This was confirmed by Police Major Alphad Osalli, chief of Ungkaya Pukan Municipal Police Station (MPS), who said that the gun battle lasted until 2 pm, when the armed men withdrew toward an unknown direction.

This paved the way for the immediate evacuation of the displaced individuals in coordination with Municipal Social Welfare Development Officer Nursira Estajal together with Municipal Administrator Madznur Maturan.

Osalli said the internally displaced persons from barangays Materling, Bohe-Suyak, and Lower Ulitan were temporarily housed in Ma’ahad Darul Ulum before they proceeded to their respective relatives in the neighboring villages.

At around 2:30 pm, the patrol team was conducting a chokepoint operation at the crossing of Materling when the wounded rubber tapper identified as Aragon Sajid Abon, 38, was taken to the Ungkaya Pukan Rural Health Unit.

Authorities conducted a briefing at around 4 pm to harmonize the armed encounters, reduce casualties, avoid escalation of hostilities, and promote peace.

Early on, another group of unidentified armed men attacked a detachment of the Army’s Scout Rangers also in Ungkaya Pukan, as confirmed by Basilan Provincial Police Director Colonel Carlos Madronio. No casualty was reported. – Rappler.com

The petitioners accused BARMM interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim of grave abuse of discretion, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front-dominated Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) of going beyond its jurisdiction when it approved the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 35, otherwise known as the Bangsamoro Electoral Code.

They said the region’s new law was an encroachment on the functions of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the SC itself, and would adversely affect the welfare and interest of political parties, voters, and taxpayers in BARMM.

Must Read

Bangsamoro parliament approves electoral code

The petitioners include the following: 

• Dimnatang Pansar
• Abdul Rashid Balindong
• Shariefuddin Lucman
• Aleem Alibasher Abdullatif
• Jamil Paisal Adiong
• Rafnanjani Pendatun Ali
• Mohajeran Balayman
• Najia Pescadera
• Sharif Jul Asiri Abirin
• Abdul Muhaimin Abuhara
• Mohammad Salmann Sakili
• Sarid Hataman
• Harisul Samanul
• Sukarno Asri
• Mohammad Yusof Tidal

The newly-formed Bangsamoro Governors Caucus (BGC) backed the petition that was submitted to the High Tribunal by lawyers Romulo Macalintal, Antonio Carlos Bautista, and Christopher Rodriguez.

The 64-page petition, which represents several local government officials, civil society, traders, and political leaders in the BARMM, sought an SC ruling to declare the regional law null and void.

The petitioners also asked the SC to issue a status quo ante order or a temporary restraining order against the implementation of the new law.

A status quo ante order is meant to restore a situation to how it was before a particular event or dispute – in this case before the law’s passage – until a final decision is reached.

The electoral code was enacted by the BARMM’s interim parliament on March 8 and took effect on May 17.

The petitioners asked the high court to immediately take action on the matter in light of the forthcoming political exercises in the country.

Speaking for the BGC, Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. said the majority of the BARMM’s provincial governors support the petition but denied they meant to undermine the current leadership in the autonomous region.

“The move in seeking the intervention of the Supreme Court is to validate the constitutionality and legality of regional laws which will help strengthen the rule of law in the Bangsamoro region. We just want to put things in proper order as these may affect the future of the region,” Adiong said.

The BGC, organized in Cagayan de Oro earlier this month, is composed of governors Abdusakur Tan of Sulu, Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu of Maguindanao del Sur, Ysmael Sali of Tawi-Tawi, and Hadjiman Hataman-Salliman of Basilan.

In December 2022, the five governors first questioned some provisions of the then-draft election code such as the powers bestowed on the then-proposed Bangsamoro Election Office (BEO), which they said surpassed the powers of the Comelec.

The petition also cited a provision in the BARMM’s new election law, which provided strict rules on the use of campaign funds, and partisan activities. 

In February, a month before the BTA approved the controversial code, a group of election experts and representatives of election watchdogs, warned that some provisions in the then-proposed law conflicted with the 1987 Constitution.

