MILF Armed Contacts for the Third Quarter of 2011, Part II: Bombs Away Part 3

In my first two "Bombs Away" entries, both being "MILF Armed Contacts for the Second Quarter of 2011" I discussed how the MILF's military wing, the BIAF, or Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, must find novel ways in which to raise funds. In the early years of the MILF Insurgency, from 1977 to about 1984 the organisation was much more cohesive. Founder, and then Chairman Hashim Salamat had served in the MNLF as its Chairman of Foreign Affairs (in addition to a concurrent role as Chairman of the Kutawato Revolutionary Committee, the MNLF political entity responsible for most of Central Mindanao(. In his role with the Foreign Affairs Committee Salamat liasoned with both political representatives AND intelligence agencies from several Muslim nations. Some, particularly the petrol-rich Gulf States were more then generous with providing support to the MNLF.

In 1976 MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari rode roughshod over both the MNLF Central Committee AS WELL AS its Executive Committee in trying to reach a consensus on the FPA, or Final Peace Agreement brokered by Libya. Known as "Tripoli 76" the FPA became a massive bone of contention and very quickly the MNLF imploded into several factions, one of which became, in 1981, the MILF/BIAF. Though support was nothing like the sort enjoyed by the MNLF it was still sufficient enough for the nascent organisation whose now infamous exponential growth only began in 1986 as the MNLF and GPH, or Government of the Philippines (then still known as the "GRP," or "Government of the Republic of the Philippines) began yet another interminable slow dance around a true lasting and just settlement.

Before too long however the MILF/BIAF's growth outpaced its resources and so the MILF Central Committee drew back on expidentures. Field Divisions (Base Commands only entered existence after the Buliok Complex War in 2003) were told to begin working towards self sufficiency. More than a few Field Divisions instructed their constituent brigades to do the same and by the end of the 1980s the Kidnap For Ransom Industry had become firmly entrenched throughout the MILF/BIAF AOR, or Area of Responsibility (as in "Area of Operation"). Though lucrative KFR wasn't going to support more than a few brigades. A more widely applicable endeavour presented itself in the form of Extortion and Protection Rackets. In this way groups were able to cast a much wider net, targeting municipal governments and corporations that would be invulnerable to KFR.

Today it is a very simple proposition. A letter is sent, a demand is made. If the target(s) balk, or do the insane thing and refuse, then the gloves quickly come off. The usual device is a 60MM or 81MM mortar shell, 9Volt battery charge, and Nokia cellphone trigger. The bomber simply dials a phone number and BOOM. The sickening aspect to all this is that if they chose, the Extortionists chose, they could very easily avoid human casualties. Targeting valuable business equipment would be very effective. Instead the bombers go after packed busses, or stores during the mid-day rush.

As I noted in my last "Bombs Away" entry, number two, the municipality of Kidapawan City in North Cotabato Province is once again under attack by the al Khobar Group. al Khobar is composed of BIAF guerillas though by all accounts there is no discussion, let alone approval of these Extortion activities by the BIAF General Staff OR MILF Central Committee. The worst that the MILF/BIAF hierachy can be accused of is willfull ignorance. Playing the devil's advocate however, there is no tight chain of command within the organisation. Take for example, the incident I covered in my recent entry, "MILF Armed Contacts for the Third Quarter of 2011, Part I" where I discussed the sub-conflict in the municipality of Datu Piang in Maguindanao Province. There, the BIAF's 106 Base Command under sub-Kumander Adzie has been going mano a mano with sub-Kumander Abu Nuwas of BIFF, or Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, the newest Islamo-fascist organisation on Mindanao. Though the fighting stopped on August 24th they had been warring since August 6th in what merely represents the latest round in a feud spanning half a decade.

The fighting began just prior to the latest formal Round in the GPH-MILF Peace Peocess, an absolutely crucial meeting for a number of reasons (please refer to my "GPH-MILF Peace Process for the Third Quarter of 2011"). Ergo the MILF Central Committee was absolutely desperate to squelch the fighting in Datu Piang. The Central Committee directly ordered sub-Kumander Adzie to cease and desist, to pull back into his camp and relegate his men to defencive posture. Adzie simply ignored the order. The Central Committee then deployed a team of Islamic clerics to reign their man in. Again, with no success. With the Peso spigot closed tightly there isn't much incentive for a BIAF line officer to kpwtow to a non-combatant sitting on the Central Committee.

al Khobar today is centered in the BIAF's 105 Base Command, under sub-Kumander Zabide "Bedz" Abdul, in his camp located in the municipality of Guindulungan's Barangay Pawas, in Maguindanao Province. Obstensibly operating without a direct mandate from the MILF/BIAF.

