ABU SAYYAF GROUP

Also Known As (Aka) al Harakat al Islamiyya

Description: The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) was designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on October 8, 1997. ASG is the most violent of the terrorist groups operating in the southern Philippines and claims to promote an independent Islamic state in western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, though the goals of the group appear to have vacillated over time between criminal objectives and a more ideological intent. The group split from the much larger Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the early 1990s under the leadership of Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, who was later killed in a clash with Philippine police in December 1998. His younger brother, Khadaffy Janjalani, replaced him as the nominal leader of the group. In September 2006, Khadaffy Janjalani was killed in a gun battle with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Radullah Sahiron is assumed to be the ASG leader.

Activities: The ASG engages in kidnappings for ransom, bombings, beheadings, assassinations, and extortion. The group’s stated goal is to promote an independent Islamic state in western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago, areas in the southern Philippines heavily populated by Muslims. The group’s first large-scale action was a raid on the town of Ipil in Mindanao in April 1995. In April 2000, an ASG faction kidnapped 21 people, including 10 Western tourists, from a resort in Malaysia. In May 2001, the ASG kidnapped three U.S. citizens and 17 Filipinos from a tourist resort in Palawan, Philippines. Several of the hostages, including U.S. citizen Guillermo Sobero, were murdered. A Philippine military hostage rescue operation in June 2002 freed U.S. hostage Gracia Burnham, but her husband Martin Burnham, also a U.S. national, and Filipina Deborah Yap were killed.

U.S. and Philippine authorities blamed the ASG for a bomb near a Philippine military base in Zamboanga in October 2002 that killed a U.S. serviceman. In February 2004, the ASG bombed SuperFerry 14 in Manila Bay, killing at least 116 people, making this one of the most destructive acts of maritime violence to date. In March 2004, Philippine authorities arrested an ASG cell whose bombing targets included the U.S. Embassy in Manila. In 2006, the Armed Forces of the Philippines began “Operation Ultimatum,” a sustained campaign that disrupted ASG forces in safe havens on Jolo Island in the Sulu archipelago, and that resulted in the killing of ASG leader Khadaffy Janjalani in September 2006 and his deputy, Abu Solaiman in January 2007. During 2009, the ASG staged multiple kidnappings, beheadings, and assassinations, including the January kidnappings of three Red Cross workers in the southern Philippines who were later released.

The group increased its activities in 2010, which included multiple attacks on civilians, humanitarian organizations, a church, and military and police personnel. There were six reported kidnapping incidents targeting Christians and other civilians. ASG’s most complex attack occurred on the island of Basilan in April 2010 when the group launched a synchronized assault including the use of a vehicle borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) which resulted in at least 11 deaths and 10 injured. In the attack, armed operatives detonated two VBIEDs and fired weapons at several targets. A third improvised explosive device (IED) targeting a judge was later disarmed by police. There is an alarming trend of indiscriminate ASG attacks directed at civilians as exemplified by the February 2010 shooting that resulted in at least 11 deaths in a small village in the island of Basilan. In December 2010, Madhatta Asagal Haipe, a founding member of Abu Sayyaf, was extradited to the United States and sentenced in U.S. District Court, Washington, DC, to 23 years in prison for his role in a 1995 kidnapping of U.S. citizens.

Strength: ASG is estimated to have approximately 200 to 400 members.

Location/Area of Operation: The ASG was founded in Basilan Province and operates primarily in the provinces of the Sulu Archipelago, namely Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi. The group also operates on the Zamboanga peninsula, and members occasionally travel to Manila. The group expanded its operational reach to Malaysia in 2000 with the abduction of foreigners from a tourist resort there. In mid-2003, the group started operating in Mindanao’s city of Cotobato and on the provincial coast of Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao. The ASG was expelled from Mindanao proper by the MILF leadership in mid-2005.

External Aid: The ASG is funded through kidnappings and extortion, and may receive funding from external sources such as remittances from overseas Filipino workers and Middle East-based extremists. The ASG also receives funding from regional terrorist groups such as Jemaah Islamiya (JI), whose operatives have provided training to ASG members and helped to facilitate several ASG terrorist attacks. In October 2007, the ASG appealed for funds and recruits on YouTube by featuring a video of the Janjalani brothers before they were killed.

Umra Kato on doubting the President Aquino governments commitment to peace

VIDEO : Umra Kato: on reconciliation with the MILF Central Committee Interview of renegade MILF commander Ameril Umra Kato by Beth Frondoso, Newsbreak Multimedia Contributor, Thursday, July 21, 2011 at Camp Omar, Maguindanao.

