Police crackdown on illegal vehicle, motorcycle accessories

POLICE DIRECTOR GENERAL Oscar Albayalde has ordered the Highway Patrol Group or HPG to intensify the operation nationwide against vehicles and motorcycles with illegal sirens and other banned accessories.

Just this week, HPG led by Brigadier General Roberto Fajardo, destroyed thousands of sirens, LED and fog lights, including horns confiscated in operations across the country.

Fajardo said Albayaldehas directed them to strictly enforce Presidential Decree (PD) 96, which prohibits the use of siren, bell, horn, whistle, or other similar gadgets that produce exceptionally loud or startling sound, including dome lights, blinkers, and other similar signalling or flashing devices.

“The illegal attachments, such as LED lights, blinkers, can distract other motorists and can cause accidents. The moment they put those attachments on their vehicle, they become illegal,” he explained, adding, violators of PD 96 will be fined P5,000 for first offense and risk cancellation of the owner’s vehicle’s certificate of registration.

Under the law, the use of attached gadgets is allowed only for motor vehicles designated for official use by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, National Bureau of Investigation, Land Transportation Office, police departments, fire departments, and hospital ambulances. Fajardo called on the public to report to the authorities any vehicle found to be using prohibited car and motorbike accessories. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan)

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Cops relieved over investment scam

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Over a dozen cops were relieved from their duty as the regional police ordered an investigation allegedly linking them to an investment scam that reportedly duped as much as P2 billion from their unsuspecting victims.

Regional police spokesman, Lt. Col. Aldrin Gonzales said 14 cops were allegedly involved in the so-called Pulis Paluwagan Movement (PPM) which is similar to Ponzi scheme.

He said Brig. Gen. Eliseo Rasco, the regional police commander, ordered the relief of the policemen and transferred them to the headquarters to allow impartial investigation. "They were transferred to the RPHAU while the investigation is being conducted," he said, referring to the Regional Police Holding and Accounting Unit.

National Police Chief, General Oscar Albayalde, also ordered the relief of Col. Manuel Lukban Jr., chief of the regional policed directorial staff; and city police director, Col. Raul Supiter in line with the investigation into the scam transferred the duo to Camp Crame’s RPHAU.

"This is a standard operating procedure to prevent them from influencing the investigation in any way and make it transparent," Gonzales said, assuring the public that it will file charges against those involved in the scam if they are proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group. And the National Bureau of Investigation also launched a separate probe after civilians filed complaints in the agency.

The PPM began operating in 2018 and eventually collapsed in January 2019 with many of its victims were policemen who invested heavily on the scheme.

In 2012, a similar scam by Aman Futures in Zamboanga del Sur’s Pagadian City duped thousands of people in the southern Philippines by promising them 50% interests of all their investments estimated at P12 billion.

Its mastermind, Malaysian national Manuel Amalilio, founder of Aman Futures, escaped the country and returned home after the collapse of his company. Amalilio was arrested in Sabah for using fake travel documents and Malaysia refused to hand him over to the Philippines to face criminal charges. (With a report from the Mindanao Examiner)

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Duterte not coddler of Chinese drug suspects – Spokesman Panelo

THE PALACE strongly denied damaging accusations by former police officer Eduardo Acierto against President Rodrigo Duterte that he is coddling or protecting two high-profile Chinese nationals, one of them his economic adviser, being accused as involved in the illegal drug trade in the country.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo made this reaction as Acierto claimed that Duterte has been photographed with Chinese businessman Michael Yang, who is Duterte’s adviser; and Allan Lim. "The President always accommodates anyone who wants to take picture with him. Kung iyon lang ang magiging basis niya, malabo iyon," Panelo said.

President Rodrigo Duterte with Chinese businessman Michael Yang. 

Acierto, Director for Administration of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Drug Enforcement Group, who was dismissed from the service after he was allegedly linked to drug smuggling, has accused Duterte and former PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa of trashing an intelligence report about Yang’s supposed link to illegal drugs and blocking further investigation.

He also claimed furnishing National Police Chief General Oscar Albayalde of an intelligence report on Yang. Albayalde denied the allegation. “First, since I assumed office as Chief PNP in April 2018, I do not remember having received any copy of an alleged report that identified presidential adviser Michael Yang as being involved in drug activities,” Albayalde said.

“I would like to categorically debunk allegations made by dismissed police Col. Eduardo Acierto that I failed to act accordingly to an intelligence report that he purportedly submitted when he was still in the service with the defunct Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force,” he added.