They suggested revisions in the then proposal, which is now the basis for the conduct of the elections in the BARMM. The region is scheduled to hold its first regional elections in 2025, two years after the barangay and youth elections set this October.

“The legislation of the electoral code must be pursued within the framework of the Constitution and national laws. Following the hierarchy of laws, the electoral code must be consistent, adherent, and compliant with the Constitution, national laws, and international law standards,” read part of their position paper early this year.

They questioned the provisions about an electoral tribunal, registration of political parties, the budget, and the powers of a regional electoral office to list and delist voters.

The experts had recommended the removal of the provision granting the Bangsamoro parliament’s electoral tribunal exclusive jurisdiction over election disputes, arguing that the Comelec should have sole authority instead. 

Instead, they had proposed empowering the BEO to conduct recounts, oversee hearings, and make recommendations to the Comelec on petition decisions.

They had also recommended the removal of a provision granting exclusive jurisdiction to a regional electoral tribunal to handle election disputes, arguing that the Constitution has mandated the Comelec to perform such a task. 

They had proposed empowering the electoral office to conduct recounts, oversee hearings, and provide recommendations to the Comelec regarding petition decisions instead.

Concerns had also been raised about a provision in the then-draft code granting the Bangsamoro Electoral Commission the authority to approve the registration and dissolution of political parties, citing potential constitutional issues. 

The experts had recommended treating the office as the reception and screening committee for party registrations under the supervision of the Comelec. They said it should have limited powers over party dissolution petitions that require final approval or reversal by the Comelec.

Experts had called for the removal of a provision in the proposed code that grants the BEO the authority to investigate voter list anomalies and delist voters, as they argued that such matters should be decided by courts, not the BEO. 

They pointed out that courts already have exclusive jurisdiction over voter list cases in their respective areas. 

The group of experts had also recommended revising the code’s budget provision to ensure any supplemental budget for the BEO goes through the Comelec first, as it potentially conflicts with the Comelec’s status as an independent constitutional commission.

The experts who came up with the position paper included former elections commissioner Luie Guia, former justice secretary Al Agra, former interior undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, former interior chief Anwar Malang of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and former Masbate governor Vicente Homer Revi, among others. – Rappler.com

“Ngayong gabi (June 15) ay namalayan namin na na-hack ang opisyal na Facebook account ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino. Humihingi po kami ng paumanhin sa mga nakatunghay sa larawan na hindi angkop na matagpuan sa aming page. Ginagawa na po namin ang lahat upang maalis ang naturang larawan, ngunit sa ngayon ay hindi pa namin ma-access ang account. Maraming salamat po sa inyong pang-unawa,” Barrios-Taran wrote.

(Tonight, we noticed that the official Facebook page of the Komisyong ng Wikang Filipino was hacked. We apologize to everyone who saw the image that is inappropriate for our page. We’ve done what we can to remove the said image, but as of now, we can’t access the account. Thank you for your understanding.)

An image showing a scantily clad woman was seen as an ephemeral Story post on the KWF page.

The KWF’s official statement said that the page was hacked through a piece of malware that was able to bypass Facebook’s security protocols. The agency has reported the incident to the National Bureau of Investigation’s cybercrime division and to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

In April, the Davao traffic office’s page was vandalized with soft porn videos. In August 2022, the KWF website became inaccessible after it barred the distribution of books it deemed “anti-government.” – Rappler.com

“While the proposed arrangement is humanitarian in nature, it will not involve the admission or hosting of Afghan refugees,” said the DFA in a statement.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez had earlier told CNN Philippines that the request was lodged in October 2022.

Romualdez, cousin of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said Washington will cover all costs should the request be granted, and that Afghan refugees were meant to head straight to the US once their applications are finally processed.

The DFA said discussions concerned refugees in the last stages of the infamously long, bureaucratic, and rigorous process of securing an SIV.

Amid criticism from officials, including the President’s own sister Senator Imee Marcos, the DFA said Manila “has not entered or finalized any agreement with the United States on the matter.”

“Consultations with relevant Philippine government agencies are ongoing,” the DFA added.