Due to the rash of bombings lately PRO-12, or Police Regional Office for Region 12, held a seminar on bomb awareness in the North Cotabato Provincial Capital Complex in Barangay Amas. That very night another bombing took place, just a street away. At 10PM that evening Mamapan Dimalen arrived in Kidapawan City by bus from the municipality of Guindulungan in Maguindanao Province. Meeting him at the bus terminal was Kalim Indigay, a resident of Sitio Pagagao in Kidapawan City's Barangay Patadon. Indigay was to guide Dimalan who had never been to the city.


As the pair made their way to Barangay Amas Dimalan revealed that their target was to be a National Irrigation Authority branch office. Taking a triksiad (most basic form of public transport, an offroad motorcycle with a fabricated aluminum shell with two bench seats for fares and an extra wheel like a sidecar) to the general vicinity before deciding to walk the last couple of blocks. As they approached the target though the IED, or Improvised Explosive Device (as in "bomb") prematurely detonated. Mamapan Dimalen died instantly, his head and extremities strewn across a bloody trail nearly a block long. Because he was nearly three meters away from the detonation Kalim Indigay survived, albeit with extremely critical wounds.

Rushed to the hospital Indigay remained lucid and was immediately subjected to interrogation despite his grave condition. Identifying himself as a guerilla in the BMA, or Bangsamoro Army, the armed wing of the MNLF-Misuari Faction, serving under Kumander Usman Kautin. He said that both he and Dimalen regularly set IEDs and that they were both earning handsome fees for doing so. Then, 3 hours after the detonation Kalim Indigay bled out and died.

In the blast the home of Nonong Labog was riddled with shrapnel as well though none of his sleeping family were injured.

The next morning, Saturday, August 13th, 2011, two IEDs fashioned out of 81MM mortar shells were found primed and attacked to a NAPORCOR, or National Power Corporation pylon in the town of Guindulungan in Maguindanao Province. After an AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) discovered the bombs. 6ID (Infantry Division) EOD, or Explosives and Ordnance Detachment safely removed the devices.

At noon that day, in Jolo City, on Sulu Province's Jolo Island, triksiad driver Hajulil Ayub was loading a package into his vehicle as it idled outside his home in the city's Barangay Kasultan when an alert passerby saw what he thought to be an IED. Notifying a nearby police officer who in turn approached the 28 year old triksiad driver to have a look see. Examining the package for himself the officer confirmed that the man had indeed been loading a powerful bomb into his vehicle. Arrested, Ayub is now within the confines of the Sulu Provincial Jail. Though there is a BIAF Base Command in the southernmost provinces of Mindanao, the 117, it is merely on one outlying island in Tawi Tawi Province. In Sulu there is a very small political bureau but it is inconsequential. The KFR Extortion Industries in Sulu Province are firmly under the control of ASG, or the Abu Sayyaf Group so that this IED at least is not related to MILF/BIAF activities.

Not long after, in Tacurong City in Sultan Kudarat Province, an alert vendor at the city bus terminal oversered a jeepney emptying its customers with a yellow sack remaining on the floor in the rear. Concerned, he alerted a police officer who discovered an IED fashioned from an 81MM mortar shell.

Kidnap for Ransom for the Third Quarter of 2011, Part IV: The Release of Nelson Lim

Late in the afternoon on April 29th, 2011 Nelson Lim told his son to man the fort as he and his wife decided to leave a bit early on their long walk home. The "fort," Times Hardware, in Jolo City's bustling downtown area is one of several hardware businesses in the city owned by Tsinoy, as Filipinos of Chinese descent are commonly known. After the Battle of 1974 during the MNLF Insurgency most Tsinoy had abandoned Jolo City turning a vibrant storied city into a shell of its former self. The city's economy never recovered and with each passing year more and more Tsinoy moved away, unwilling to shoulder the risk posed by the next generation of insurgents, ASG, or the Abu Sayyaf Group and other lawless elements. Kidnapping had become an epidemic over the last decade and no single group was targetted more than the Tsinoy.

As Mr.Lim and his wife left their store they were both looking forward to a relaxing evening at home. The next morning, Saturday, was the couples' turn at the family owned resturant Plaza Panciteria on Jolo City's Serantes Street. One of the island's oldest and most popular eateries it had been founded by Mr. Lim's late father in law. Upon his death shares in it were distributed amongst the extended family. Each share holder took a turn at managing its day to day operation. Still, th
at was tomorrow and for now the couple busied themselves with the long walk home to Barangay Bus Bus.

