon cultist mentally ill,
August 18, 2000, ABS-CBN, 2:53 AM, Survivor claims Bukidnon cultist mentally ill,
CUTTING
July 11, 2000, ABS-CBN, Woman cuts off finger for German hostage's release,
December 18, 2000, ABS-CBN, 7:16 PM, More suspects eyed in Rivilla massacre,
September 16, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:13 PM, Binondo thrill killers attack ex-cop, by Jimmy Perez,
November 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:11 PM, 'No truth to Medel's torture claims',
November 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:00 PM, Doctor: No sign of recent injuries on Medel,
November 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:25 PM, Doctors unsure of Medel's condition,
November 23, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:16 PM, Lina orders probe on Medel's alleged torture,
March 1, 2000, ABS-CBN, 3:28 AM, Female's hacked up corpse found in Pasay,
Military, Police & Judicial Corruption
February 21, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:13 AM, Marines warns of mutiny vs. Wong,
February 28, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:16 AM, Wong denies linking Biazon to any scam,
March 13, 2001, ABS-CBN, 5:39 AM, Ping to sue Joker for libel,
April 16, 2000, ABS-CBN, 9:19 PM, Claudio ousted as Pasay City mayor,
April 17, 2000, ABS-CBN, Bribery allegations mar Power Bill's passage,
July 13, 2001, ABS-CBN, 6:44 PM, Graft raps filed vs Malabon mayor,
August 17, 2000, ABS-CBN, 3:22 AM, Ombudsman suspends Leyte mayor,
Poverty/ Landfill Collapse
May 18, 2000, ABS-CBN, 8:05 PM, Landslide hits Baguio City,
VIGILANTES
April 12, 2000, ABS-CBN, Akbar tagged in Janjalani helper's abduction,
July 8, 2000, ABS-CBN, Volunteers to Free Sulu Hostages, by Mandy Francisco and Gigi Grande,
November 28, 2000, ABS-CBN, Renegade Abu leader Abdul Midjal killed in clash,
November 29, 2000, ABS-CBN, Basilan residents confirm military torture of Midjal,
July 12, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:07 PM, P100,000 reward for Surat's arrest,
August 7, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:36 AM, Adan: More Cafgus being primed for Basilan,
October 11, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:29 AM, Davao's vigilante group strikes again,
November 24, 1999, ABS-CBN, 4:56 AM, Christians form armed group against MILF,
November 23, 1999, ABS-CBN, 8:44 AM, "Tad-tad" anti-communist groups resurrected,
April 12, 2000, ABS-CBN, 3:37 AM, Death of a cultist,
April 6, 2000, ABS-CBN, Janjalani's pregnant wife, daughter freed,
April 11, 2000, ABS-CBN, Abu Sayyaf, vigilante group renew threats,
July 20, 2000, ABS-CBN, 4:28 AM, Senators say MNLF-MILF elements behind Christian killings,
May 7, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:36 PM, NPA rubs out gubernatorial bet,
April 12, 2000, ABS-CBN, Akbar tagged in Janjalani helper's abduction,
July 8, 2000, ABS-CBN, Volunteers to Free Sulu Hostages, by Mandy Francisco and Gigi Grande,
November 28, 2000, ABS-CBN, Renegade Abu leader Abdul Midjal killed in clash,
November 29, 2000, ABS-CBN, Basilan residents confirm military torture of Midjal,
July 12, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:07 PM, P100,000 reward for Surat's arrest,
August 7, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:36 AM, Adan: More Cafgus being primed for Basilan,
October 11, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:29 AM, Davao's vigilante group strikes again,
November 24, 1999, ABS-CBN, 4:56 AM, Christians form armed group against MILF,
November 23, 1999, ABS-CBN, 8:44 AM, "Tad-tad" anti-communist groups resurrected,
April 12, 2000, ABS-CBN, 3:37 AM, Death of a cultist,
April 6, 2000, ABS-CBN, Janjalani's pregnant wife, daughter freed,
April 11, 2000, ABS-CBN, Abu Sayyaf, vigilante group renew threats,
July 20, 2000, ABS-CBN, 4:28 AM, Senators say MNLF-MILF elements behind Christian killings,
POLITICAL VIOLENCE
November 4, 2001, ABS-CBN, 6:18 PM, Lantawan mayor's aide beheaded,
November 4, 2001, ABS-CBN, 6:18 PM, Lantawan mayor's aide beheaded,
November 26, 2000, ABS-CBN, One Abu Sayyaf killed in military clash,
November 26, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:27 AM, P1.5-M offered for ex-Mabitac mayor's killers,
November 29, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:39 PM, Murder plot on Davao City mayor uncovered,November 26, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:27 AM, P1.5-M offered for ex-Mabitac mayor's killers,
May 7, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:36 PM, NPA rubs out gubernatorial bet,
May 7, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:12 AM, NPA kills Batangas gubernatorial bet,
May 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:51 PM, Maguindanao election officer, son slain,
May 9, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:23 PM, Plan to kill Baguio officials bared,
May 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:51 PM, Maguindanao election officer, son slain,
May 7, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:12 AM, NPA kills Batangas gubernatorial bet,
May 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 6:46 PM, Mactan, Davao airports on red alert,
May 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 4:02 PM, T'boli poll ambush kills 4,
May 11, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:12 AM, Iloilo mayoral bet shot by rival,
May 10, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:32 PM. Poll fatalities: 46 and counting,
June 4, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:13 PM, GMA asks locals' help in ASG crisis,
June 4, 2001, ABS-CBN,1:23 PM, Abu hunt could use 'emergency',
June 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:10 PM, Arroyo hails soldiers' gallantry,
May 15, 2001, ABS-CBN, 1:54 AM, 5 killed in Visayas poll violence,
June 13, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:48 AM, Congressman Aguinaldo shot dead,
June 14, 2001, ABS-CBN, 4:38 PM, NDF justifies Aguinaldo slaying,
May 15, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:05 PM, Vice mayoral bet owns Paoay ambush,
October 30, 2001, ABS-CBN, 5:02 PM, Two suspects in mayor's slay fall
October 30, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:07 PM, Slain mayor's kin appeal for support,
October 31, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:45 AM, Ilocos judge ambushed,
October 31, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:41 AM, 'NPA hand in mayor slay' may affect peace talks with NDF,
November 20, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:58 AM, Comelec official killed in Sta. Ana,
November 15, 1999, ABS-CBN, 5:35 PM, Mayor Abines' retaliation feared,
October 18, 2000, ABS-CBN, 2:13 PM, Singson links Estrada to Kuratong Baleleng rubout case,
September 6, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:14 PM, NPA kills former Talaingod mayor,
August 13, 2000, ABS-CBN, 10:40 PM, Lanao Sur town mayor survives ambush try,
PRIEST SLAY
MEDIA
May 9, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:23 PM, Plan to kill Baguio officials bared,
May 8, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:51 PM, Maguindanao election officer, son slain,
May 7, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:12 AM, NPA kills Batangas gubernatorial bet,
May 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 6:46 PM, Mactan, Davao airports on red alert,
May 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 4:02 PM, T'boli poll ambush kills 4,
May 11, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:12 AM, Iloilo mayoral bet shot by rival,
May 10, 2001, ABS-CBN, 7:32 PM. Poll fatalities: 46 and counting,
June 4, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:13 PM, GMA asks locals' help in ASG crisis,
June 4, 2001, ABS-CBN,1:23 PM, Abu hunt could use 'emergency',
June 3, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:10 PM, Arroyo hails soldiers' gallantry,
May 15, 2001, ABS-CBN, 1:54 AM, 5 killed in Visayas poll violence,
June 13, 2001, ABS-CBN, 12:48 AM, Congressman Aguinaldo shot dead,
June 14, 2001, ABS-CBN, 4:38 PM, NDF justifies Aguinaldo slaying,
May 15, 2001, ABS-CBN, 3:05 PM, Vice mayoral bet owns Paoay ambush,
October 30, 2001, ABS-CBN, 5:02 PM, Two suspects in mayor's slay fall
October 30, 2001, ABS-CBN, 2:07 PM, Slain mayor's kin appeal for support,
October 31, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:45 AM, Ilocos judge ambushed,
October 31, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:41 AM, 'NPA hand in mayor slay' may affect peace talks with NDF,