Romualdez, speaking to CNN Philippines, that Washington’s request includes Afghans who worked for the US government during and in the aftermath of its controversial invasion of Afghanistan. Special immigration visas will eventually be issued to them via a facility in the Philippines.

“The information that we so far have received is that there are about 50,000, which includes the families of the Afghan citizens who worked with the United States government,” Romualdez said.

After over two decades of war in the central Asian country, the US abruptly pulled out of Afghanistan, resulting in the return of the Taliban to power.

Afghans – particularly those who worked for and with the US in the past decades – scrambled to find a way out of Kabul in the last days of US presence, in fear of punishment at the hands of the Taliban.

According to the Foreign Policy, the Biden administration’s estimates place the number of Afghans seeking SIVs at over 150,000 as of March 2023.

Senator Marcos led on Friday a probe into the Americans’ request, a move that was supported by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III.

During the hearing, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said US President Joe Biden “briefly raised” the request during Marcos’ visit to Washington DC in May 2023. 

In a separate statement, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the request “is currently under evaluation.”

The Philippines has a long history of taking in people who had to flee their homeland en mass because of conflict and war. Many of these refugees – unlike the Afghans included in the current US proposal – went on to stay in the Philippines, creating communities of their own.

Manila most recently expressed openness to taking in the Rohingya in 2020, and Afghans in 2021, and Ukrainians in 2022. – Rappler.com

“Our view on this is that it was merely an act of harassment. It wasn’t [an act of terrorism] because the explosive device was planted at the back of the car,” said Colonel Alberto Lupaz, the chief of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO).

A lawyer’s Honda CRV parked outside a law office at One Oasis Condominium Ecoland exploded within five minutes after the two persons left an object under the vehicle. 

The police obtained CCTV footage and described the suspects as being in their twenties.

The car’s rear windshield was damaged, but no one was hurt.

Lawyer Alberto Magulta, the owner of the car, reportedly received threats due to”high-profile cases” he has been handling in the Soccsksargen region.

The case remains under investigation. The DCPO’s crime scene investigators have started collecting fragments to determine the type of improvised explosive device used in the bombing.

Lupaz said the explosion prompted the police to make security adjustments, especially since the bomb attack was made in broad daylight.

Meanwhile, Task Force Davao head Colonel Darren Cornia said they have tightened security in the city and set up more checkpoints at the city borders.

“TF-Davao plans to strengthen the city’s culture of security,” Cornia said. – Rappler.com

Lucelle Bonzo is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow.

“It seems to be arbitrary and how are they able to get away with it? How come we don’t hear anything from CAAP (Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines)?… Dapat makialam na ang gobyerno dito. Dapat tignan nila ’yan, imbestigahan nila. (The government should step in. They should look into this, investigate this.),” Human Rights Watch senior researcher Carlos Conde said in a Facebook post after his family’s travel was thrown into disarray due to a flight cancelation. 

“I don’t know if this is something they take seriously,” he told Rappler on June 14. “It’s not only just the flight; there are other arrangements that one needs when traveling, the whole domino effect,” he noted. 

The Senate committees on tourism and on public services heard the distressed calls, and will start on June 21 an investigation into these complaints, philstar.com reported.

Cebu Pacific, meanwhile, told Rappler on Thursday, June 15, that weather woes, given the onset of the rainy season, are among the reasons for the flight cancelations, which in turn cause “consequential delays.”

Carmina Reyes-Romero, the airline’s director for corporate communication, said Cebu Pacific had heightened their customer care for canceled flights and refunds. 

She said that travel vouchers and hotel accommodation were offered if needed for on-the-spot and significant delays.

This contradicts the reports reaching Senator Nancy Binay’s office that “Cebu Pacific has not provided immediate assistance and support” for passengers who seek help from the airlines’ customer service hotlines and in-person help desks. Binay chairs the Senate committee on tourism. 

Delayed, boarded, deplaned

Michael Kevin Gox Goco is used to delayed flights by Cebu Pacific Air. Things came to a head, however, on May 19.

