1. 2 PCOS machines 'hammered' in Maguindanao
By Jaime Laude (philstar.com) | Updated May 14, 2013 - 6:32pm
MANILA, Philippines - Two supporters of local candidates in Maguindanao literally
“hammered” their way to stop the voting process in two remote villages on Monday.
The military said Ali Umbac, who was acting as poll watcher for former Basilan police
provincial director and mayoralty candidate Salik Macapantar, was apprehended by
security forces when he smashed with a hammer a PCOS machine inside the Oring
Primary School in Buldon town at about 9:45 a.m.
Prior to this, Umbac also hammered and destroyed a portable power generator
brought to the area to serve as a power back up.
The second attack on the PCOS machine occurred at the Korosoyan Arabic School
in Barira town. The suspect identified as Biruar Edrez, however, eluded arrest.
Edrez hammered the PCOS machine upon entering the polling precinct at around 10
a.m.
The military said that the conduct of elections in the two polling centers were stopped
due to the attacks. - with Kathryna De Bustos

2. Chinese warship chases Kalayaan town boat carrying mayor-elect
By Jaime Laude (philstar.com) | Updated May 17, 2013 - 5:16pm
MANILA, Philippines - A Chinese warship chased and tailed, in a provocative
manner, the utility boat of Kalayaan island town with 147 civilian passengers,
including the group of re-elected Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon, while sailing back to
Palawan from Pag-Asa Island in the hotly-contested Spratly region.
Bito-onon said the Chinese warship coming from the east side area of Ayungin Reef,
used its powerful floodlights while chasing and tailing M/T Queen Seagull early
Thursday.
"The Chinese warship was only 50 meters away from our own boat," Bito-onon said,
adding that the incident started when M/T Queen Seagull, that left Pag-Asa Island
Wednesday morning, was passing by the Philippine-occupied Ayungin Reef at past
midnight.
A grounded Philippine Navy (PN) transport ship, BRP Sierra Madre, is now being
used as a Naval detachment by the Western Command (Wescom) to house Filipino
troops on forward deployment in Ayungin.
Several Chinese warships and surveillance ships were monitored to have taken up
position in the area for several days now as part of China’s aggressive move in
laying its territorial claim to almost the entire South China Sea.
Bito-onon said the Chinese warship only stopped tailing them when their boat was
already navigating around the Half Moon Shoal, an area where a Chinese gunboat
ran aground last year.
“For almost an hour, the Chinese warship tailed our boat,” Bito-onon said in a phone
interview shortly after the docking of M/T Seagull at Buliluyan Port in Palawan’s
southern town of Bataraza.
Bito-onon is heading back to Puerto Princesa City after winning the three-cornered
mayoralty contest in Kalayaan town in the Spratlys region during the conduct of the
May 13 mid-term national and local elections.
Out of the total number of registered voters in the island town, Bito-onon got 108
votes, while his closest rival, businessman Noel Osorio got 69 and retired military
man and former Kalayaan Vice Mayor Rosendo Mantes, got 46 votes.
The conduct election in Kalayaan has been considered as the fastest electoral
process in the country’s history. Voting started in the island at about 7 a.m. and in a
matter of six hours the electoral process was completed, with Bito-onon emerging as
a runaway winner.
“Aside from the PCOS result, we also conducted a parallel manual count. The
election in the island is the most peaceful,” Bito-onon said. – with Kathryna De
Bustos