November 20, 2001, ABS-CBN, 8:58 AM, Comelec official killed in Sta. Ana,
November 15, 1999, ABS-CBN, 5:35 PM, Mayor Abines' retaliation feared,
October 18, 2000, ABS-CBN, 2:13 PM, Singson links Estrada to Kuratong Baleleng rubout case,
September 6, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:14 PM, NPA kills former Talaingod mayor,
August 13, 2000, ABS-CBN, 10:40 PM, Lanao Sur town mayor survives ambush try,
PRIEST SLAY
February 3, 2000, ABS-CBN, 10:16 PM, Manero pardon recommendation forged,
February 4, 2000, ABS-CBN, 9:07 PM, Manero begs for forgiveness,
February 6, 2000, ABS-CBN, 12:01 AM, Kidapawan bishop seeks repeal of Manero pardon,
February 6, 2000, ABS-CBN, 12:01 AM, Kidapawan bishop seeks repeal of Manero pardon,
February 7, 2000, ABS-CBN, 8:09 PM, Manero pardoned without psych exam,
February 8, 2000, ABS-CBN, 10:43 PM, Mercado scolds AFP commander over Manero,
February 9, 2000, ABS-CBN, 4:02 AM, Manero seeks Bacolod bishop's advice,
MEDIA
November 28, 2001, ABS-CBN, 11:42 AM, RFM eyes acquiring GMA network,
November 29, 2001, ABS-CBN, 4:19 PM, Asiaweek to close,
October 12, 2001, ABS-CBN, 5:39 PM, Palace to protest 'negative' NY Times report,
Top Stories
Opposition leaders to challenge Gloria presidency,
MBC grumbles on Gloria's appointment of 'politicos',
Balanced budget not achievable in Gloria's term says Romulo,
Rizal governor orders PNP to arrest dumpsters
Mayon alert level raised to 3, eruption imminent
Jolas to retire next year,
January 25, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:42 PM, Militant artists question Cabinet choices,
In the Year of the Snake
Gov't mulls house arrest for Erap,
May 19, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:37 PM, PnM bares more 'evidence' of poll fraud,
Two brokers trim workforce
$950-M loans lie on power bill passage
DoLE freezes recruitment for Brunei factory
Other National
Corpse of flight 812 hijacker found sans loot
Stop flying suicides --- solons
US backing in 3 nations' entry to WTO eyed
Ople offers clemency to Abu Sayyaf in exchange for hostages
Government starts reopening peace talks
Tax for Mindanao war
PAL hijacker failed to use parachute properly
Change of venue stalls Sayyaf talks anew
Latest Editorials
Marcos and public accountability in the Philippines - Kiko Pangilinan
Guess which league will be PBA's next hunting ground? - Barry Pascua
PBA's "elite 25" list -Barry Pascua
Injustice for the Justice Secretary? - Mike Cohen
The mysterious Asi puppeteer - Barry Pascua
more »
See also: LDP bet killed, 4 PPC bets snatched in Agusan
BACK TO HALALAN 2001
100 arrested in crackdown on ASG
Erap asks court for 'house visit'
Peso weakens further at 53.17
RP, Japan agree on currency swap
AFP doctors: Ador not crazy
MILF supports GMA's declaration
Beijing to host 2008 Olympics
'Red Diaries' trailer rated X
US links RP to human trafficking
Angara: Palace paranoid on senate race
Alert out for foreign terrorists
Malampaya exclusion zone declared
PLDT delays bond offering
Metro police chief faces misconduct rap
2,500 residents flee Basilan village
Mutombo, 76ers agree to $65-M contract
'Dagdag-singit' alarms MTRCB
Ibon bats for P125 wage hike
AFP blocking force underway
Senate suspends power bill session
Palawan abduction takes toll on economy
Shares spooked by kidnapping
P1.8-M bail set for amok cops
Bandits snatch 20 from Palawan resort
Chronology of ASG kidnappings
Comelec to proclaim 8 Senate bets
Abduction to cause market jitters
Politics hurting RP brokers
P1.8-M bail set for amok cops
Bandits snatch 20 from Palawan resort
FedEx-Laguna eyes MBA title anew
GMA to skip Aga-Charlene wedding
Erap to stay in Pagsanjan mansion?
Erap might vote in hospital
Hit squad out to get First Family
BOI sets P50-B target in 2001
Listed firms post surprising Q1 income
Security tightened at EDSA Shrine
Police nab mayor for rival's slay
Ginebra halts SMB winning streak
Miss Puerto Rico is Miss U 2001
P18-B Marcos assets to be auctioned
Malacañang snubs coup plot
http://web.archive.org/web/20010604011340/http://www.pinoycentral.com/img/Halalan2.nsf/HalalanIDLookup/entry?open
Erap wants to attend Loi proclamation
Jailed ex-president Joseph Estrada wants to attend the proclamation of his wife, former first lady Dra. Luisa "Loi" Ejercito, who is expected to join the winning circle in the recent Senate race, former immigration chief Rufus Rodriguez said Friday.
June 1, 2001 01:24 PM
PPC pushes for Senate proclamation
People Power Coalition spokesman Conrado Limcaoco on Friday urged the Commission on Elections to carry out the proclamation of the 13 winners of the May 14 Senate race.
House ratifies power reform bill
The House of Representatives voted early Friday morning to open the country's power industry to more competition after an all-night session debating on legislation that has been in the works for six years. The fate of the Omnibus Power Reform bill now lies in the hands of the Senate.
LIST OF WINNERS IN CONGRESS
The following is a list of proclaimed winners in the House of Representatives. Most are notedly first-termers with 17 being repeat congressmen.
Bayan Muna in the belly of the beast
The following is a column by Luis V. Teodoro, editor of the Philippine Journalism Review, on the situation of leading party list group Bayan Muna.
The Filipino is not worth dying for
The following is an article by Reeza Singson, a former producer of ABC Channel 5, on were the Philippines is now after Ninoy Aquino's death in 1983
Tell us what you think!
Email us your opinions on ABS-CBN, marathon coverage of the 2001 local and national elections, and send us stories of heroism you witnessed or heard about during the polls. You might also want to report incidents of cheating or violence. Our mailbox is waiting.
Mercado, Orlando
Siazon, Domingo
Sulu Province
Abu Sayyaf
April 28, 2000, Time Magazine, Sometimes, Paradise Can Be a Nightmare,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, NBI agent, 3 others killed in QC bust gone awry,
November 29, 2001, ABS-CBN, 4:19 PM, Asiaweek to close,
October 12, 2001, ABS-CBN, 5:39 PM, Palace to protest 'negative' NY Times report,
Top Stories
Opposition leaders to challenge Gloria presidency,
MBC grumbles on Gloria's appointment of 'politicos',
Balanced budget not achievable in Gloria's term says Romulo,
Rizal governor orders PNP to arrest dumpsters
Mayon alert level raised to 3, eruption imminent
Jolas to retire next year,
January 25, 2001, ABS-CBN, 9:42 PM, Militant artists question Cabinet choices,
In the Year of the Snake
Gov't mulls house arrest for Erap,
May 19, 2001, ABS-CBN, 10:37 PM, PnM bares more 'evidence' of poll fraud,
Two brokers trim workforce
$950-M loans lie on power bill passage
DoLE freezes recruitment for Brunei factory
Other National
Corpse of flight 812 hijacker found sans loot
Stop flying suicides --- solons
US backing in 3 nations' entry to WTO eyed
Ople offers clemency to Abu Sayyaf in exchange for hostages
Government starts reopening peace talks
Tax for Mindanao war
PAL hijacker failed to use parachute properly
Change of venue stalls Sayyaf talks anew
Latest Editorials
Marcos and public accountability in the Philippines - Kiko Pangilinan
Guess which league will be PBA's next hunting ground? - Barry Pascua
PBA's "elite 25" list -Barry Pascua
Injustice for the Justice Secretary? - Mike Cohen
The mysterious Asi puppeteer - Barry Pascua
more »
See also: LDP bet killed, 4 PPC bets snatched in Agusan
BACK TO HALALAN 2001
100 arrested in crackdown on ASG
Erap asks court for 'house visit'
Peso weakens further at 53.17
RP, Japan agree on currency swap
AFP doctors: Ador not crazy
MILF supports GMA's declaration
Beijing to host 2008 Olympics
'Red Diaries' trailer rated X
US links RP to human trafficking
Angara: Palace paranoid on senate race
Alert out for foreign terrorists
Malampaya exclusion zone declared
PLDT delays bond offering
Metro police chief faces misconduct rap
2,500 residents flee Basilan village
Mutombo, 76ers agree to $65-M contract
'Dagdag-singit' alarms MTRCB
Ibon bats for P125 wage hike
AFP blocking force underway
Senate suspends power bill session
Palawan abduction takes toll on economy
Shares spooked by kidnapping
P1.8-M bail set for amok cops
Bandits snatch 20 from Palawan resort
Chronology of ASG kidnappings
Comelec to proclaim 8 Senate bets
Abduction to cause market jitters
Politics hurting RP brokers
P1.8-M bail set for amok cops
Bandits snatch 20 from Palawan resort
FedEx-Laguna eyes MBA title anew
GMA to skip Aga-Charlene wedding
Erap to stay in Pagsanjan mansion?
