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| Police Regional Office Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Camp BG Salipada K Pendatun Parang, Maguindanao (064) 425-0077 (Operator) |
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| Year 2008 MONTH JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC | ARCHIVES 2007 | |
AugustProvincial News, Tuesday, August 05, 2008 Police dies, Tawi-Tawi mayors survive when banca capsized MANILA,Aug. 5 (PNA) - A policeman died while two mayors and two other police escorts from Tawi-tawi province survived when the motorized banca theywere riding capsized after encountering big waves in Bongao town on Monday, reports reaching the PNP national headquarters revealedTuesday. A report sent by Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police director Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao identified the fatality as SPO1 Sadjan Jal Palahuddin. Rescued were Mayor Kuhyuh Pajiji ng Sibutu town and Mayor Hadji Serbin Ahaja of Bonggao and two other security escorts, PO2 Espin Gulam at PO1 Zansibar Muallila. Reportssaid the two mayors and their escorts wereaboard a 40-horsepower banca when their watercraft was hit by big wavesat the village of Pahut in Bonggao town at around 10 a.m. Monday,causing the banca to capsize. Reports said three M16 rifles issued to the policewere lost in the incident. (PNA)
JUNEProvincial News, Thursday, June 26, 2008 Sr. Supt. Danilo Bacas, ARMM police spokesman, said the deployment of such a huge secure force is to ensure the safety of voters. Bacas said 6,000 of the security forces will be policemen and 1,000 come from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The ARMM which covers the cities of Marawi and Lamitan, and the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Shariff Kabunsuan, Tawi-tawi, Basilan and Sulu has an estimated 4.7 million voters who will their regional governor and vice governor. James Jimenez, spokesman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), said there are seven candidates for governor. They are incumbent ARMM Gov. Datu Zaldy Ampatuan, independent candidates Jupakar Pindah-Asia Arabani, Ismail Berto Ibrahim, Alvarez Silal Isnaji, Ahmad Darping Nooh and Ali Jumadil Omar and Gulmid Panalangin Matalam of the opposition’s Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino. Running for the vice gubernatorial slot are incumbent Vice Governor Ansarudin Adiong, Kadra Asani Masihul, Kursid Hajirie Sampang, Alex Andul Qayyum Langco Ambong and Ailani Tan Susulan. Both Ampatuan and Adiong are the administration’s official candidates under the Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats Party. They have the support of six provincial governors and some 120 mayors in the region. In related developments, the imposition of gun ban in the ARMM region has resulted in the confiscation of 17 unlicensed firearms of various calibers.(PNA) Provincial News, Monday, June 16, 2008 Drilon kidnappers unfazed by arrival of military reinforcements in Sulu This came about as additional government troops were poured in the area on efforts to flush out other ASG factions aiding the kidnap group. “Negotiations remain open, however, despite the arrival of military and police augmentation forces in the area,” Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police director, said in an interview. On Sunday, battle-ready government troops moved deep into ASG perceived positions in the interiors of Maimbung town following a barrage of artillery fires directed towards ASG positions in the area. Local military field commanders maintained that the ongoing artillery shelling is intended for incoming ASG factions out to help the band of group of Abu Sayyaf leader Gafur Jumdail Gumbahali in Maimbung that is holding the captives. Earlier, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered all local police and military forces to rescue the remaining hostages. The abductors freed Angelo Valderama, another member of Drilon’s group on June 12, some five days after their abduction. The television crew was abducted on June 8 while on their way to Maimbung. Gumbahali’s group has reportedly raised their ransom demand from P10 million to P50 -million for the release of the kidnap victims. ARMM officials led by Governor Datu Zaldy Ampatuan are continuing to hammer out means on the immediate release of Drilon’s group. (PNA) APRILProvincial News, Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Armed group strafes Weena passenger bus in Shariff Kabunsuan WBC Cotabato branch manager Eddie Soledad said four men on board two separate motorcycles fired at the bus using semi-automatic firearms around 6:30 p.m. No one among the passengers were hurt. The bus bore a few broken windshield and wooden seats at the rear section of the bus, Soledad said. Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao police director, dispatched police forces to secure the borders of Shariff Kabunsuan and North Cotabato provinces and Cotabato City to ensure the safety of commuters. Soledad said the attack was pure harassment against the bus firm following its resumption of operations after a month-long suspension of trips to this area this year. Last March, the WBC shortened its route--only serving the Davao City - Kabacan, North Cotabato route due to a spate of bombing and highway robbery incidents that crippled the bus firm's operations. Authorities blamed the Al Khobar extortion group as behind the continuous attack against the bus firm after it refused to give in to their protection racket amounting to P1-million pesos monthly. On Saturday, suspected Al Khobar elements bombed an air-conditioned WBC bus parked overnight near the town hall of Midsayap, North Cotabato. No one was hurt in the incident. (PNA)