Concerned family members had tried to convince the elderly couple to ride to and from their downtown store but Mr.Lim would hear nothing of it. At the very least he argued, the walk provided him with a way in which to maintain the trim physique he took pride in. As for safety concerns, he maintained that noone would bother with such an old man. After all he reasoned, he had managed to survive nearly 70 years in Jolo without making a single enemy, no mean feat given local mores.

As the two walked through Barangay Bus Bus they failed to notice a navy blue Mitsubishi L300 van that had begun tailing them at a distance. Nearing their home in the barangay's Sitio Lambayong the van increased its speed to close the distance and just as the couple neared the front gate of their residential compound the van skidded to a stop beside them. Four ASG guerillas:

1) Asman Sawadjaan

2) Mudzrimar Sawadjaan

3) Jihad Naymel

4) sub-Kumander Ninok Sappari

jumped out of the van waving 45 caliber pistols and physically picked Mr.Lim up off the ground before depositing him in the rear of the van. Ignoring Lim's hysterical wife the van then took off at a high rate of speed. As the kidnapping had taken place at 530PM on one of the barangay's most travelled streets more than one bystander had reported it to authorities. The AFP, or Armed Forces of the Philippines scrambled MBLT-5, or Marine Battalion Landing Team #5 to the municipality of Patikul, the predicted destination of the kidnappers.

Jolo City's CPO, or City Police Office followed standard protocol and notified the Sulu PPO, or Police Provincial Office which in turn deployed an investigatory team to interview Mrs.Lim. In the interim though Mrs. Lim had callen her eldest son who as he rushed to the family home made sure that his mother would in no way co-operate with the authorities. As bad as a kidnapping can be, notifying the authorities only makes it so many times worse. If by some chance the police or military do find out about the kidnapping, totally ignoring them is the only sensible path.

MBLT-5 began scouring the town of Patikul with the assumption being that the victim had been abducted by one of two ASG factions, both operating within the borders of that municipality. Indeed the L300 van was found in that town's Barangay Sandah, having been abandoned. Quickly running a check on the vehicle it was found to be registered to a certain Laja Bagatsing. As in all other similar cases the van had been reported stolen shortly before the kidnapping although the owner is related to an ASG guerilla. After finding themselves unable to track the occupants of the van in the dark the Marines returned to their base at Camp Bautista. Meanwhile, Mr.Lim's kidnappers were joined by three other ASG guerillas who began marching their blindfolded victim uphill.

Eventually entering Barangay Tanum the group stopped for the night at the home of a fellow ASG guerilla. Early the next morning, before the sun appeared in the sky, the Abu Sayyaf guerillas led the still blindfolded Lim up country into that barangay's outermost sitio, Makayah, the last settlement before Mount Dahu. Resting a bit, they then continued upland and onto the slopes of the Abu Sayyaf controlled Mount Dahu. It was at various points on the mountain that Nelson Lim would spend the next three months, waiting and hoping to see his family again.

With the authorities out of the way the Lim family then went about negotiating a reasonable ransom. The man behind the kidnapping, sub-Kumander Jurim Hussin initially demanded P5 Million ($105,000) but by the end of June that figure had dropped to P3 Million ($62,000). Not satisfied with that amount the Lim family further whittled down the figure to P1.5 Million ($30,500) by mid-July. When, by July 19th they had failed to gain ground on a further reduction the family agreed to pay that amount and so final arrangements were made.

On Wednesday, July 20th the Lim family representative handed the cash to a middleman who relayed the sum, less his 10% commission, to sub-Kumander Hussin's representative. At 1PM the next afternoon, July 21st Nelson Lim was blindfolded and taken downhill off of the mountain, to a home in Patikul's Barangay Tanum where he was ordered to wash up and ready himself for release. By 9PM Mr.Lim was standing in Barangay Sandah waiting for Vice Mayor of Jolo City, Edsir "Eddie" Que Tan who finally arrived at 945PM to take custody of him and deliver Mr.Lim to his family.

History of Mindanao, Part XV: The Americans Try to Disarm Moro Province in 1911

In my entry "History of Mindanao, Part XIII" I discussed the withdrawal of the last Spanish soldiers in 1899. Unlike most Spanish withdrawals the last one took place in an orderly fashion with a handoff of power that was achieved in an absolutely orderly fashion. From 1899 to 1902, while the rest of the Philippines was at war with the Americans the Sultunate of Sulu had managed to come to an accomadation with the Americans with a few notable exceptions. From 1906 onwards though, Jolo Island, the main island in the Sulu Archipelago (which includes both Basilan and Tawi Tawi) was as peaceful as peaceful gets.