Erap might vote in hospital
Hit squad out to get First Family
BOI sets P50-B target in 2001
Listed firms post surprising Q1 income
Security tightened at EDSA Shrine
Police nab mayor for rival's slay
Ginebra halts SMB winning streak
Miss Puerto Rico is Miss U 2001
P18-B Marcos assets to be auctioned
Malacañang snubs coup plot
http://web.archive.org/web/20010604011340/http://www.pinoycentral.com/img/Halalan2.nsf/HalalanIDLookup/entry?open
Erap wants to attend Loi proclamation
Jailed ex-president Joseph Estrada wants to attend the proclamation of his wife, former first lady Dra. Luisa "Loi" Ejercito, who is expected to join the winning circle in the recent Senate race, former immigration chief Rufus Rodriguez said Friday.
June 1, 2001 01:24 PM
PPC pushes for Senate proclamation
People Power Coalition spokesman Conrado Limcaoco on Friday urged the Commission on Elections to carry out the proclamation of the 13 winners of the May 14 Senate race.
House ratifies power reform bill
The House of Representatives voted early Friday morning to open the country's power industry to more competition after an all-night session debating on legislation that has been in the works for six years. The fate of the Omnibus Power Reform bill now lies in the hands of the Senate.
LIST OF WINNERS IN CONGRESS
The following is a list of proclaimed winners in the House of Representatives. Most are notedly first-termers with 17 being repeat congressmen.
Bayan Muna in the belly of the beast
The following is a column by Luis V. Teodoro, editor of the Philippine Journalism Review, on the situation of leading party list group Bayan Muna.
The Filipino is not worth dying for
The following is an article by Reeza Singson, a former producer of ABC Channel 5, on were the Philippines is now after Ninoy Aquino's death in 1983
Tell us what you think!
Email us your opinions on ABS-CBN, marathon coverage of the 2001 local and national elections, and send us stories of heroism you witnessed or heard about during the polls. You might also want to report incidents of cheating or violence. Our mailbox is waiting.
Profiles
Mercado, Orlando
Siazon, Domingo
Sulu Province
Abu Sayyaf
April 28, 2000, Time Magazine, Sometimes, Paradise Can Be a Nightmare,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, NBI agent, 3 others killed in QC bust gone awry,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, Report: FBI, CIA see high probability of new attack,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, US stranglehold tightens around bin Laden, Taliban,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, Kidnap victim rescued, five arrested,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, US stranglehold tightens around bin Laden, Taliban,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, Kidnap victim rescued, five arrested,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, GMA fears probe on Mike will lead to 'witch-hunt',
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, Russia opens criminal investigation of plane crash,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, Loi's top aide accepts GMA offer,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, Rogue cops eyed in Wong kidnap-slay,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, Malacañang launches government website,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, Rogue cops eyed in Wong kidnap-slay,
October 5, 2001, ABS-CBN, Malacañang launches government website,
______________________________________________________________________
November 30, 2000 11:40 AM, Interview with Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora, Kabayan DZMM,
630 khz., with NOLI DE CASTRO [In Filipino]
Cojuangco snubs contested 27% SMC stake
Gov't to tap less ODAs in 2001
Senators break self-impose gag
MPC, SM offers for Fort Boni lot rejected
Manila stocks sustain technical rally
RP peso hits record low of P49.205:$1
BTr to start CMBills auction on Wednesday
June 15, 2008, ABS-CBN, 2:42 PM, Military troops seen moving into Jolo hostage area: report,
_______________________________________________________________________
June 18, 2008, ABS-CBN, 12:12 AM, Journalists Drilon and Encarnacion, Mindanao professor released,
ABS-CBN senior correspondent Ces Oreña Drilon and cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion were released by their abductors in Sulu province Tuesday night.
Drilon and Encarnacion were held for nine days by an armed group believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits in the hinterlands of Sulu island. 3
Radio dzMM reported that the three are now with the police.
There were reports that the armed group kept the captives in the bandits’ lairs in Maimbung and Indanan towns.
The bandits initially released ABS-CBN assistant cameraman Angelo Valderama on June 12. He was released by the kidnappers to Jun Isnaji, son of Indanan town Mayor Alvarez Isnaji.
Mayor Isnaji, a Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader whom the kidnappers agreed to be an emissary, said the kidnappers contacted him through their mobile phones. The negotiating team was led by Sulu Governor Sakur Tan and Vice-Governor Hadja Nur Ana Sahidullah.
The country's top police official earlier on Tuesday said he was "highly optimistic" that Drilon, her cameraman and their guide will soon be freed as negotiations continue for their safe release.
"We're hopeful that within the next few hours or even within the day, the group of Ces Drilon will be released by the kidnappers," Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. told ABS-CBN News.
Razon saw as a good sign the decision of the abductors to set aside the Tuesday noon deadline they set for the negotiations on the release of Drilon, Encarnacion, and Dinampo.
"We have to inform you that the deadline that was set at noon time today (Tuesday) was discarded by the kidnap-for-ransom group. We now have better hopes for the release of Ces Drilon , Jimmy Encarnacion and Prof. Dimampo," he said.
Razon also noted other factors that point to a possible release of the hostages.
"First, the kidnap-for-ransom group initially released Angelo Valderama. Second, they discarded the deadline that they set twice already," he said.
Valderama was one of Drilon’s crew members abducted by the group. Abductors released him last Thursday.
On Sunday, the military shelled rebel positions on Jolo but denied that the operation had anything to do with the kidnapping.
In an interview with Reuters, the Philippines' military chief said the kidnapping had limited the army's operations against the Abu Sayyaf, which numbers only around 350 people but is the country's most deadly armed group.
It is infamous for decapitating some of its kidnap victims.
"We cannot pursue in those areas our operations because of the ongoing negotiations," General Alexander Yano said.
No-Go Area
The Abu Sayyaf, which relies on ransoms to fund its operations, has made Jolo a no-go area for foreigners.
Yano said the prospect of a high ransom from the high-profile snatching of Drilon might encourage more people to join the group, which operates in a wretchedly poor part of the archipelago.
"There may be some who may join on a contractual basis if maybe the price is right," he said. "But they are not the ones who are the core elements."
Drilon's employer, ABS-CBN, the Philippines' largest television network, has repeatedly said it will not pay a ransom. Relatives of the captives have pleaded with the kidnappers, saying they do not have enough money to pay them.
In 2000, the group held about 20 people, mostly Western tourists and Malaysian resort workers from nearby Sipadan island, for about three months. They freed them only after more than $10 million was paid for their release.
A year later, three Americans and more than a dozen Filipino tourists and resort workers were taken from the western island of Palawan. Two of the Americans were killed, including one who was beheaded, while most of the rest were freed for ransom.
The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for the worst militant attack in the Philippines, the bombing of a ferry near Manila Bay in 2004 that killed more than 100 people.
Since 2002, U.S. military forces have been helping train and advise local troops to fight the group, pouring about $500 million into combat equipment and development projects to help turn Muslim communities against the radicals.
The Abu Sayaff group used to have over 1,000 members, but was whittled down to a few hundreds after US-backed military offensives killed and captured the group’s leaders and several members. The remaining members separated into factions after the death of one of their leaders, Khadaffy Janjalani, in late 2006.
Young armed men
Earlier, Juamil Biyaw, professor Dinampo's assistant and also known as "Commander Mameng," told the 3rd Marine Brigade that he fetched Dinampo, Drilon and the two cameraman to take them to Barangay Adjid in Indanan town.