Panelo said Acierto's motive was to get back at Duterte for dismissing him from the service. “Obviously, the motive is - since he has been accused of involvement in drugs, he wants to get back, that’s why he is pointing fingers at whoever," he said.

Duterte has defended Yang and said the Chinese businessman has no connections or links with the illegal drug trade and he threw invectives at Acierto and called him son of a bitch during his public speeches recently. The President even asked the police and military why Acierto is still alive.

But Panelo said Duterte will never tolerate anyone involved in illegal drugs. "This President will not tolerate anyone regardless of the stature or relationship with him if he is involved in drugs. He will never allow it. He is against it," Panelo said.

Panelo said Duterte will not say anything without any basis as he defended Yang from Acierto's allegations. "Common sense will tell us that he (Yang) is not involved, according to the President, Ambassador Zhao slept in the house of Michael Yang. And we all know that the Chinese government is against illegal drugs, and the Ambassador will never associate himself with anyone involved in drugs," Panelo said.

"The fact alone that you are an Ambassador of China, and your government is against illegal drug industry, how can you be associating yourself with somebody you know to be involved in drugs? Obviously, talagang hindi siya involved. Bakit naman siya makikisama doon?” he asked.

Panelo said Duterte's trust and confidence in Yang will remain unless there is a proof of his involvement in illegal drugs. "There is an allegation and let the allegation be processed, investigated and then if there is a validation, then the Palace will make a move," he said. (PNA. With a report from Mindanao Examiner.)

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5 Sayyafs yield, face criminal charges over Jolo cathedral bombings

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Police are set to file criminal charges against 5 suspected Abu Sayyaf militants being linked to the twin suicide bombings of a cathedral in the southern Philippine province of Sulu following their surrender to security forces sent to hunt them down.

National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde said among those who surrendered is Kammah Pae, who was among those who coordinated the January 27 deadly bombings of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral in Jolo town that killed and wounded dozens of people.

He identified the four other suspects as Salit Alih and Albaji Kisae Gadjali, Rajan Bakil Gadjali and Kaisar Bakil Gadjali.

“The five surrendered due to the massive hot pursuit operations by troops from the Patikul Municipal Police Station, 52nd Special Action Company, Sulu Provincial Mobile Force Company, 14th Regional Mobile Force Battalion, CIDG9, RIU9, and 35th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army,” Albayalde said in a news conference Monday.

He said security forces also destroyed an improvised explosive and other bomb components recovered from Pae’s house in Patikul town. “During panelling at the house of Kammah, EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team) / K9 and SOCO (Scenes of Crime Officer) discovered assembled IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and IED components which were subsequently disrupted,” he said.

Patikul is a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or ISIS.

Albayalde said Pae’s group is facing charges of multiple murders and multiple frustrated murders. And security forces are still pursuing Abu Sayyaf leader Hajan Sawadjaan, believed to be the chief architect in the cathedral bombings, and over a dozen other militants.

Timeline

He said Sawadjaan was a key player in the daring attacks and elaborated on the timeline and sequence of events leading to bombings which were carried out by an Indonesian couple.   
“Beginning on January 8, 2019, a certain Muksin and Usman attempted to assemble an IED in Barangay Latih in Patikul, but later abandoned the effort. And four days later, Sawadjaan met with Usman and Barak in Sitio Bastiong in Patikul and gave them funds for the bombing mission. On January 21, 2019, an unidentified Asian couple, believed to be holed in Lampinigan Island (in Basilan province) for a few days, sailed to Jolo on January 24 by pump boat. Upon arrival in Jolo, the couple boarded a tricycle to Caltex Tiam at 7:10 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m., the couple were met by suspects Papong, Awag and Radjan at Caltex Tiam and all of them boarded Awag’s jeepney along with five minor boys, who later disembarked along the way.”

“Upon reaching Usaw in Barangay Langhub in Patikul near the house of Usman, the group was joined by Kammah, Barak, Makrim and Usman and later proceeded Sitio Bastiong in Barangay Langub. The couple alighted at Bastiong and walked towards the forested area escorted by Kamah and Barak where they met Sawadjaan to further plan the bombing. Also present during the planning were Barak, Kammah, Awag, Usman, Makrim, Isal, Radjan and Papong. At 5:00 p.m. on January 26, the couple, each toting black trolley bags were escorted to Barangay Latih in Patikul by Usman, Barak and nine other unidentified armed men where the couple boarded Awag’s jeepney to Jolo. Upon reaching Jolo at 5:10 p.m., the couple disembarked in front of Suleco (Sulu Electric Cooperative) Building to an undisclosed location within Jolo. At 8:28 a.m. the following morning, it is believed that the Indonesian woman detonated the 1st IED inside the Jolo cathedral while the man detonated the 2nd IED at the church entrance seconds later,” Albayalde explained.