3. Fighting erupts in Sulu town
By Jaime Laude (philstar.com) | Updated May 13, 2013 - 5:05pm
MANILA, Philippines - The Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) Western
Mindanao Command deployed two helicopter gunships in Tongkil, Sulu on Monday
to support Marines acting as a buffer force against two warring supporters of political
warlords.
Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, AFP spokesman, said a Huey UH-1H and M520 attack
helicopters were dispatched to the island town to assist the ground troops in
containing heavy fighting between supporters of local and provincial candidates.
Tutaan, citing initial reports said heavy fighting broke out at about 8:40 a.m. in
Tongkil town.
“The Marines are in the area to deescalate the conflict. We have also deployed a
UH-1H and an MG520 attack helicopters to provide air support,” Tutaan said, adding
that they are still awaiting casualty reports from the ground.
Despite the fighting, Tutaan voting proceeded in the island town despite the heavy
fighting, which, he said was confined only in one area.
The AFP and the Philippine National Police, under the overall supervision of the
Commission on Elections, decided to deploy the Marines for election duties instead
of the local policemen in Tongkil to address monitored pre-election political partisan
activities.
“We have already foreseen that this (fighting) will happen and we are correct in
deploying the Marines in the island town,” Tutaan said.
The mayoralty post in Tongkil is being contested by three candidates, Hadji
Abdullajid Alih, Whajid Sahidulla and Jomar Samad, whose supporters are
supporting the Sulu gubernatorial bid Kadra Masihul, Abdulwahid Sahidulla and
incumbent Gov. Abdusakur Tan, respectively.
All these candidates are suspected of maintaining private armed groups. - with
Kathryna de Bustos

4. NPAs hurt 3 soldiers transporting PCOS in Kalinga
(philstar.com) | Updated May 15, 2013 - 6:18pm
MANILA, Philippines - Three soldiers were wounded after an encounter with the New
People's Army (NPA) guerillas in Pinukpuk, Kalinga Wednesday morning, military
reports said.
Lt. Col. Alvin Flores, 17th Infantry Battalion commander, said a platoon of his men
led by 2Lt. Francis Kim Bohol have just completed securing the transport of Precinct
Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines and other election paraphernalia when
fighting broke out in Barangay Allagia at around 2 a.m.
Three soldiers identified as Sgt. Eduardo Cabiliza, Cpl. Roldan Viray and Pfc. Jeffrey
Langcay were wounded in the fighting.
Flores said local residents in the area brought the wounded soldiers to Pinukpuk
District Hospital where they were later airlifted by a military helicopter to a military
hospital in Gamu, Isabela. - with Kathryna De Bustos

5. Military secures Palawan for May 13 polls
By Jaime Laude (philstar.com) | Updated May 3, 2013 - 4:50pm
MANILA, Philippines - The Armed Forces of the Philippines' Western Command
(Wescom) assured voters in Palawan province of fear- and intimidation-free
elections on May 13.
Wescom chief Maj. Gen. Rustico Guerrero said troops from the Philippine Marines
have been dispatched to most of the 23 towns of Palawn, including those in several
island municipalities.
“The presence of our troops in the localities up to the farthest islands will give the
residents an environment free of fear and intimidation that will allow them to exercise
their sacred right to vote," Guerrero said.
Over the past weeks, New People’s Army (NPA) rebels have made their presence
felt in the province by raiding a pearl farm owned by President’s uncle, business
tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco in Taytay town.
On Wednesday, the Rio Tubba Nickel Mining Corporations was rocked by twin blasts
inside its compound in Bataraza town. Military and police probers are still
conducting an investigation into the blast.
The Wescom and the local police, as deputized by the Commission on Elections
(Comelec), are under orders to secure all units of the Precinct Count Optical Scan
(PCOS) machines that have been delivered to the province.
Guerrero said that the troops are under orders to closely monitor all campaign rallies
prior to the termination of the campaign period on May 11, while assuring that the
troops are barred from directly engaging in any partisan political activity. – Kathryna
de Bustos

6. Tawi-Tawi vice mayoral bet claims several ballots premarked
By Jaime Laude (philstar.com) | Updated May 14, 2013 - 9:15pm
MANILA, Philippines - A vice mayoralty candidate in Simunol, Tawi-Tawi claimed
Tuesday that several bundles of official ballots that were delivered to the island
municipality have been pre-marked with the name of several candidates.
On top of this, vice mayoralty bet Haji Faisal Malande said last Monday’s political
exercise in two polling precincts were halted during the voting by a grenade and a
dynamite blast.
“A grenade exploded while voting was ongoing at Barangay Tinumdun Simunul while
a dynamite was set off near a polling precinct in Barangay Tubig Indangan,” said
Malande, former Tawi-Tawi provincial executive officer.
While nobody was hurt in the twin blasts, people lining up to cast their votes
scampered away and never returned to the polling precincts.
He also said that the official ballots distributed to three barangays in the main island
were already pre-marked, thus denying the voters to pick their own candidates.
“Official ballots delivered to all the polling precincts in three barangays were also
shaded to the surprise of the voting residents,” Malande said.
Simunol, which also serves as the headquarters of the Royal Sultanate Army, has 14
barangays with 8,400 total number of registered voters.
The island, aside from being the host to a 13th century Mosque, served as the
jumping point of Royal Sultnate Force led by Datu Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram,
when they sailed to Sabah last February to reclaim their own homeland. - with
Kathryna de Bustos