Biyaw, who was formerly with the Moro National Liberation Front, recounted that while navigating the mountainous area of Indanan, around 10 men in their twenties and armed with M16 rifles appeared. Their presence reportedly did not alarm Drilon and Dinampo, whom the armed men knew. They resumed walking after stopping to eat, but Biyaw, then feeling sick, asked not to join them further in their trek.
Biyaw said he later returned at the foot of the mountain where their driver with the vehicle to bring the journalists back to their hotel was waiting. They waited in vain as the Drilon and her companion went missing for days.
Initial reports of a P2 million ransom payment for the release of Valderama was belied by Indanan Mayor Isnaji. Instead, Isnaji said he and vice governor Sahidullah raised about P100,000 to pay for Valderama's "board and lodging."
The mayor also denied that firearms were traded to the kidnappers for Valderama's release.
Vice-governor Sahidullah had also said that the kidnappers may also ask for board and lodging fees for the release of Drilon and Encarnacion..
Family members of Drilon and Encarnacion earlier pleaded for the kidnappers to release the journalists.
Friends, former schoolmates, religious groups and colleagues in media also held masses for the release of Drilon, the two camera crewmen and the professor. -- with reports from Jay Ruiz, Reuters, AFP
______________________________________________________________________
June 18, 2008, ABS-CBN, 2:24 AM, Loren: 'This is pure banditry',
Agence France Presse
JOLO - A prominent television presenter, her cameraman and a guide kidnapped by Islamic militants in the Philippines were freed unharmed late Tuesday, ending their nine-day ordeal, police said.
Cecilia "Ces" Drilon, her cameraman and a university professor accompanying them walked out of the forest where they had been held for nine days shortly before midnight, regional police commander Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao told reporters here.
He said the three "looked fine" and had been picked up from a village in the southern island of Jolo, but would not say if ransom money changed hands.
Their kidnappers were understood to have demanded about 1.12 million dollars in ransom for the ABS-CBN network host and her two colleagues, setting a Tuesday deadline and threatening to behead them if this was not met.
Senator Loren Legarda, a friend of the broadcaster, told the station in an interview that she secretly negotiated for the release of the hostages.
"I appealed, I cajoled, I threatened by telephone," said Legarda, adding the kidnappers were "pressured" by her unspecified local contacts into freeing the three.
"These people do not have an ideology. This is pure banditry," she said.
Drilon, her cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, and university professor Octavio Dinampo, were heading to a secret meeting with a senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf Islamic group when they were seized on June 8.
Valderama was freed on June 12 after 100,000 pesos (about 2,250 dollars) was paid.
The other three were now being taken to Isnaji Alvarez, the mayor of Jolo island's Indanan town who had also been negotiating for their release, Goltiao said.
President Gloria Arroyo's spokesman Jesus Dureza praised the Jolo officials who worked for the television crew's release for their "steadfast and excellent handling" of the kidnapping, but made no reference to the ransom demand.
He said the "safety and welfare of victims were always the foremost consideration" and vowed that the government would "bring the perpetrators to justice."
The Abu Sayyaf, a small group of militants founded with money provided by Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in the early 1990s, have been blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks as well as for kidnappings of western tourists and Christian missionaries.
In the past, the group has beheaded its captives when ransom was not paid on time.
Separately, armed men raided a rural village in the southern island of Mindanao on Tuesday, taking more than two dozen villagers with them, but the hostages were later freed.
The gunmen, who identified themselves as the "Tonda Force," also seized farm animals in their raid on Kulambugan town.
Brigadier General Hilario Atendido said police and military forces were tracking the gunmen. It was not clear if the gunmen were affiliated with any of the region's rebel groups.
July 11, 2008, ABS-CBN, 3:01 PM, Basilan Vice Gov confirms BASELCO kidnappers got P89,000 'fee',
by David Santo, ABS-CBN Zamboanga
Isabela City - Basilan Vice-Governor Al-Rasheed Sakalahul has confirmed that a minimal amount of money indeed exchange hands for the release of the four workers of the Basilan Electric Cooperative.
Speaking to ABS-CBN News earlier Friday, Sakalahul said that P89,000 was handed out to the kidnappers, shortly before freeing captives – Emilberto Singson, Alberto Singson, Paul Herwig and Berian Herwig.
The four, along with co-worker Ronnie Tansiong, were seized by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits in Tuburan town last June 26, while doing engineering work for BASELCO.
Tansiong, a Yakan native, was freed just hours after the abduction.
On Thursday evening, exactly two weeks since the abduction, the four remaining captives were freed in Barangay Mangkawa in Al-Barka town.
This, following a couple of attempts by the BASELCO management to convince the kidnappers to free the hostages without the P1-million ransom demand citing two reasons: one, that the families of the captives are so hard-up to raise the amount and two, that even BASELCO itself is cash-strapped.
Sakalahul said, aside from his personal money, BASELCO, its employees and the hostages' families, raised the P89,000 "board and lodging fee" given to the kidnappers.
According to the hostages, they were treated well by their captors. They likewise denied reports that they were threatened to be beheaded, if ransom was not paid for their release.
Meanwhile, the military in Basilan said, it is poised to pursue the kidnappers, led by notorious bandit Nurhassan Jamiri, now that the BASELCO workers have been freed.
Basilan's Marine brigade commander, Col. Rustico Guerrero said they are likely to extract vital information from the freed hostages, particularly on their kidnapper's identities and hide-outs, in a bid to neutralize them.
___________________________________________________________________________
August 15, 2008, ABS-CBN, 3:24 PM, Timeline: GRP-MILF peace process, by Lei Chavez,
2001
March 24 – Presidential adviser on the peace process Eduardo Ermita and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice-chair for military affairs Al Haj Murad Ebrahim sign the Agreement of the General Framework for the Resumption of peace talks between the GRP and MILF. Malaysia assists in the peace talks by brokering between the two parties.
March 31 – President Arroyo signs Republic Act 9054, an amendment of Republic Act 6734. The act aims to strengthen and expand the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
June 22 – The ancestral domain aspect of the GRP-MILF Tripoli Agreement is signed in Libya. The following day, the military attacks the MILF in Basilan due to allegations that the latter is helping the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, which was then keeping a number of American and Filipino hostages in Basilan.
August 2 – Six municipalities in Lanao del Norte vote for inclusion in ARMM. These municipalities are Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan, and Tangkol.
August 14 – T he people of North Cotabato vote against the plebiscite and refuse to be included in ARMM.
October 29 – The MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) hold unity talks. The MNLF had already signed a peace agreement with the government in 1996 under the Ramos administration.
November 26 – Former MNLF governor Nur Misuari starts a rebellion in Sulu and Zamboanga City, derailing the ARMM elections.
2002
January 7 – Misuari is deported from Sabah, Malaysia and faces rebellion charges in the country.
May 6 – The fourth round of formal peace talks between the government and the MILF begins. The talks produced the following agreements: 1) Joint Communique to veto criminal syndicates and kidnap-for-ransom groups in Mindanao; 2) Implementing Guidelines on the Humanitarian Rehabilitation and Development aspect of the GRP-MILF Tripoli Agreement of Peace of 2001. These agreements became controversial because Norberto Gonzalez, the President’s adviser on special concerns, and not Jesus Dureza, leader of the negotiating panel, signed the documents.
2003
February 10 – The government peace panel led by Dureza presents a draft of the final peace agreement to House Speaker Jose de Venecia and Senate President Franklin Drilon.
February 11 – A military campaign is launched in the Muslim village of Buliok during the end of the Hajj. This offends the MILF and other Muslims, igniting a clash between the two parties that lasted for a week.
March 27 – Exploratory talks take place in Kuala Lumpur.
April 2 – Davao is bombed twice and grenades are hauled in three mosques. The government blames the MILF for these commotions. The latter denies the allegations.
May 6 – President Arroyo cancels peace talks.
May 25 – MILF declares a 20-day ceasefire that extends until June 12.
July 13 – MILF chair Salamat Hashim dies of a heart attack and Ebrahim Murad takes over. Mohagher Iqbal becomes the chairman of the MILF peace panel.
July 19 – In the peace talks in Kuala Lumpur, the government and the MILF panels agree on a “mutual cessation of hostilities.” The Abaya Doctrine, or the AFP guidelines on the primacy of the GRP-MILF peace process, is formulated.