Umra Kato on reconciliation with the MILF Central Committee

VIDEO : Umra Kato on rejecting the MILF Central Committee leadership Interview of renegade Moro Islamic Liberation Front commander Ameril Umra Kato by Beth Frondoso, Newsbreak Multimedia Contributor, Thursday, July 21, 2011 at Camp Omar, Maguindanao.

Umra Kato on rejecting the MILF Central Committee leadership

VIDEO : Umra Kato on doubting the PNoy gov't's commitment to peace Umra Kato on doubting the PNoy gov't's commitment to peace Interview of renegade MILF commander Ameril Umra Kato by Beth Frondoso, Newsbreak Multimedia Contributor, Thursday, July 21, 2011 at Camp Omar, Maguindanao.

Shabu in the South

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Southern Philippine Secessionist Groups

The Muslim secessionist movement in the Southern Philippines is rooted in the centuries-old resistance of Muslim Filipinos against Spanish colonization. The destruction of the traditional patterns of authority and communal autonomy, curtailment of individual freedom, and the introduction of a new religion fueled the resistance of the Muslims in Mindanao. Unlike their counterparts in Luzon and Visayas, the Muslims of Mindanao refused to submit to Spanish authority. Such resistance has endured to this day. Whereas the communist party aims to overthrow the government to establish a socialist state, Muslim secessionist groups want to cede from the Philippines and form a separate Bangsamoro (Islamic State).

The Muslim separatist sentiment is caused by the following main factors: first, Muslim fear that their religious, cultural, and political traditions may be weakened or destroyed by forced assimilation into a Catholic-dominated Philippine Republic. Second, Muslims resent the influx of migrants from Luzon and Visayas, which dispossessed them of their ancestral and communal lands and turned them into a minority in their own land. Third, Muslims reject the economic underdevelopment and poverty of Mindanao. Rabasa and Chalk notes that 15 of the Philippine’s poorest provinces are located in the region, which also has the country’s lowest literacy rate (75 percent) and life expectancy (57 years). Moreover, most provinces have limited or no access to basic social services, such as electricity and water supply, education, and health. Fourth, is the Mindanao tradition of warlordism, banditry, and blood feuds among ethnic groups.

The Muslim Secessionist Movement is comprised of three groups. The (1) Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF); (2) the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF); and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).

The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was founded by Nur Misuari, an educated Tausug, in 1971. The MNLF believe that (1) the Moro people constitute a distinct bangsa (nation) that has a specific Islamic historical and cultural identity; (2) the bangsamoro (Islamic nation) has a legitimate right to self-determination; and (3) the MNLF has a duty and obligation to wage a jihad against the Philippine State. As such, the movement fought for due representation of Muslims in the Philippine political process. In 1996, peace talks between the Government and MNLF have resulted to the establishment of the Zone of Peace and Development (ZOPAD) in Mindanao; the creation of Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development (SPCPD); and Misuari’s election as governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, which gave the Muslims a stake in the political process of the country. Thus, only the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf remain in the Muslim secessionist movement at present.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is a breakaway group from the MNLF, which left its parent organization in 1980.

Differences in the two group’s goals paved the way for such separation. The MILF has a more religious orientation than the MNLF. Aside from pursuing nationalist objectives, the group also aims to promote Islamic ideals in the country. Late Hashim Salamat, the former group’s leader states that their political objective is to create a separate Islamic State encompassing provinces in Mindanao where Muslims are majority. The Shari’a (Islamic Law) will be observed in all aspects of life in the said Islamic State. The MILF aims to attain such goal thru da’wa (Islamic preaching) and jihad (holy war). As a revolutionary military force, MILF does not practice indiscriminate violence against civilians. Its violent activities, mostly in the form of orthodox guerilla warfare, are only aimed at the Philippine Military. However, the also group uses terrorist-type tactics to extort revolutionary taxes.

The Abu Sayyaf Group (literally “Bearer of the Sword”), a fundamentalist organization was founded in1989 and was originally named Mujahideen Commando Freedom Fighters (MCFF), due to its link with the Mujahideen movement in Afghanistan. The majority of the group’s members are Muslim youths, with many of the older cadres reportedly veterans of the Afghan war. The Abu Sayyaf does not only want to establish a separate Islamic state governed by the Shari’a. The group also wants this state to be exclusive for Muslims. The Abu Sayyaf does not practice religious tolerance towards non-Muslims. The activities of the group are terrorist in nature and are tied to the integrated effort among Muslim fundamentalists in asserting the dominance of Islam in global politics. The Abu Sayyaf Group received international attention when they abducted and hostaged some foreigners in Sipadan, Malaysia.