7. Fastest conduct of elections recorded in Spratlys town
By Jaime R. Laude (The Philippine Star) | Updated May 13, 2013 - 7:10pm
MANILA, Philippines - The conduct of mid-term national and local elections in
Palawan’s Kalayaan island town in the hotly-contested Spratlys archipelago is over
in a matter of six hours—the fastest electoral exercise ever recorded so far in the
country's election history.
1Lt. Cherryl Tindog, Western Command (Wescom) spokesperson, said voting in the
island town exactly started at about 7AM and ended 1PM with all 288 registered
voters having exercised their sacred right to vote.
“The polls in the island started as scheduled and has remained peaceful to date. The
provincial Comelec announced earlier that the election in Kalayaan is expected to
finish earlier than the rest of the province,” Tindog said.
Election paraphernalia were flown to the island before the May 13 elections and
registered voters who are based at the Kalayaan's satellite office in Puerto Princesa
flew home to cast their votes yesterday.
Tindog added that they’re still awaiting results as to the winner in the three-cornered
political contest for the mayoralty post in the island town.
Aside from incumbent Mayor Eugenio Bito-onon, Puerto Princesa City-based
businessman Noel Osorio and Rosendo Mantes, a retired military, are also eyeing to
become mayor of the island town located in the middle of territorial conflict among
Spratlys-claimant countries such as China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei.
While the voting was fast, there were also reports of vote-buying, with one candidate
reportedly offering P5,000 to the islanders for every cast to his name.
“Napakalaki ang bilihan ng boto. Mukhang mananalo itong kandidatong ito dahil wala
namang pera ang mga kalaban niya,” a Palawan-based source who declined to be
named earlier told The STAR.
The Kalayaan Island town, whose seat of government is located in Pag-Asa Island,
is composed of the country’s regime of seven islands and two reefs in the hotly-
contested region.
Formerly a military garrison of Filipino troops until it was slowly converted into a
civilian community, Kalayaan town in Pag-Asa island continues to host soldiers who
are on forward deployment in the area to protect and defend the country's sovereign
rights over other claimant countries. - with Kathryna de Bustos

8. NPA rebels disguised as cops raid security agency
By Jaime Laude (philstar.com) | Updated May 21, 2013 - 6:08pm
Disguised as policemen, New Peoples Army (NPA) rebels raided on Monday
evening the Dasia Security Asia compound in Tagum City and fled with six abducted
security guards and seven firearms aboard the agency’s three armored vehicles.
Lt. Col. Lyndon Panisa, spokesman of the 10th Infantry Division, said that the rebels
aboard two vans gained entry inside the Dasia Security Office located at Orange
Subdivision, Barangay South, Tagum City at about 8 p.m. by introducing themselves
as policemen and agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA),
purportedly to inspect the said facility.
Failing to open the agency’s vault, the rebels fled with stolen firearms and hostages.
Pursuing Army and police troops recovered the three armored vehicles along with a
red Montero and black Starex van at Sitio Danao, Barangay Lapu-Lapu in Maco,
Compostela Valley.
The whereabouts of six abducted security guards are still being determined by the
authorities.
In a follow-up attack, the rebels bombed an Army vehicle on Tuesday morning with a
landmine, wounding five soldiers, two of them women and three civilians whose
vehicles, a taxicab and a motorcycle happened to be passing by the Tagum-Mawab
highway.
Lt. Col. Michael Logico, command of the Army’s 66th Infantry battalion identified the
wounded Army personnel as Pfc. Joseph Mendio, Pfc Ryuan Torena, Pfc. Erwin
Cordero, Pfc. Lovie Joy Semillano and Pfc. Bai Johana Durado and Gina Gubantes,
dependent of one of the soldiers.
“These criminal NPAs have lost their ideology and have turned into full-pledged
criminals engaging into kidnapping, hijacking, arson and other economic sabotage,”
Paniza said. – (with Kathryna De Bustos)