September 5 – Exploratory peace talks in Kuala Lumpur yield the following: 1) gradual pull-out of the troops in Buliok; 2) deployment of the Third Party Monitoring Team to Mindanao; 3) formation of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG); and 4) ancestral domain is set as next agenda for the peace talks.
2004
January 18 – Sixty peace monitors from Malaysia, Brunei, and Libya are deployed to Mindanao to monitor the five-year truce between the two parties. Malaysia sends 41 unarmed soldiers.
December 20 – The discussion on ancestral domain, the last of the three major agenda items, is divided into four strands: concept, territory, resources, and governance.
2005
April 16 – The seventh round of exploratory talks in Malaysia concludes the discussion on concept, territory, and resources.
September 17 – Silvestre Afable, head of the GRP panel, and Iqbal say the panels successfully finished the “most difficult hurdle in the ancestral domain agenda.”
2006
February 6 – Peace negotiators promise to draft an overall framework of the ancestral domain by late March.
March 6 – Malaysia cancels the peace talks between the GRP and the MILF because of the political situation in Manila. Arroyo declared a state of emergency on February 24, which was lifted a week after.
August 31 – Japan sends a delegation to Manila to talk about Japan’s contributions to the peace process.
September 3 – The peace talks between GRP and MILF resume but will possibly extend beyond September. Difficulties in the talks arise as both parties do not agree on the areas to be placed under the Bangsamoro Judicial Entity (BJE).
2007
May 12 – Arroyo instructs the AFP to “work closely with the mechanisms of the peace process to keep combatants in place.”
June 16 – Silvestre Afable resigns reportedly because of lack of support from the government.
July – 10 Marine officers are beheaded in Basilan after skirmishes with the MILF.
August 13 – Arroyo calls for a “pilot implementation of the envisioned Muslim ancestral domain regime.”
August 17 – Arroyo calls “urgent” peace talks with the MILF to resolve the Basilan situation.
August 19 – The government cancels a scheduled meeting with the MILF in Malaysia. Peace talks scheduled to resume in September.
October 24 – The government panel chair Rodolfo Garcia and MILF peace panel chair Iqbal say in a joint statement that formal talks on ancestral domain can be finally be concluded, ending the 13-month impasse between the two parties.
November 15 – The parties agree to the scope and boundaries of the ancestral domain and affirm “all previous points of consensus on the core items of the territory issue.”
December 16 – Peace talks are stalled due to constitutional issues between the two parties. The ancestral domain negotiations reach a deadlock.
2008
April 21 – Malaysia, a member of the International Monitoring Team, starts to pull out their soldiers in Mindanao.
May 10 – The Malaysian troops withdraw from Mindanao. British experts promise to help in the peace talks.
July 9 – An informal emergency meeting between the GRP and MILF is called to defuse tension between the two groups. Here, MILF complains about the deployment of troops near their bases, claiming the move is “a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
July 17 – A deal on ancestral domain of some local Muslim communities is made between the two parties in Kuala Lumpur.
July 21 – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of North Cotabato passes a resolution opposing to be included in the ARMM homeland.
July 24 – GRP and MILF start their talks in Kuala Lumpur. In Manila, pro-government legislators in the House of Representatives file a bill to postpone the August 11 elections in ARMM.
July 25 – After two days of negotiations in Kuala Lumpur, the ancestral domain deal fails to be signed.
July 27 – The two groups sign a joint communiqué on the Muslim ancestral domain. The MOA provides that about 700 villages in Mindanao will hold a referendum within 12 months (of the MOA signing) if they want to join the Muslim homeland. The signing of the agreement is temporarily set on August 5. Formal peace deal scheduled to be concluded in November 2009.
August 2 – Local officials from North Cotabato ask the Supreme Court to block the signing of the agreement between GRP and MILF.
August 4 – The Supreme Court issues a Temporary Restraining Order for the signing of the ancestral domain in Malaysia on August 5.
August 11 - Sen. Mar Roxas and former Senator Franklin Drilon file petitions with the Supreme Court to stop the Philippine government from concluding the MOA with the MILF.
August 15—The Supreme Court holds oral arguments on the GRP-MILF MOA.
-Research by Lei Chavez/abs-cbnNEWS.com
November 30, 2000 11:40 AM, Interview with Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora, Kabayan DZMM,
630 khz., with NOLI DE CASTRO [In Filipino]
______________________________________________________________
Nur's return rejected
Confusion looms in ARMM polls
Economists say R.P. facing a slump next year
Unemployment level to remain in double digit this year–ECOP
TRO sought by drivers on verification of their franchise
Protest defers 'Bt' corn field test in Koronadal
Bata hot on track anew
Pirated 'Harry' CDs appear in H.K.
Deinstitutionalizing corruption
New ILOVEYOU virus suspect on the run
Confusion looms in ARMM polls
Economists say R.P. facing a slump next year
Unemployment level to remain in double digit this year–ECOP
TRO sought by drivers on verification of their franchise
Protest defers 'Bt' corn field test in Koronadal
Bata hot on track anew
Pirated 'Harry' CDs appear in H.K.
Deinstitutionalizing corruption
New ILOVEYOU virus suspect on the run
Cojuangco snubs contested 27% SMC stake
Gov't to tap less ODAs in 2001
Senators break self-impose gag
MPC, SM offers for Fort Boni lot rejected
Manila stocks sustain technical rally
RP peso hits record low of P49.205:$1
BTr to start CMBills auction on Wednesday
SEC urges PSE to divest stake in SCCP
Gov't fears American hostage dead
No ceasefire with Reds, says Palace
RP mulls garments deal with EU
BSP sees no aggressive rate cut
Lapid nephew arrested in drug sting
'ASG to avenge Janjalani's death'
Knights rout Eagles in MBA
Dingdong: Antoinette not pregnant
Rabies cases on the rise
DoJ to probe election anomalies
Tight scramble on for 13th place
Debt-asset manager for Napocor eyed
BSP cuts rates anew
Malonzo wary of possible 'dirty tactics'
Samar poll fraud exposed
Game 6 still 'too close to call'
Vilma re-elected, consoles Nora, Edu
500 Filipinos in Brunei want out
PNP raises alert after foiled bombing
Southeast Asian neighbors agree to send Nur home
MBC: Flat growth if peace and order problem is not solved
Cabinet, PCGG start talks with Kirin officials
Bomb scare hits Makati City
Cotabato trader rescued
Jacobs's 17-man list has surprises
Palace clears Nur on seized ammo
'Trigger happy' cops identified
Bandits attack Davao resort, 2 killed
Election fraud charges fly
SC asked to bar 'bogus' party-lists
Debt-asset manager for Napocor eyed
BSP cuts rates anew
JV declares own victory in San Juan
Boy lobs grenade at Maguindanao precinct
Erap might vote in hospital
Hit squad out to get First Family
BOI sets P50-B target in 2001
Listed firms post surprising Q1 income
Security tightened at EDSA Shrine
Police nab mayor for rival's slay
P18-B Marcos assets to be auctioned
Estrada et al refuse to enter plea
BI fears Dante Tan is dead
Economy up 3% in 2nd quarter
Taiwan: No travel advisory vs RP
Gag order clamps Corpuz
Gorio hovers off Cagayan, Batanes
Sharon, Kiko split on divorce issue
The revelations of Ador
vote count
US military courting RP anew
'PPC win won't ease peso volatility'
Japanese firms eye RP investments
Gonzales turns state witness vs fake soldiers
Tension, confusion mar polls in Mindanao
_____________________________________________________________________________
Gov't fears American hostage dead
No ceasefire with Reds, says Palace
RP mulls garments deal with EU
BSP sees no aggressive rate cut
Lapid nephew arrested in drug sting
'ASG to avenge Janjalani's death'
Knights rout Eagles in MBA
Dingdong: Antoinette not pregnant
Rabies cases on the rise
DoJ to probe election anomalies
Tight scramble on for 13th place
Debt-asset manager for Napocor eyed
BSP cuts rates anew
Malonzo wary of possible 'dirty tactics'
Samar poll fraud exposed
Game 6 still 'too close to call'
Vilma re-elected, consoles Nora, Edu
500 Filipinos in Brunei want out
PNP raises alert after foiled bombing
Southeast Asian neighbors agree to send Nur home
MBC: Flat growth if peace and order problem is not solved
Cabinet, PCGG start talks with Kirin officials
Bomb scare hits Makati City
Cotabato trader rescued
Jacobs's 17-man list has surprises
Palace clears Nur on seized ammo
'Trigger happy' cops identified
Bandits attack Davao resort, 2 killed
Election fraud charges fly
SC asked to bar 'bogus' party-lists
Debt-asset manager for Napocor eyed
BSP cuts rates anew
JV declares own victory in San Juan
Boy lobs grenade at Maguindanao precinct
Erap might vote in hospital
Hit squad out to get First Family
BOI sets P50-B target in 2001
Listed firms post surprising Q1 income
Security tightened at EDSA Shrine
Police nab mayor for rival's slay
P18-B Marcos assets to be auctioned
Estrada et al refuse to enter plea
BI fears Dante Tan is dead
Economy up 3% in 2nd quarter
Taiwan: No travel advisory vs RP
Gag order clamps Corpuz
Gorio hovers off Cagayan, Batanes
Sharon, Kiko split on divorce issue
The revelations of Ador
vote count
US military courting RP anew
'PPC win won't ease peso volatility'
Japanese firms eye RP investments
Gonzales turns state witness vs fake soldiers
Tension, confusion mar polls in Mindanao
_____________________________________________________________________________
Agence France-Presse
JOLO - Heavily armed troops began moving into a forested area here where Muslim extremists are holding a broadcaster and her crew hostage, an AFP reporter said Sunday.