While he and his wife were already at the airport, they received an announcement that their flight to Iloilo had been moved from 7 pm to 9 pm. But when 9 pm came, airline staff said their plane needed fixing.

After waiting for some more time, the affected passengers stormed the manager’s office and demanded an explanation from Cebu Pacific.

“Majority of us refused [to rebook or cancel] because we must be in Iloilo for some urgent matters. One passenger was even bringing medicines. We told them that we would wait for our flight,” Goco said in a phone interview with Rappler on May 31.

By 2 am, they eventually were allowed to board the plane for a 3 am flight to Iloilo. But Goco noticed that the plane was understaffed and short of one pilot. At around 3:30 am, they were told to deplane because the flight had been canceled partly due to thunderstorms.

“That’s what you get if you fly on a budget. It was ‘business as usual’ for Cebu Pacific,” Goco said.

All he wanted, he said, was for the airline to deploy personnel who know crisis management, especially in dealing with irate passengers, but that didn’t happen. 

The Goco couple ended up rebooking their flights and paying the corresponding fees. 

No choice but…a class suit?

Conde, his wife, and children were also bound for Iloilo on June 1, having booked an 8 am flight through the Cebu Pacific website. 

It wasn’t a budget flight, the full fare was paid. 

The night before the flight, however, Cebu Pacific notified them that their flight had been moved earlier by four hours, to 4 am. 

Then an hour or less before 4 am, they received another notice – the airline had converted their trip into travel vouchers instead of giving them a refund.

“That would mean they already canceled our flight” without explicitly saying so, Conde said, frustrated.

“If Cebu Pacific is overbooking flights, as other passengers say on social media, then the government needs to control that,” said Conde. 

“Thousands of thousands of lives are affected by these arbitrary cancellations and delays. Maybe it’s time these affected passengers organize and file a class action suit against Cebu Pacific because there is no way you can get away with this,” he added.

“Objectively speaking, in terms of options, you don’t really have a choice. The refund will take at least a month or something. For someone who is financially distressed, you can’t wait for another month to refund your money,” Conde, who initially wanted a refund instead of vouchers, told Rappler.

“It’s just pointless to raise an argument with them, all you can do is just sigh, really. First of all, I don’t call their hotline anymore. Their travel customer service experience is really terrible. You can hardly talk to a human being. It’s infuriating because we are all looking forward to our flights. No explanations at all.”

Binay’s Senate Resolution No. 575 refers to complaints of offloading “without  any verifiable cause or reason due to the airline’s overbooking.” 

“Being offloaded without alternative flight options or compensation not only has a direct impact on someone’s travel plans, but it also reflects how airlines treat customers and tourists,” the draft resolution points out. 

Early reservation, offloaded nonetheless

Maizy Colleen Tan was scheduled to fly to Incheon, South Korea, on June 13 using a free-of-charge (FOC) ticket courtesy of Cebu Pacific. “I’m an influencer for Cebu Pacific,” said the fashion designer and influencer from Davao City.

She paid for her trip to from Davao City to Cebu City, where she was to take the connecting flight to Incheon. She was traveling with her mother and aunt, whose tickets were paid for. 

She had booked their flights as early as December 2022.

“What happened was my mom and my auntie’s flight [from Davao to Cebu] was rebooked. We bought the tickets at the full price of P45,000 plus a rebooking fee of P4,000,” Tan told Rappler on Wednesday, June 14. 

When Tan asked Cebu Pacific how they could catch the June 13 Cebu-Incheon flight, she was told the three of them would have to travel a day earlier, June 12, but with an added stop in Siargao. So it would be Davao-Siargao-Cebu, then Incheon.

Tan said they agreed to take the Davao-Siargao-Cebu flight.

However, while Tan eating breakfast at the airport in front of the gate where boarding for the Siaorgao flight had already started, she “received another Viber message that the June 13 Korean flight will be moved to June 18 instead.”

She asked the Cebu Pacific staff at the boarding gate what their group should do. She was told they should proceed to Siargao, then Cebu, and then inquire about the status of the Incheon flight there. 

She said the instruction made no sense if the flight to Korea had been moved back by a few days.