In 1911 this would change after a sinle, particularly attack by a "Juramentado," the era's equivalent to a Suicide Bomber. A properspective Juramentado fasts, prays, shaves every hair on his body including his eyebrows, and then attempts to kill as many non-Muslims as possible. The initial Juramentado attack in 1911, against a First Lieutenant, Walter H.Rodney is discussed in the following excerpt culled from the book, "Moroland, 1899 to 1906: America's First Attempt to Transform an Islamic Society," by Robert A.Fulton (Bend,Oregon:2009) which was written by a veteran of the American Diplomatic Service who served in the Philippines during the 1960s.

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Sunday, April 16th, 1911, 1Lt.Walter H.Rodney, a recently arrived officer of the 6th US Calvary, was out for a stroll with his 5 year old daughter on a wide boulevard outside the walls of the Jolo garrison. As the pair walked by a coxkpit (STADIUM FOR COCK FIGHTING) thronged with excited, screaming spectators watching a cockfight, a lone young male Tausug approached from the opposite direction. As they passed one another, the Tausug suddenly pulled a barong (INDIGENOUS FORM OF SWORD) from his shirt and whirled about, and repeatedly slashed the hapless officer about the head and shoulders. Rodney staggered to the side of the road, mortally wounded. His daughter, though traumatized, was left unharmed as the man quickly discarded his weapon and attempted to hide in the nearby crowd. Cries of "Juramentado" went up from the cockpit and hundreds ran for the safety of the guarded village gate. The commanding officer of the garrison by chance only a few yards (METERS) away in a passing carriage yelled for the gate sentries, who, assisted by the crowd, confronted the assailant and shot him to death. Three days later, at the Asturias guardhouse at the opposite end of the road, the Seargant of the Guard began to search two young Moros for weapons, when both suddenly drew barongs from hiding and killed him instantly. Another guard shot both men, killing one and mortally wounding the other.

This was the first such incident in Jolo, and General Pershing concluded that, whilr Rodney's death was infortunate, the real blame lay with the newly arrived garrison commander who had failed to enforce a long standing order that no officers or men were permitted to go outside the garrison walls unless armed. Not only Rodney, but the commanding officer himself and several others nearby officers had been unarmed and might have been able to intervene. But to their dismay, in reporting on the incident the American press faulted Pershing and Bell, claiming that they had been too "soft and weak" on the Moros. It turned out that a few Americans in the Philippines had anonymously written Rodney's father, a retired Army General, falsely claiming that the real reason Rodney and the others had been unar$ed was due to a direct order from Pershing forbidding them to carry weapons. The letters further claimed that Pershing had caved into pressure from the datus. In his grief, Rodney's father had written angry letters to the Taft Administration and members of Congress over the "supidity" and the "calumny" of the "civil government" of Moroland. Uncharacteristically and for reasons unclear, Pershing panicked and reacted to outside pressure even though his superiors fully supported him and knew the accusations to be false. Over the astonished objections of the Constabulary and Scouts, the vert people he relied upon to maintain public order,, on September 8th, 1911 Pershing issued Executive Order #24 ordering the total and immediate disarming of Moro Province, an action he had strongly opposed only a few weeks before.

Nearly all army officers who had previously served in Moroland thought Pershing was out of his mind, particularly since it specified not just a total ban on firearms but the carrying of any and all edged weapons of more than six inches in length. This struck at the very heart of Moro warrior culture and the reality that despite a formal American system of law and policing the average still looked upon his or her datu for protection, redress, and justice, not the Government. How ccould a datu enforce the traditional communal beliefs of right and wrong and preserve stability without arms? Even hardline Leonard Wood, now Army Chief of Staff, felt Pershing had bitten off more than he could chew. Holding out both a carrot and a stick, Pershing offered cash bounties on all proscribed weapons turned in before the end of 1911, but wuth the threat of heavy fines and incarceration for those caught with contraband weapons after that date. Those arrested were held indefinitely until relatives were able to raise money to pay the fines.