Truckloads of troops began moving from a military base on the island of Jolo just before dawn, following a barrage of cannon fire that shook the area.
Military officials have imposed a news blackout on the hostage-taking, which is entering its second week, and would not comment. But President Gloria Arroyo has ordered police and military forces to rescue all the hostages.
Abu Sayyaf militants are holding ABS-CBN television journalist Ces Drilon, 46, her assistant cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion, and university professor Octavio Dinampo.
The three, along with Angelo Valderama, Drilon's cameraman, were kidnapped on June 8 while on their way to a secret meeting with senior Abu Sayyaf leader Radullan Sahiron.
The abductors freed Valderama on June 12 after a ransom of P100,000 (about $2,250) was paid.
The kidnappers are said to be demanding as much as P50 million ($1.13 million) for the release of their remaining captives.
Drilon's family issued an appeal Saturday for their safe release.
"We are not giving up even on the people who continue to hold Ces and Jimmy captive. We have already tried our very best to have them released," the family said.
The police chief of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said Sunday negotiations for the release of the hostages were continuing.
Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao denied some news reports saying communication between the abductors and the negotiators has been cut off.
"There is still a line of communication on both sides," he said. "That's all I can say."
Abu Sayyaf is known for kidnapping Christians and foreigners and holding them for ransom, and has beheaded some people when their demands were not met.
The group has been linked by intelligence agencies to the al Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden and has been involved in the worst terror attacks in Philippine history.
Although US-trained Philippine forces have weakened Abu Sayyaf in recent years, intelligence agents fear that any ransom from the Drilon kidnapping could enable the group to acquire more weapons and regain strength.
_______________________________________________________________________
June 18, 2008, ABS-CBN, 12:12 AM, Journalists Drilon and Encarnacion, Mindanao professor released,
ABS-CBN senior correspondent Ces Oreña Drilon and cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion were released by their abductors in Sulu province Tuesday night.
Drilon and Encarnacion were held for nine days by an armed group believed to be Abu Sayyaf bandits in the hinterlands of Sulu island. 3
Radio dzMM reported that the three are now with the police.
There were reports that the armed group kept the captives in the bandits’ lairs in Maimbung and Indanan towns.
The bandits initially released ABS-CBN assistant cameraman Angelo Valderama on June 12. He was released by the kidnappers to Jun Isnaji, son of Indanan town Mayor Alvarez Isnaji.
Mayor Isnaji, a Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) leader whom the kidnappers agreed to be an emissary, said the kidnappers contacted him through their mobile phones. The negotiating team was led by Sulu Governor Sakur Tan and Vice-Governor Hadja Nur Ana Sahidullah.
The country's top police official earlier on Tuesday said he was "highly optimistic" that Drilon, her cameraman and their guide will soon be freed as negotiations continue for their safe release.
"We're hopeful that within the next few hours or even within the day, the group of Ces Drilon will be released by the kidnappers," Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. told ABS-CBN News.
Razon saw as a good sign the decision of the abductors to set aside the Tuesday noon deadline they set for the negotiations on the release of Drilon, Encarnacion, and Dinampo.
"We have to inform you that the deadline that was set at noon time today (Tuesday) was discarded by the kidnap-for-ransom group. We now have better hopes for the release of Ces Drilon , Jimmy Encarnacion and Prof. Dimampo," he said.
Razon also noted other factors that point to a possible release of the hostages.
"First, the kidnap-for-ransom group initially released Angelo Valderama. Second, they discarded the deadline that they set twice already," he said.
Valderama was one of Drilon’s crew members abducted by the group. Abductors released him last Thursday.
On Sunday, the military shelled rebel positions on Jolo but denied that the operation had anything to do with the kidnapping.
In an interview with Reuters, the Philippines' military chief said the kidnapping had limited the army's operations against the Abu Sayyaf, which numbers only around 350 people but is the country's most deadly armed group.
It is infamous for decapitating some of its kidnap victims.
"We cannot pursue in those areas our operations because of the ongoing negotiations," General Alexander Yano said.
No-Go Area
The Abu Sayyaf, which relies on ransoms to fund its operations, has made Jolo a no-go area for foreigners.
Yano said the prospect of a high ransom from the high-profile snatching of Drilon might encourage more people to join the group, which operates in a wretchedly poor part of the archipelago.
"There may be some who may join on a contractual basis if maybe the price is right," he said. "But they are not the ones who are the core elements."
Drilon's employer, ABS-CBN, the Philippines' largest television network, has repeatedly said it will not pay a ransom. Relatives of the captives have pleaded with the kidnappers, saying they do not have enough money to pay them.
In 2000, the group held about 20 people, mostly Western tourists and Malaysian resort workers from nearby Sipadan island, for about three months. They freed them only after more than $10 million was paid for their release.
A year later, three Americans and more than a dozen Filipino tourists and resort workers were taken from the western island of Palawan. Two of the Americans were killed, including one who was beheaded, while most of the rest were freed for ransom.
The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for the worst militant attack in the Philippines, the bombing of a ferry near Manila Bay in 2004 that killed more than 100 people.
Since 2002, U.S. military forces have been helping train and advise local troops to fight the group, pouring about $500 million into combat equipment and development projects to help turn Muslim communities against the radicals.
The Abu Sayaff group used to have over 1,000 members, but was whittled down to a few hundreds after US-backed military offensives killed and captured the group’s leaders and several members. The remaining members separated into factions after the death of one of their leaders, Khadaffy Janjalani, in late 2006.
Young armed men
Earlier, Juamil Biyaw, professor Dinampo's assistant and also known as "Commander Mameng," told the 3rd Marine Brigade that he fetched Dinampo, Drilon and the two cameraman to take them to Barangay Adjid in Indanan town.
Biyaw, who was formerly with the Moro National Liberation Front, recounted that while navigating the mountainous area of Indanan, around 10 men in their twenties and armed with M16 rifles appeared. Their presence reportedly did not alarm Drilon and Dinampo, whom the armed men knew. They resumed walking after stopping to eat, but Biyaw, then feeling sick, asked not to join them further in their trek.
Biyaw said he later returned at the foot of the mountain where their driver with the vehicle to bring the journalists back to their hotel was waiting. They waited in vain as the Drilon and her companion went missing for days.
Initial reports of a P2 million ransom payment for the release of Valderama was belied by Indanan Mayor Isnaji. Instead, Isnaji said he and vice governor Sahidullah raised about P100,000 to pay for Valderama's "board and lodging."
The mayor also denied that firearms were traded to the kidnappers for Valderama's release.
Vice-governor Sahidullah had also said that the kidnappers may also ask for board and lodging fees for the release of Drilon and Encarnacion..
Family members of Drilon and Encarnacion earlier pleaded for the kidnappers to release the journalists.