“It was just odd for them to abruptly offload those who booked early,” Tan said. 

Her original post said she sadly wheeled her bag home.

But when her Facebook lament received 9,000 reactions, 1,100 comments, and 6,900 shares, Tan said Romero reached out and rebooked their canceled local flights and also booked them on the earliest flight to Korea.

She stressed that aside from her FOC Cebu-Icheon flight, they did not get free flights. Instead, the airlines got their old reference codes for the paid canceled flights and regenerated new schedules at the original prices.

Her post update states she and her companions are now in Korea. While thanking the airlines for making the trip happen, Tan said she still wanted compensation “for the damage Cebu Pacific’s glitches have caused.”

Rainy season woes

When Rappler asked Romero on Thursday about passengers’ complaints on social media, she said: “We encourage our passengers to send their requests for assistance in our social media channels, via Facebook messenger or Twitter, or in our Guest Feedback form. We have agents who will answer passenger concerns and solve their issues.”

“The rainy season has officially started and it is [a] period that may dampen plans for many air travelers,” Romero explained. “If a Lightning Red Alert is imposed at the airport, all flight and ground operations are suspended until the alert is lowered to a Lightning Yellow Alert, indicating the resumption of flight operations.”

Romero acknowledged that flight suspension “may lead to consequential delays and sometimes, cancellations.”

Their foremost consideration is everyone’s safety, she stressed. “We will always prioritize the safety of the passengers, crew, and airport workers. Nevertheless, Cebu Pacific remains committed to hearing from our passengers and to flying them safely to their destinations.” 

Romero said the chain consequences of bad weather conditions include delays and cancellations.

“It impacts on crew limitation. Also, there are sunset-limited airports. ’Pag nag-cascade ang delay and sunset, limited ang airport, paano pa lilipad? (Once the delay cascades and sunset limits operations at airports, how can we fly?) – with reports from Francis Allan Angelo/Rappler.com 

The chief executive, who has been holding the post concurrently since he took office on June 30, 2022, said on Friday, June 16, that he won’t be leaving the department unless there are already “systems in place… [to] guarantee the food supply” of the country. 

“Tinatanong ko sa kanilang lahat, inaatay ko mag-volunteer sila mag secretary, ayaw akong paalisin eh,” said Marcos in a chance interview with media on the sidelines of a ceremony in Valenzuela City where China turned over around 20,000 metric tons of urea fertilizer to the Philippines. Marcos was flanked by officials of the DA and the Chinese embassy during the door-stop interview. 

(I asked all of them and I’ve been waiting for them to volunteer to be secretary but they don’t want me to go.) 

The president has said before that he would not step down as DA chief following calls that he should already appoint a full-time secretary instead. He’s used various arguments in the past, including the assertion that some people in the agriculture sector would only listen to a chief executive, and that they were still “fixing” the DA.

But even though he’s been the concurrent president and DA chief, the past year has seen dramatic increases in the cost of some food commodities such as onions and sugar. The latest macroeconomic data, however, show that the Philippines’ inflation rate declined in May 2023, fueled by a slowdown in the cost of transportation and food.

Controversies also hounded agencies connected to the DA, including a sugar importing mess that eventually led to the exit of his first executive secretary, Victor Rodriguez.  

Marcos said that a year into his administration, he wants to introduce “structural changes” to the DA to help enhance food security.  

Without providing a timeline, Marcos said he wants to “guarantee” steady food supply, affordable food prices, and a “good living” for farmers.  

“So, hanggat matapos natin ‘yun [until we’re done with that], I suppose you will just have to put up with me as the DA secretary,” said Marcos. 

Both allies and critics have called on Marcos to finally appoint a full-time agriculture chief.

The fertilizers donated by China will be distributed in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley region, Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog region, and Bicol region “to help boost productivity,” according to the DA. The donation was first pledged in September 2022 and delivered in early June 2023. 