Provincial News, Wednesday, April 30, 2008 ARMM police director Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao said his office, in coordination with the Commission on Election (Comelec), has readied a plan dubbed as HOPE which stands for honest, orderly and peaceful elections. Goltiao said they are in the process of identifying the areas of immediate concern and areas of concern in ARMM's six provinces and one city. ARMM comprises the provinces of Basilan, Lanao del Sur,Maguindanao, Shariff Kabunsuan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi and the city of Marawi with more than one million registered voters. Goltia said that initially, they have considered areas with presence of armed group like the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Abu Sayyaf bandits as areas of immediate concern. However, Goltiao said they do not expect violence to erupt during the ARMM election since the positions at stake are not hotly contested compared to the previous national and local elections. At stake in the August 11 ARMM election is the position of the regional governor, vice governor and the 24-seat of the Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA). The RLA is a unicameral legislative body headed by a Speaker. They will serve for a term of three years once elected into the office. Initially, a three-corner fight is seen to take place in ARMM gubernatorial race between incumbent ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan, Basilan Assemblyman Hatimil Hassan and Indanan, Sulu Mayor Isnaji Alvarez. Ampatuan, who is seeking re-election, is the administration candidate while Hassan was endorsed to run for governor by Basilan political leaders and Alvarez by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). (PNA) LAP/jmc/TPG/rd
FEBRUARYProvincial News, Thursday, February 14, 2008 COTABATO CITY, Feb. 13 (PNA) - The Cotabato City Peace and Order Council (CCPOC) has tasked the city police office to identify and arrest big-time illegal drug dealers here. In a recent meeting, the council tasked city police chief Sr. Supt. Willie Dangane to coordinate with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency–Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PDEA-ARMM) for verification of “drug personalities” and conduct operations when warranted. Though not an ARMM component area, this city is included in PDEA-ARMM’s territorial supervision. City Mayor Muslimin Sema, concurrent CCPOC chair, underscored the observation that many crimes in the city are drug-related. “We must therefore eliminate or at least reduce the number of drug peddlers so that common crimes here will also be lessened,” Sema said in his opening remarks for the council. PDEA-ARMM director Supt. Rene Orbe assessed that this city remains a transshipment point for illegal drugs distributed in South Central Mindanao. “Even though the narcotic shipments came from Manila, the drugs are transported to ports in Northern Mindanao and distributed to Lanao areas all the way here,” he said. In another development, the council also discussed the creation of an auxiliary police force funded jointly by the city government on efforts to swiftly respond to criminalities occurring in various parts of the locality. Currently, this city has an estimated population of 250,000 residents. (PNA) LAP/NYP/utb
JANUARYProvincial News, Thursday, January 31, 2008 Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police director Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao on Wednesday disclosed that they have yet to ascertain the exact location of the victim's whereabouts citing the abductors are highly mobile. "They don't stay in one place," Goltiao said in an interview. Although they moved from one place to another, the abductors and their captive were still within Bud (Mount) Pula area which is located in the tri-boundary of Patikul, Indanan and Talipao towns. Maria Rosalie Lao, 58, a rice trader was seized by five armed men around 4:45 p.m. Monday near her residence in Kakuyagan village, Jolo, Sulu. The suspects forced her to board a waiting yellow Toyota Tamaraw and hurriedly fled towards the direction of Patikul. Marine Forces South (Marforsouth) chief Brig. Gen. Jonathan Martir said based on intelligence report, the group of Abu Sayyaf leader Al-Bader Parad was possibly responsible in the abduction of Lao. Parad was among the Abu Sayyaf bandits that seized 21 people that include Asian and European tourists in April, 2000 from Sipadan Island Diving Resort in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia. While in transit, Martir said the victim was transferred to a blue Toyota Tamaraw and sped towards Indanan. Goltiao said there was still no demand since the abductors have yet to make contacts with the victim's families. He said the police and the 3rd Marine Brigade and other military units in Sulu were working hand-in-hand to rescue Lao the soonest possible time. (PNA) vcs/PTR/TPG/utb Provincial News,
Tuesday, January 29, 2008 ZAMBOANGA CITY, Jan. 29 (PNA) -– Police and military troops have launched pursuit operations to rescue a businesswoman seized last Monday by gunmen believed to be members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf bandits in Jolo, Sulu. Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police director Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao identified the victim as Maria Rosalie Lao, 58, of Kakuyagan village in Jolo. Lao was seized by five gunmen around 4:45 p.m. Monday near her residence in Kakuyagan village. The suspects forced the victim to board into a waiting Toyota Tamaraw vehicle and hurriedly fled. "There is that big possibility the suspects are Abu Sayyaf bandits," Goltiao said, although they have yet to ascertain the identities of the gunmen. Policemen from the Sulu Police Provincial Office (SPPO) are pursuing the bandits in Bud Pula in Patikul town, a known bailiwick of the Abu Sayyaf group. Task Force Comet chief Maj. Gen. Ruben Rafael said troops from the 3rd Marine Brigade were deployed to pursue and rescue the victim. Goltiao said that the abductors have yet to establish any contact nor made ransom demand as of Tuesday. Lao's abduction came a few days after the provincial government has launched its own Identification Card (ID) system in Sulu with Patikul as the pilot area. The ID system that was launched last January 19 is aimed at deterring terrorism, curbing crimes and serve as a data base for local census. Sulu Governor Sakur Tan doubts if the suspects in the abduction of Lao are from Patikul, citing they might have just fled towards the said town en route to their hideout. Tan said the suspects could be easily identified with the ID system in place if they are really residents of Patikul. (PNA) LAP/FFC/TPG/utb
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