Friends, former schoolmates, religious groups and colleagues in media also held masses for the release of Drilon, the two camera crewmen and the professor. -- with reports from Jay Ruiz, Reuters, AFP
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June 18, 2008, ABS-CBN, 2:24 AM, Loren: 'This is pure banditry',
Agence France Presse
JOLO - A prominent television presenter, her cameraman and a guide kidnapped by Islamic militants in the Philippines were freed unharmed late Tuesday, ending their nine-day ordeal, police said.
Cecilia "Ces" Drilon, her cameraman and a university professor accompanying them walked out of the forest where they had been held for nine days shortly before midnight, regional police commander Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao told reporters here.
He said the three "looked fine" and had been picked up from a village in the southern island of Jolo, but would not say if ransom money changed hands.
Their kidnappers were understood to have demanded about 1.12 million dollars in ransom for the ABS-CBN network host and her two colleagues, setting a Tuesday deadline and threatening to behead them if this was not met.
Senator Loren Legarda, a friend of the broadcaster, told the station in an interview that she secretly negotiated for the release of the hostages.
"I appealed, I cajoled, I threatened by telephone," said Legarda, adding the kidnappers were "pressured" by her unspecified local contacts into freeing the three.
"These people do not have an ideology. This is pure banditry," she said.
Drilon, her cameramen Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama, and university professor Octavio Dinampo, were heading to a secret meeting with a senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf Islamic group when they were seized on June 8.
Valderama was freed on June 12 after 100,000 pesos (about 2,250 dollars) was paid.
The other three were now being taken to Isnaji Alvarez, the mayor of Jolo island's Indanan town who had also been negotiating for their release, Goltiao said.
President Gloria Arroyo's spokesman Jesus Dureza praised the Jolo officials who worked for the television crew's release for their "steadfast and excellent handling" of the kidnapping, but made no reference to the ransom demand.
He said the "safety and welfare of victims were always the foremost consideration" and vowed that the government would "bring the perpetrators to justice."
The Abu Sayyaf, a small group of militants founded with money provided by Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in the early 1990s, have been blamed for the country's worst terrorist attacks as well as for kidnappings of western tourists and Christian missionaries.
In the past, the group has beheaded its captives when ransom was not paid on time.
Separately, armed men raided a rural village in the southern island of Mindanao on Tuesday, taking more than two dozen villagers with them, but the hostages were later freed.
The gunmen, who identified themselves as the "Tonda Force," also seized farm animals in their raid on Kulambugan town.
Brigadier General Hilario Atendido said police and military forces were tracking the gunmen. It was not clear if the gunmen were affiliated with any of the region's rebel groups.
___________________________________________________________________________
July 11, 2008, ABS-CBN, 3:01 PM, Basilan Vice Gov confirms BASELCO kidnappers got P89,000 'fee',
by David Santo, ABS-CBN Zamboanga
Isabela City - Basilan Vice-Governor Al-Rasheed Sakalahul has confirmed that a minimal amount of money indeed exchange hands for the release of the four workers of the Basilan Electric Cooperative.
Speaking to ABS-CBN News earlier Friday, Sakalahul said that P89,000 was handed out to the kidnappers, shortly before freeing captives – Emilberto Singson, Alberto Singson, Paul Herwig and Berian Herwig.
The four, along with co-worker Ronnie Tansiong, were seized by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits in Tuburan town last June 26, while doing engineering work for BASELCO.
Tansiong, a Yakan native, was freed just hours after the abduction.
On Thursday evening, exactly two weeks since the abduction, the four remaining captives were freed in Barangay Mangkawa in Al-Barka town.
This, following a couple of attempts by the BASELCO management to convince the kidnappers to free the hostages without the P1-million ransom demand citing two reasons: one, that the families of the captives are so hard-up to raise the amount and two, that even BASELCO itself is cash-strapped.
Sakalahul said, aside from his personal money, BASELCO, its employees and the hostages' families, raised the P89,000 "board and lodging fee" given to the kidnappers.
According to the hostages, they were treated well by their captors. They likewise denied reports that they were threatened to be beheaded, if ransom was not paid for their release.
Meanwhile, the military in Basilan said, it is poised to pursue the kidnappers, led by notorious bandit Nurhassan Jamiri, now that the BASELCO workers have been freed.
Basilan's Marine brigade commander, Col. Rustico Guerrero said they are likely to extract vital information from the freed hostages, particularly on their kidnapper's identities and hide-outs, in a bid to neutralize them.
___________________________________________________________________________
August 15, 2008, ABS-CBN, 3:24 PM, Timeline: GRP-MILF peace process, by Lei Chavez,
2001
March 24 – Presidential adviser on the peace process Eduardo Ermita and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) vice-chair for military affairs Al Haj Murad Ebrahim sign the Agreement of the General Framework for the Resumption of peace talks between the GRP and MILF. Malaysia assists in the peace talks by brokering between the two parties.
March 31 – President Arroyo signs Republic Act 9054, an amendment of Republic Act 6734. The act aims to strengthen and expand the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
June 22 – The ancestral domain aspect of the GRP-MILF Tripoli Agreement is signed in Libya. The following day, the military attacks the MILF in Basilan due to allegations that the latter is helping the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, which was then keeping a number of American and Filipino hostages in Basilan.
August 2 – Six municipalities in Lanao del Norte vote for inclusion in ARMM. These municipalities are Baloi, Munai, Nunungan, Pantar, Tagoloan, and Tangkol.
August 14 – T he people of North Cotabato vote against the plebiscite and refuse to be included in ARMM.
October 29 – The MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) hold unity talks. The MNLF had already signed a peace agreement with the government in 1996 under the Ramos administration.
November 26 – Former MNLF governor Nur Misuari starts a rebellion in Sulu and Zamboanga City, derailing the ARMM elections.
2002
January 7 – Misuari is deported from Sabah, Malaysia and faces rebellion charges in the country.
May 6 – The fourth round of formal peace talks between the government and the MILF begins. The talks produced the following agreements: 1) Joint Communique to veto criminal syndicates and kidnap-for-ransom groups in Mindanao; 2) Implementing Guidelines on the Humanitarian Rehabilitation and Development aspect of the GRP-MILF Tripoli Agreement of Peace of 2001. These agreements became controversial because Norberto Gonzalez, the President’s adviser on special concerns, and not Jesus Dureza, leader of the negotiating panel, signed the documents.
2003
February 10 – The government peace panel led by Dureza presents a draft of the final peace agreement to House Speaker Jose de Venecia and Senate President Franklin Drilon.
February 11 – A military campaign is launched in the Muslim village of Buliok during the end of the Hajj. This offends the MILF and other Muslims, igniting a clash between the two parties that lasted for a week.
March 27 – Exploratory talks take place in Kuala Lumpur.
April 2 – Davao is bombed twice and grenades are hauled in three mosques. The government blames the MILF for these commotions. The latter denies the allegations.
May 6 – President Arroyo cancels peace talks.
May 25 – MILF declares a 20-day ceasefire that extends until June 12.
July 13 – MILF chair Salamat Hashim dies of a heart attack and Ebrahim Murad takes over. Mohagher Iqbal becomes the chairman of the MILF peace panel.
July 19 – In the peace talks in Kuala Lumpur, the government and the MILF panels agree on a “mutual cessation of hostilities.” The Abaya Doctrine, or the AFP guidelines on the primacy of the GRP-MILF peace process, is formulated.
September 5 – Exploratory peace talks in Kuala Lumpur yield the following: 1) gradual pull-out of the troops in Buliok; 2) deployment of the Third Party Monitoring Team to Mindanao; 3) formation of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG); and 4) ancestral domain is set as next agenda for the peace talks.
2004
January 18 – Sixty peace monitors from Malaysia, Brunei, and Libya are deployed to Mindanao to monitor the five-year truce between the two parties. Malaysia sends 41 unarmed soldiers.
December 20 – The discussion on ancestral domain, the last of the three major agenda items, is divided into four strands: concept, territory, resources, and governance.
2005
April 16 – The seventh round of exploratory talks in Malaysia concludes the discussion on concept, territory, and resources.
September 17 – Silvestre Afable, head of the GRP panel, and Iqbal say the panels successfully finished the “most difficult hurdle in the ancestral domain agenda.”
2006
February 6 – Peace negotiators promise to draft an overall framework of the ancestral domain by late March.
March 6 – Malaysia cancels the peace talks between the GRP and the MILF because of the political situation in Manila. Arroyo declared a state of emergency on February 24, which was lifted a week after.