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said the donation speaks of the “action and sincerity and demonstrates the friendship of the Chinese people for the people of the Philippines.” – Rappler.com 

Alarmed over smuggling, sorry state of agriculture, senators call for full-time DA secretary

“WHEREFORE, premises considered, the instant motions are hereby GRANTED, and the undersigned Presiding Judge voluntarily inhibits himself from further hearing this case,” read the order of Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 256 Presiding Judge Romeo Buenaventura.

Inhibiting himself from the remaining drug charge means Judge Buenaventura will stop handling the case.

In his order, the presiding judge said the records of the case shall be transmitted to Muntinlupa City Executive Judge for re-raffle. This means the case would be transferred to ther Muntinlupa City RTC branch for the continuation of the trial.

On June 13, Joenel Sanchez, Ronnie Dayan, and Franklin Jesus Bucayu, De Lima’s co-accused in their pending drug charge, filed three separate motions to inhibit.

Sanchez said in his motion that “several news surfaced that the Honorable Presiding judge is the brother of Atty. [Emmanuel] S. Buenaventura.” He added that, Emmanuel Buenaventura was the one “who assisted Accused Dayan in the execution of his affidavit, which was later, testified to by accused Dayan to be coerced.”

De Lima’s co-accused added that the judge’s sibling also served as a legal adviser to the late lawmaker Reynaldo Umali, who headed the House committee on justice. The said House panel conducted hearings in October 2016, where Sanchez had been subpoenaed to testify.

Judge’s explanation

In his order, Judge Buenaventura explained that in Cabañero vs. Cañon, the Supreme Court laid down the following elements in disqualifying a judge in a case: 

• There must be adequate evidence to prove the claim
• It must be shown that the judge had an interest, personal or not, in the case
• “The bias and prejudice must have stemmed from an extrajudicial source and result in an opinion on the merits on some basis other than what the judge learned from his participation in the case”.

However, none of these elements is present in the case, Buenaventura said.

The presiding judge said, the fact that lawyer Emmanuel is his brother is not sufficient to prove that he “acted with malice, bad faith, and partiality in conducting the proceedings in this case, more so in denying the accused’s petitions and motions for bail.” 

Judge Buenaventura said it was beyond his personal knowledge, as the accused claimed, that his brother was a former counsel to Dayan, who assisted the latter in executing his affidavit.

The judge added that the information about his brother supposedly working for the late former lawmaker Umali was also beyond his personal knowledge. 

“At this juncture, the Presiding Judge maintains that, as dispenser of justice, he has conducted himself with the cold impartiality of an impartial judge, and no one had swayed his judgment and conduct in adjudicating the instant case,” he said. 

However, even though he was, as he claimed, impartial and objective in handling the case, Judge Buenaventura said he recognizes that his actions, regardless of how judiciously made, are vulnerable to claims of bias and partiality.

Buenaventura added that he inhibited himself to preserve “the ideal of cold and impartial dispensation of justice by the Court.”

“For this reason, the undersigned Presiding Judge will exercise his discretion and will recuse himself from further hearing this case not because the allegations are true, but because it is his avowed duty as member of the Bench to promote confidence in the judicial system,” the judge added.

New motion

In a statement released on Friday afternoon, De Lima’s lawyers said they welcomed Buenaventura’s voluntary inhibition but added they were saddened by the judge’s failure to disclose his relationship with his brother. 

The lawyers said they hoped that the case would be immediately raffled to a new judge. They also hoped for a timely intervention from the Supreme Court “maintaining its instruction to the new presiding judge to finish the case within 9 months.” 

The De Lima camp plans to file a motion for reconsideration with the new judge to ask that De Lima’s bail denial be reconsidered. 

“Admittedly, the inhibition of Judge Buenaventura and the transfer of this case to another judge will cause a bit of a delay, but our client is steadfast in her resolve that her vindication is near,” the lawyers said. 

They added: “She continues to believe that truth and justice will prevail and that her vindication from these trumped-up charges will come ‘very very soon.’ In her own words, ‘Walang expiration ang pag-labas ng katotohanan’ (truth has no expiration).” – Rappler.com

According to the military, the Egyptian boy had been a member of the notorious Abu Sayyaf, an extremist organization linked to international terrorist networks such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The group is known for its extremist ideology and involvement in criminal activities including kidnappings, bombings, and attacks, primarily in the Sulu archipelago and Basilan.

