NORWEGIAN FREED AFTER A YEAR IN CAPTIVITY By John Paolo Bencito NORWEGIAN national Kjartan Sekkingstad, in captivity for nearly a year in remote jungles in the countryâs far southern island of Sulu, was released Saturday by his captors the extremist Abu Sayyaf, Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza has conïŹrmed. Dureza said in a statement the bearded Sekkingstad, released at around 2 p.m. in far-ïŹung Patikul town, a known lair of the bandit group in Sulu, was the last of four hostages taken from a luxury resort on Samal Island on Sept. 21, 2015. VOL. XXX âą NO. 218 âą 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES âą P18 âą SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 âą www.thestandard.com.ph âą editorial@thestandard.com.ph
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âSayyaf seeks caliphateâ By Francisco Tuyay
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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants were hungry to establish a caliphate, as he toughens his stance on the kidnapfor-ransom group accused of a deadly bombing in his home city this month.
Several units of the Abu Sayyaf in the strife-torn southern Philippines have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group but analysts have said they are more interested in funding than ideology. âThey are hungry for a ïŹght to establish a caliphate in Southeast Asia. Caliphate is a kingdom for the Muslims,â Duterte said in a speech to soldiers at a military camp in Gamu, Isabela. âThe problem is that they do not talk on the basis of what school you can give them,â he said referring to previous local services the militants have asked for. âItâs either the caliphate or nothing.â It was the ïŹrst time Duterte conïŹrmed suspicions that the terrorist Islamic State has established a presence in the country through Abu Sayyaf militants who have sworn allegiance to the global jihadist network. Security forces have launched an extensive intelligence operations against jihadists in the country and applied stricter security procedures on public convergence points have been in place following reports that terrorist are out to pulled-off attacks in two key cities in Mindanao. Security experts claim the terrorists have plans to stage an attack on still unknown targets in Cagayan de Oro City and General Santos City. But the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it still has to detect any presence of the Abu Next page
PEĂAFRANCIA FESTIVAL. An ocean of devotees follow an image of the Lady of Peñafrancia, the patroness of the Bicol region, during a procession in Naga City. Danny Pata
Du30 gives ânarco-listâ to military for action By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday turned over a more complete ânarco-listâ to the Armed Forces of the Philippines as he accused former police general and now Daanbatayan, Cebu Mayor Vicente Loot of operating on a nationwide scale. Showing a thick folder containing a list of people suspected of being involved in illegal drugs, Duterte reminded the military that itâs main responsibility is to âprotect the peopleâ on top of de-
fending national security. âI will give this to the Armed Forces, to the commanding general. Iâm just saying that the ultimate warriors of the Constitution, to protect the people is the Armed Forces of the Philippines,â Duterte told soldier during a visit to Camp Melchor F. Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela. âThis is the problem. The Philippines has been brought down, like in a runway full of explosives... because of corruption in government. Youâre right, including the Next page
Rody to AFP: Suffer thy comrades SAYING communist rebels have been their ânatural enemiesâ for quite some time, President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday appealed for understanding from the military why he has to negotiate with the communist National Democratic Front for the sake of peace in the country. âLet me tell you from the heart: This is hard. Because you know, natural enemy. But let me also remind you that this natural enemy who wants to kill also, are Filipinos,â Duterte told government troops at Camp Melchor F. Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela. âMy job is to look for a way
to end the killing of fellow Filipinos,â the President said. âIn the fullness of Godâs time, I pray weâll have that. Weâll have peace in the land.â Duterte, a former member of the leftist Kabataang Makabayan founded by his former Lyceum of the Philippines professor Jose Maria Sison, said the demands of Filipino communists have changed little in the past ïŹve decades. âWe have all grown, since weâre students. I am now President. Read the Constitution, even if I toss and turn it every which way, it is really my duty to seek peace for the land,â he said.
âFerdieâ makes Batanes declare calamity state
WE SUPPORT YOU. Just like when he was campaigning, President Rodrigo Duterte is still deluged by supporters in visits across the country as shown by these supporters who scrambled to shake his hands outside the San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila where he attended a wedding. Malacañang Photo
House panel calls for drug summit By Maricel V. Cruz THE House committee on dangerous drugs and the countryâs law enforcement agencies will hold a drug summit to ensure a uniform and systematic approach to the problem of illegal drugs, a
House ofïŹcial said on Saturday. Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the panel chairman, said they are ïŹnalizing a request to agencies involved in the campaign against illegal drugs to hold a drug summit soon. The request is addressed to twitter.com/ MlaStandard
the Dangerous Drugs Board, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Philippine National Police, and the National Bureau of Investigation. Barbers said the last time the country had a drug summit was
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BATANES province declared a state of calamity due to the damage wrought by Typhoon âFerdieâ as the Department of Social Welfare and Development pledged to airlift relief aid to the province if weather permits on Sunday. DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said Saturday assistance will be delivered to families affected by Typhoon âFerdieâ once the Philippine Air Force conïŹrms the deployment of C-130 cargo plane. She said her department has prepared 20,000 pieces of readyto-eat brown rice bars, 800 family food packs, 5,000 pieces of Malong, 5,000 bottles of water, three generating sets from the OfïŹce of Civil Defense, 40 rolls of rope, and 30 rolls of laminated sack. âThese goods have been at the Villamor Airbase since September 14,â she said, adding that it was agreed that the relief aid would be ïŹown to Batanes as soon as a window of opportunity opens. The department will also send a Rapid Emergency Telecom-
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munications Team (RETT) and a Rapid Damage and Needs Analysis (RDANA) team from the Cagayan Valley region. Meanwhile, ofïŹcials of the regional OfïŹce of Civil Defense have estimated damage to agricultural crops at about P37 million. OCD regional director Norma Talosig has estimated that power supply will be restored in two to three weeksâ time. Batanes residents have been pleading for potable drinking water, food, generating sets, water pumps, transformers, galvanized iron for damaged roofs and construction materials, she added. As of 6 a.m. Saturday, some 2,710 families or 10,344 persons from the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions have been displaced due to Typhoon âFerdie,â of which 20 families or 151 persons are still in three evacuation centers in Basco, Batanes. Some 2,651 families or 10,063 persons have also taken temporary shelter in relativesâ and friendsâ houses. Next page
Duterte made the remarks as the OfïŹce of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process announced that the second round of talks with NDF has been pushed forward. âThe Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the NDFP have agreed to adjust the schedule of the second round of the peace negotiations in Oslo from October 8-12 to October 6-10,â the OPAPP said in a media advisory. It also announced that the next round shall be at the Holmenfjord Hotel, venue of the only formal talks between the Benigno Aquino government and the NDFP in February 2011. Next page
âLeila got P5m from govt execâ SENATOR Leila de Lima personally received at least P5 million in drug proïŹts in every visit of a high-ranking ofïŹcial when she was still Justice secretary of the Aquino administration, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said Saturday. Aguirre said they will be presenting two witnesses at the congressional inquiry next week to prove that De Lima supposedly condoned drug transactions at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa. Aguirre also debunked claims by Senator Franklin Drilon, who claimed that the Senate has the power to place witnesses under its own protective custody, saying that the Senate has no power to protect witnesses. â[The money] was personally received by Secretary De Lima and when it was delivered in the morning, she was wearing a duster and Ronnie Dayan was there,â Aguirre said in an interview over radio station Next page dzMM.
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