August 31 – Japan sends a delegation to Manila to talk about Japan’s contributions to the peace process.
September 3 – The peace talks between GRP and MILF resume but will possibly extend beyond September. Difficulties in the talks arise as both parties do not agree on the areas to be placed under the Bangsamoro Judicial Entity (BJE).
2007
May 12 – Arroyo instructs the AFP to “work closely with the mechanisms of the peace process to keep combatants in place.”
June 16 – Silvestre Afable resigns reportedly because of lack of support from the government.
July – 10 Marine officers are beheaded in Basilan after skirmishes with the MILF.
August 13 – Arroyo calls for a “pilot implementation of the envisioned Muslim ancestral domain regime.”
August 17 – Arroyo calls “urgent” peace talks with the MILF to resolve the Basilan situation.
August 19 – The government cancels a scheduled meeting with the MILF in Malaysia. Peace talks scheduled to resume in September.
October 24 – The government panel chair Rodolfo Garcia and MILF peace panel chair Iqbal say in a joint statement that formal talks on ancestral domain can be finally be concluded, ending the 13-month impasse between the two parties.
November 15 – The parties agree to the scope and boundaries of the ancestral domain and affirm “all previous points of consensus on the core items of the territory issue.”
December 16 – Peace talks are stalled due to constitutional issues between the two parties. The ancestral domain negotiations reach a deadlock.
2008
April 21 – Malaysia, a member of the International Monitoring Team, starts to pull out their soldiers in Mindanao.
May 10 – The Malaysian troops withdraw from Mindanao. British experts promise to help in the peace talks.
July 9 – An informal emergency meeting between the GRP and MILF is called to defuse tension between the two groups. Here, MILF complains about the deployment of troops near their bases, claiming the move is “a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.”
July 17 – A deal on ancestral domain of some local Muslim communities is made between the two parties in Kuala Lumpur.
July 21 – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan of North Cotabato passes a resolution opposing to be included in the ARMM homeland.
July 24 – GRP and MILF start their talks in Kuala Lumpur. In Manila, pro-government legislators in the House of Representatives file a bill to postpone the August 11 elections in ARMM.
July 25 – After two days of negotiations in Kuala Lumpur, the ancestral domain deal fails to be signed.
July 27 – The two groups sign a joint communiqué on the Muslim ancestral domain. The MOA provides that about 700 villages in Mindanao will hold a referendum within 12 months (of the MOA signing) if they want to join the Muslim homeland. The signing of the agreement is temporarily set on August 5. Formal peace deal scheduled to be concluded in November 2009.
August 2 – Local officials from North Cotabato ask the Supreme Court to block the signing of the agreement between GRP and MILF.
August 4 – The Supreme Court issues a Temporary Restraining Order for the signing of the ancestral domain in Malaysia on August 5.
August 11 - Sen. Mar Roxas and former Senator Franklin Drilon file petitions with the Supreme Court to stop the Philippine government from concluding the MOA with the MILF.
August 15—The Supreme Court holds oral arguments on the GRP-MILF MOA.
-Research by Lei Chavez/abs-cbnNEWS.com
______________________________________________________________________________
The leader of an Islamist rebel group which kidnapped three Red Cross officers in the southern Philippines threatened on Wednesday to behead one of the hostages if troops did not stop pursuing them, according to Senator Richard Gordon, chair of the Philippine National Red Cross.
Gordon said Albader Parad, the leader of the Abu Sayyaf rebels, called him on Wednesday and relayed the threat to behead one of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hostages. Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipina Mary Jean Lacaba have been held on the remote southern island of Jolo since Jan. 15.
Philippine Marines exchanged gunfire with Abu Sayyaf rebels on Tuesday. The military said up to nine people, including three soldiers, were killed and dozens wounded but it said the fighting was not an attempt to free the hostages.
As of posting, Gordon was in a meeting with Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, and Armed Forces chief Alexander Yano to discuss the threat and how to deal with it.
Gordon is suggesting that the military pull back pursuing troops in exchange for one of the hostages.
Beheadings
The Abu Sayyaf rebels, notorious for kidnappings and linked to the regional Islamist group Jemaah Islamiah, have a history of beheading captives.
In June 2001, American Guillermo Sobero was beheaded by another group of Abu Sayyaf on southern Basilan island after Manila turned down talks to release three U.S. captives.
The Red Cross raised concerns about the safety of its workers after the clashes earlier this week.
The hostages have been held in the Jolo hills since they were abducted after visiting a humanitarian project inside a prison.
Military officials have said the fighting this week, near Indanan town on Jolo, erupted when the kidnappers tried to break out of the military cordon around the area.
The Abu Sayyaf has demanded the withdrawal of the military from their areas in exchange for freeing the captives.
Newspapers have said they have also demanded a ransom, with one estimate put at $1 million. -- reports from MANNY MOGATO, Reuters; CECILLE LARDIZABAL, ABS-CBN News
_______________________________________________________________________________
March 19, 2009, 10:23 PM, ABS-CBN, Troops to pull back for one Red Cross hostage ,
March 19, 2009, 12:17 PM, ABS-CBN, Gordon confident Abu leader will honor 'gentlemen's agreement',
March 19, 2009, 12:17 PM, ABS-CBN, Gordon confident Abu leader will honor 'gentlemen's agreement',
March 19, 2009, 5:55 PM, ABS-CBN, Abu Sayyaf agrees to free Red Cross hostage: official,
March 22, 2009, 2:12 AM, ABS-CBN, 'Hopes for release of Red Cross workers fade',
March 24, 2009, 8:42 PM, ABS-CBN, Army sets blockade to free hostages,
March 30, 2009, 12:27 PM, ABS-CBN, Abu Sayyaf urged to fulfill promise, release hostage,
March 31, 2009, 3:51 PM, ABS-CBN, Gordon: No glory in harming hostages,
March 31, 2009, 3:51 PM, ABS-CBN, Gordon: No glory in harming hostages,
March 31, 2009, 6:44 PM, ABS-CBN, Red Cross workers still alive: report,
April 1, 2009, ABS-CBN, 14:05, 'No Red Cross worker beheaded'
April 2, 2009, ABS-CBN, 14:57, Mary Jean's brother appeals for hostages' release
April 5, 2009, ABS-CBN, 18:00, Govt rejects Red Cross kidnappers' demands
April 16, 2009, ABS-CBN, 15:35, US ready to help in Philippine hostage crisis: officials
April 17, 2009, ABS-CBN, 16:59, US marines train Filipinos to fight Abu Sayyaf: official
April 20, 2009, ABS-CBN, 19:32, Rains stall rescue for 6 kidnapped Zambo teachers,
April 23, 2009, ABS-CBN, 20:14, Timeline: Kidnapping Of ICRC Hostages by the Abu Sayyaf Group
August 23, 2009, ABS-CBN, 22:06, Abu rebel extradited to US for kidnap: embassy
September 21, 2009, ABS-CBN, 16:05, Up to 17 ASG bandits killed in Sulu fighting: military
September 22, 2009, ABS-CBN, 10:23, 32 die in Indanan clash: military
November 9, 2009, ABS-CBN, 13:28, Timeline: The Abu Sayyaf atrocities
November 9, 2009, ABS-CBN, 02:18, Authorities recover head of Basilan kidnap victim
Bishop wants martial law in Basilan
12/10/2009 - 22:24
12/10/2009 - 22:24
Freed Chinese hostage dies in Philippines
03/01/2010 - 23:28
(UPDATE) Swiss national kidnapped in Zamboanga
04/05/2010 - 10:42
Troops scour Sulu for missing Japanese
07/18/2010 - 19:01
Minority solons praise GMA on hostage crisis handling
08/26/2010 - 02:11
Philippine militants rely on kidnapping to survive
02/03/2012 - 14:29
03/01/2010 - 23:28
04/05/2010 - 10:42
Troops scour Sulu for missing Japanese
07/18/2010 - 19:01
Minority solons praise GMA on hostage crisis handling
08/26/2010 - 02:11
Hotdogs and Hostages – Carlo Osi
09/25/2010 - 17:16
09/25/2010 - 17:16
Philippine search fails to find kidnapped Europeans
02/03/2012 - 01:02
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Philippine militants rely on kidnapping to survive
02/03/2012 - 14:29
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