Lieutenant General Roy Galido, commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), said the surrender of the young foreigners indicated progress in the government’s campaign against extremism, particularly targeting the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu and Basilan.

Major Andrew Linao, the spokesman for Wesmincom, said the Egyptian and Indonesian surrendered to the Army’s 1103rd Infantry Brigade at around 2:30 pm on Wednesday. They had been listed by the military as priority targets.

Linao said the boy’s family had brought him to Sulu in 2017. He was accompanied then by his stepfather, mother, and two elder brothers who had entered the country as tourists via Manila.

The boy informed the military that his entire family joined the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan that same year, and they relocated to Sulu the following year to join the late ASG leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan.

Sawadjaan, a preacher who served as emir of ISIS in the Philippines, died a few days after sustaining wounds during a fierce encounter with government troops in Patikul, Sulu, in 2020.

According to the military, the boy’s mother, Reda Mohammad Mahmud, carried out a suicide bombing attack on a military checkpoint in Barangay Kajatian, Indanan, Sulu, on September 8, 2019.

His stepfather, Abduramil, and brother Abdurahman were killed in a clash with government troops in Barangay Kan Islam, Indanan, Sulu, on November 7, 2019.

His other brother, Yusof, was killed in an encounter with government troops in Igasan, Patikul, Sulu, on April 17, 2021.

The military said the Egyptian boy had engaged in armed confrontations in Sulu since the age of 10, sustaining injuries to his head and right forearm.

The boy, speaking in the Tausug dialect, expressed resentment towards his mother and brothers for involving him in terrorism when he surrendered, Linao said.

The child said his family had misled him, making him believe that their trip to the Philippines was simply for vacation purposes.

Together with the 27-year-old Ellam, a former sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu who took orders from the late Radullan Sahiron, the boy surrendered with their M16 rifle and M16A1 rifles, as well as ammunition.

They are currently undergoing debriefing and were presented to Colonel Christopher Tampus, commander of the 1103rd Infantry Brigade, at Camp Bud Datu in Tagbak, Indanan town, Sulu.

Major General Ignatius Patrimonio, commander of Joint Task Force Sulu, attributed the surrender to increased pressure on the Abu Sayyaf resulting from intensified intelligence operations by the military in Sulu and enhanced collaboration among local leaders and stakeholders in Indanan town in the fight against the terrorist organization.

Wives and a young widow

Meanwhile, police and soldiers arrested the wives of an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader and a young widow in Basilan on Thursday night, June 15.

Colonel Frederick Sales, the commander of Joint Task Force Basilan, identified the women as Marilyn Lasigan Bayali, also known as Nuray Fernandez, Madarang Jahirul Bayali, also known as Rashmiya Ordonez, and a 20-year-old named Nurmina Janatul, also known as Anisa.

Marilyn and Madarang, both in their 40s, are married to Pasil Bayali, a sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group.

According to Major Linao, the women were apprehended during a search conducted by authorities at a residence in the village of Lower Lanote in Isabela City, Basilan. The search was based on a warrant issued for their violation of laws pertaining to the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Linao said the house belonged to Julhaur Lasigan Bayali, an alleged ASG member under Pasil.

During the search, authorities found an M16A1 rifle, an 81 mm mortar, blasting caps, and other materials used in the production of improvised explosive devices, along with additional ammunition. – Rappler.com

In an interview with ABS-CBN on Friday, June 16, Yvonne Chua, author of the Philippine situation report in the annual Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (RISJ), said the past year again shows the correlation between the attacks on media and the low trust scores of certain media brands reflected in the survey. 

“Reuters took time out to explore the data sets and found a correlation between media criticism and the low trust levels in certain countries. And the Philippines emerged as one of those with the most disturbing correlations,” she said in the interview. 

Chua explained that news organizations such as Rappler and ABS-CBN, which have been “demonized” by government, select politicians and pro-establishment entities, are the ones that “suffer or have low trust levels or higher distrust scores” in the report.