9. 14 'MNLF men' nabbed in Tondo
By Jaime Laude (philstar.com) | Updated May 13, 2013 - 7:07pm
MANILA, Philippines - Fourteen men were arrested by the police after they entered
the compound of the Almario Elementary School in Tondo, while some of them were
carrying firearms, triggering panic and confusion among voters.
Manila policemen arrested the group at about 5:30 p.m. and seized a back pack from
one the suspects.
When searched, the bag yielded three .45 pistols and an identification card which is
supposedly from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
MNLF Command Chair Habib Mujahab Hashim said that the 14 are most likely
MNLF members, who are in Metro Manila. He said that MNLF fighters are allowed to
bring guns as part of the group's security measures.
Hashim also claimed that the group could have not been aware that a gun ban is
being imposed.
One of the arrested men claimed in a television interview that their group needed the
firearms for their own protection as they were on their way back to Mindanao.
The man added that they entered the school compound in search for a colleague
who would be travelling with them to Mindanao.
The 14 suspects were taken into custody for further investigation. - with Kathryna
de Bustos

10. Danding owns NPA-raided Palawan pearl farm
By Jaime Laude (philstar.com) | Updated April 16, 2013 - 4:17pm
MANILA, Philippines - Military and police teams were dispatched Tuesday to hunt
down the 10 alleged New People’s Army (NPA) members who raided a pearl farm in
Palawan owned by President Aquino’s uncle, business tycoon Danding Cojuangco,
on Monday.
Reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo said the NPA raiders of the Salvamar Farm
(formerly known as the Pearl Farm) at Cadanao Island, Barangay Pangpang in
Taytay town belongs to the communist group who’ve trying to establish a guerrilla
front in the island province.
“These NPA raiders need gun as they are currently to establish a guerrilla front in the
province and we are currently pursuing them,” a senior military official based in the
province said.
Disarming the guards of their eight shotguns and five hand-held radios, the group
escaped by commandeering the pearl farm’s three pumpboats with the three security
guards as hostages.
The three guards and the tree boat operators whom authorities identified as Edgardo
Ramos, Marcelo Mellado and Villamor Fernandez, and boat operators Nestor Dula,
Marjun Diulon and Jovi Descartin have all returned to Cagdanao island after being
released by the rebel captors.
It was learned the Salvamar Farm is part of the Jewelmer Corporation co-owned by
Cojuangcos with French national Jacques Branellec.
Jewelmer is a leading producer of exquisite and rare golden Palawan South Sea
pearls and actively participates in international trade fairs.
Aside from the Salvamar Farm, 11 other pearl farms are currently operating in
several towns of Palawan. – with Kathryna de Bustos

11. First food review of the week from looloo (food app) on Silantro Fil-Mex Cantina in Kapitolyo
I don't think I'll ever get tired of this place.
It gets packed almost every day, but I will never think twice about going here because it
feels like home to me whenever I drop by for a quick bite to eat.
Back when I still smoked, I loved the outdoor seating where I could smoke and enjoy a cold
bottle of San Miguel Apple along with my usual order of chicken soft tacos and my Beef
Nachos.
I actually prefer to be seated outside since it gets breezy at night, that is if you don't mind
the people in line giving you side glances of hunger and jealousy while they waited for a
table.
Pictured above is their beef nachos, it never fails to hit the spot. It's topped with loads of
melted cheese, meat and crispy nachos. Paired with their sauces, it's the ultimate comfort
food for me. Their tacos come in soft and hard shell variants and you can choose your
combination of meats like beef, chicken, lengua, etc.
Price wise? This is the best part of this place, it's so cheap! For a single meat taco, it sets you
back by only 75 pesos, I swear that they don't scrimp on the meat and veggies. The beef
nachos cost 180? Good for two to three people. Give their fresh dalandan juice a try as well,
you may need to dilute it a bit since it's quite sweet but the refreshing taste goes well with
all the tasty food that you will consume.
This is the ideal place for a barkada catchup and casual dates with your special someone.
Just make sure to go during the afternoon because it gets packed by 5:30 p.m. onwards.