As expected the Moros were outraged and in many cases took out their anger at what they saw as the impotency of their headmen by switching allegiances to younger vocal, firebrands who nursed a growing sense of shame and outrage that the older generation of leaders had so willingly acquiesced to a long period of control by foreigners. Particularly restive were the Maranaos (MARANAW) of Lake lanao and the Tausugs of Jolo. Violent incidents between Americans and Moros multiplied resulting in a steady stream of small skirmishes in Lanao between the Constabulary and the Maranaos and the Second Battle of Bud Dajo on Jolo during Christmas week of 1911. Random shots fired at night into the Jolo garrison. Became so common that the wives and the dependents of the garrison were evacuated to Zamboanga (ZAMBOANGA CITY).
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Kidnap for Ransom, Third Quarter of 2011, Part IV: Jose "Joe" Batronel, Rosely Mondejar Villadore, and Julie Latorre

Jose "Joe" Batronel and his live in love Rosely Mondejar Villadore combine business with pleasure. The 57 year old Batronel, of San Jose in Batangas Province on Southern Luzon almost always has his 37 year old lover by his side as he embarks on extended sales trips throughout the Southern Philippines. Rosely helps with more than just emotional support, often serving as a translator for her Tagalog-speaking common law husband. A native of Magallanes, a municipality in Mindanao's Agusan del Norte Province, she is conversant in both Cebuano and Butuanon. The former is the lingua franca of most non-Muslims in Mindanao while the latter is spoken only in a small area of the Agusan del Norte coast. Closely related to Cebuano it is a near match for Tausug, the lingua franca of Muslims on Jolo Island (Tausugs are actually Islamicised Butuanons who migrated south 500 to 600 years ago).

Indeed, it was Jolo Island where the couple found themselves on Wednesday, July 13th, 2011. On this trip they had taken their newly hired maid, 21 year old Julie Latorre, also of Batangas Province, needing extra help to carry the household goods they sold as travelling peddlers. All three were readying themselves for sleep in the rooming house they had lodged in, in Jolo City's Sitio Militar in Barangay Busbus, close to where the city wall used to stand. Located next to the city's NAPOCOR (National Power Corporation) facility the rooms were not quiet but that only helped to keep the prices reasonable, an attraction as far as Mr.Batronel was concerned. Unfortunately for Mr.Batronel, it also meant that the surrounding area was rather desolate and free of large crowds.

At just after 830PM five young men burst into the rooming house and made their way directly to Batronel's room. Waving pistols and assault rifles they loudly kicked in the room's door and literally dragged their three screaming captives out into the street before roughly tossing them into the rear of an idling red Toyota Tamaraw jitney (modern jeepney). A sixth guerilla, standing guard as a lookout ran and jumped onto the back of the jitney as it peeled out and took off at a high rate of speed. Caught up in the moment the sixth guerilla, hanging off of the back of the vehicle, fired his 45 caliber pistol into the night air as if to challenge any would be do gooders.

Just after the gunshot was fired, and just before the jitney managed to make its way onto Gandasuli Road, a quick thinking Ms.Latorre managed to jump off of the rapidly moving vehicle and run quickly down a side street. Either not noticing the escape or else unwilling to risk everything when they already held two captives, the jitney entered Gandasuli Road and took the couple with it into incognito.

Ms.Latorre immediately reported the incident to the Jolo City CPO, or City Police Office. Not the wisest thing to do of course but being young and in a highly stressful situation far from home it is entirely understandable.

On Saturday, July 17th, 2011, Mr.Batronel was released in Barangay San Reymundo, in the municipality of Patikul after convincing his captors that unless he was set free there would be no way to extract a ransom. He was given the chance to try and obtain the ridiculous sum of P20 Million ($450,000) which of course is merely the opening gambit in negotiations. Upon his release he was picked up by an Armed Forces of the Philippines Marine patrol. Due to severe dehydration Mr.Batronel was hospitalised in the Sulu Integrated Provincial Hospital, as his poor wife remained alone with her Abu Sayyaf captors. While still in the hospital receiving treatment, Mr.Batronel contacted family members in Batangas trying to accumulate a decent enough cachet with which to negotiate his wife's release. Just after midnite Jose Batronel checked himself out of the hospital and contacted Abu Sayyaf to try and come to an agreement on a lower ransom amount. By daybreak, an agreement having been reached for P100,000 ($1,900), a decent enough profit for 2 days work, Batronel had the ransom amount deposited into a bank account provided to him by his captors. By Sunday morning, July 18th Ms. Batronel was released in the municipality of Patikul, taking a jeepney (public transportation) into Jolo City where she was reunited with her husband.

Together, going to the Sulu Police Provincial Office, or PPO-Sulu, as Mr.Batronel had reluctantly agreed to do when rejecting PNP, or Philippine National Police "assistance" at the hospital, they underwent a meaningless "de-briefing." Suffering through the usual dog and pony propaganda...I mean publicity...I mean propaganda cum publicity nonsense the couple were taken to Zamboanga City via a naval frigate and from there took a commercial flight to Manila and their home in San Jose, Batangas.