Chua said this has been a “consistent theme” in the report’s profile on the Philippines.  This is also happening globally, especially in countries in the global south such as Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, and in Hong Kong.

The broadcasting franchise of ABS-CBN was terminated in 2020 on orders of then-president Rodrigo Duterte. Rappler was ordered shut down in 2018, a few months after Duterte blasted the news organization in his State of the Nation Address and falsely accused it of being foreign-owned. Rappler has questioned the order, and it remains pending in court along with legal cases lodged against it.

Part of the RISJ’s annual report is a table showing trust scores of media groups among the populace. Rappler has a 47% “Trust” score, 33% “Don’t Trust” score, and 21% “Neither” score, compared to last year’s 46% “Trust” score and 32% “Don’t Trust” score. 

Chua said the situation in the Philippines “is the one that keeps highlighting the fact that the low trust scores” could be the result of the attacks on the media, including “bad-mouthing of journalists, and on the cases filed against them. 

“It’s no different this year. We stress it again: that independent media that are at the receiving end of attacks are likely to suffer from low trust scores,” she said. 

Overall, the RISJ study also found that countries where press freedom is under attack are those where trust in media is badly impacted.

“Reuters Institute has found that in countries where press freedom index is lower, these are countries where you tend lower trust scores in news and in the media,” Chua said. 

The Philippines has had a country report in the study only since 2020, and Chua said that over the last three years, disinformation and misinformation have been coming “primarily” from politicians, with Facebook as the leading platform for “misinformation in the Philippines.” The RISJ survey has been running for 11 years or since 2012.

‘Perception survey’

When asked in the ABS-CBN interview to comment on the criticisms about the study, Chua said the survey is an “online survey” on “news consumption habits…a perception survey.” 

Chua agreed that the trust scores have been “abused by bad actors,” but she added that those affected should “respond to the criticism and show how bad actors misuse the information.” Rappler has been exposing disinformation networks since 2016, and how they have used social media to attack journalists and newsrooms.

On the methodology of the survey, she said Reuters tried to make the sample as “representative as possible of gender, region, education, income.” 

However, Chua admitted that just like “any online survey, “it could underrepresent certain voices, like older people and those who don’t have access to the internet.” 

She said that in the survey, respondents, which numbered 90,000 worldwide, were showed 15 leading news brands and they are asked how trustworthy the brand is. For this year, RISJ chose to include SMNI, a red-tagging site in the Philippines that is behind false claims and propaganda against activists and journalists, including Rappler and its CEO Maria Ressa.

Must Read

Quiboloy’s SMNI fuels disinformation, online attacks on gov’t critics

RISJ’s respondents had the option to answer between 0 to10. An answer from 6 to 10 falls under trusted, and an answer from 0 to 4 falls under don’t trust, with 5 falling under neither trust or distrust. 

In her report, Chua said the “Philippine media landscape remains largely grim despite the change in the country’s leadership in mid-2022.” 

Ressa resigned last year from the RISJ board over its measurement of trust scores.

She went public with the move this week as the metric continued to be used this year, without sufficiently taking into account the disinformation campaigns that Rappler has endured through the years, and social media algorithms’ biases for hate and lies. 

Must Read

[ANALYSIS] The weaponization of ‘trust’

“Last year I resigned from the board because I thought it was horrendous that they went ahead with it and that it was weaponized and used against us, at a critical time,” Ressa told The Guardian. “Government officials were quoting Oxford University’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism to attack us.” 

In her resignation letter to RISJ in July 2022 after the organization released its media trust scores for that year, Ressa said: “The graphics you have used through the years are misleading and lack proper labels. The note you quote, ‘should not be treated as a list of the most trusted brands’ is not enough when it’s not part of the chart itself. It also then belies why have that chart in the first place for what are – at most – vanity metrics. The way you market the report and its headlines lead to what you call ‘abuse’ but they are natural consequences of this flawed approach.

The RISJ said that it has considered Ressa’s input in reviewing their methodology, to “mitigate against the risk of abuse” but concedes that like “all work in the public domain, our research can be abused.” – Rappler.com