Explosives

He said from bomb fragments and components recovered at the church, forensic technicians have reconstructed the two detonated IEDs made from common GI (Galvanized Iron) pipes that served as casing that contained possibly ammonium nitrate-fuel oil (ANFO) compound as primary explosive charge and possibly boosted by secondary high explosives possibly PETN, TNT or RDX (subject to further laboratory analysis) that characterized the shattering effect of the explosions.

PETN is short for Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, a major ingredient of Semtex or general-purpose plastic explosive containing RDX (Royal Demolition Explosive) which is cyclotonite, a powerful explosive, and PETN - it is used in commercial blasting, demolition, and in certain military applications. TNT is also known as trinitrotoluene.
“This particular type of IED, by design, is identified with the Abu Sayyaf group as nine similar IEDs have been involved in at least five recent incidents in Basilan and Sulu in 2016 and 2017,” Albayalde said, citing an attack in Jolo town on March 12, 2017.

He said 2 similar IEDs were also detonated by the Abu Sayyaf in Lamitan City in Basilan on March 19 and 20, 2017, while 4 more similar IEDs were defused by the military in Al-barca town also in Basilan on May 20, 2016. “The signature of the Abu Sayyaf group, therefore, is patently present in the IED used in this latest terror attack in Jolo. The investigation of the Jolo cathedral explosion is far from over as there are more pieces of evidence that need to be carefully examined to test its consistency with other facts and circumstances surrounding the incident,” he added.

Operations 

Security forces were still pursuing over 100 militants who broke into smaller groups in Sulu’s hinterlands. Over 2 dozen soldiers had been killed and wounded in fighting Abu Sayyaf since the deadly cathedral bombings. Five soldiers had been confirmed dead and nearly two dozen more injured in clashes in Patikul town. The fighting triggered an exodus of civilians in villages there.

There had been no reports of civilian casualties, but the Joint Task Force Sulu said they have received intelligence reports that a foreign militant, who goes by his nom de guerre Abu Black, was killed in the fighting, but his nationality remains unknown. 

Another Abu Sayyaf commander, Idang Susukan, was also wounded in the clashes and lost his finger, the report added. 

The regional military headquarters, Western Mindanao Command, did not release any information about the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf. But on Sunday, sealed caskets of slain soldiers were spotted being transported by soldiers to the Philippine Air Force base in Zamboanga. (Mindanao Examiner)

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Sulu governor receives PNP award

SULU – The Philippine National Police or PNP awarded Sulu Governor Toto Tan with a plaque or appreciation and citation for his unrelenting and unwavering support to the police force in the entire province.

  Photos courtesy of the Sulu Provincial Government.

Senior Superintendent Pablo Labra II, along with the 19 municipal police chiefs of Sulu, presented the recognition awards to Tan on Wednesday at the Provincial Capitol in Patikul town.

The award reads: “In grateful recognition of his unrelenting support to the Sulu Provincial Police Office resulting in the decrease in criminality in the Province and consistently making Sulu Provincial Police Office as the number 1 Police Office in PRO-ARMM In Anti-Illegal Drugs Campaign.”

Tan, who is now running for vice governor in Sulu, thanked the PNP under the leadership of Director General Oscar Albayalde, and members of the provincial and municipal police forces, for the awards.

He said the members of the provincial and municipal police offices led by Labra deserve the commendation more than him because of their sincere dedication and bravery to their sworn duty in protecting the people and upholding the rule of law.

“Salamat sA mga opisyal at mga miyembro ng ating kapulisan dito sa Sulu. Asahan ninyo ang patuloy na suporta ng Provincial Government sa ating mga pulis sA pagsugpo sa kriminalidad. Salamat sa inyong malasakit at serbisyo s ating lalawigan. Kayong lahat ang mas karapat-dapat sa ganitong uri ng pagkilala dahil sa inyong matapat na serbisyo at panunungkulan,” Tan said. (Mindanao Examiner)

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