Bin Laden's Death and the Implications for Jihadism

ILLUSTRATION OF ABBOTTABAD COMPOUND

U.S. President Barack Obama appeared in a hastily arranged televised address the night of May 1 to inform the world that U.S. counterterrorism forces had located and killed Osama bin Laden. The operation, which reportedly happened in the early hours of May 2 local time, targeted a compound in Abbottabad, a city located some 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital. The nighttime raid resulted in a brief firefight that left bin Laden and several others dead. A U.S. helicopter reportedly was damaged in the raid and later destroyed by U.S. forces. Obama reported that no U.S. personnel were lost in the operation. After a brief search of the compound, the U.S. forces left with bin Laden’s body and presumably anything else that appeared to have intelligence value. From Obama’s carefully scripted speech, it would appear that the United States conducted the operation unilaterally with no Pakistani assistance — or even knowledge.

This image shows Osama bin Laden's refuge home with no apparent structural damage, the remains of an unidentified helicopter within the compound perimeter and four evenly spaced road blocks on the road leading to the property.

As evidenced by the spontaneous celebrations that erupted in Washington, New York and across the United States, the killing of bin Laden has struck a chord with many Americans. This was true not only of those who lost family members as a result of the attack, but of those who were vicariously terrorized and still vividly recall the deep sense of fear they felt the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, as they watched aircraft strike the World Trade Center Towers and saw those towers collapse on live television, and then heard reports of the Pentagon being struck by a third aircraft and of a fourth aircraft prevented from being used in another attack when it crashed in rural Pennsylvania. As that fear turned to anger, a deep-seated thirst for vengeance led the United States to invade Afghanistan in October 2001 and to declare a “global war on terrorism.”

Because of this sense of fulfilled vengeance, the death of bin Laden will certainly be one of those events that people will remember, like the 9/11 attacks themselves. In spite of the sense of justice and closure the killing of bin Laden brings, however, his death will likely have very little practical impact on the jihadist movement. More important will be the reaction of the Pakistani government to the operation and the impact it has on U.S.-Pakistani relations.

Aerial View of Abbottabad Compound

Mga pangunahing alituntunin para sa ligtas na paghawak ng baril (Gun Safety)

Tip 1. Laging panatilihing ang baril ay nakatutok sa isang ligtas ne direksyon. Ito ang pangunahing patakaran ng baril sa kaligtasan. Siguraduhing nakatutok ang dulo ng baril sa isang ligtas na direksyon. direksyon na walang tatamaang bagay o tao sakaling ito ay pumutok.

Tip 2. Laging panatilihing ang iyong mga daliri ay malayo sa gatilyo hanggang handa nang bumaril. Kapag hawak ang baril, i tabi ang iyung mga daliri sa trigger guard o malapit sa gilid ng baril, hanggang ikaw ay handa ng pumutok huwag ilagay ang daliri sa trigger.

Tip 3. Laging panatilihing ang baril ay diskargado hanggang handa na itong gamitin. Kung ang baril ay may magazine, alisin ito bago ang pag bubukas ng aksyon at mag hanap ng silid isang ligtas na lugar o sa pag aalis ng bala. Kung hindi mo alam kung paano buksan ang aksyon o pag aalis ng bala, isukbit ang baril at kumuha ng tulong mula sa isang taong nakakaalam.

Tip 4. Alamin ang iyong target at kung ano ang nasa dako. Siguraduhing walang kahit na anong bagay o buhay ang makikita lagpas sa iyong target. Magkaroon ng kamalayan sa mga lugar na lagpas sa iyong target. Huwag puputok sa isang direksyon kung saan may mga tao o anumang iba pang mga potential na bagay na maaring tamaan.

Tip 5. Alamin kung paano gamitin ang baril sa isang ligtas na pamamaraan. Bago humawak ng baril, mabuting malaman kung paano ito gamitin. Alamin ang ibat-ibang bahagi ng baril paanong buksan at isarado ang aksyon nito at paano alisin ang magazine at bala nito sa baril. Tandaan, ang kaligtasan sa pag hawak ng baril ay nakasalalay sa kaalaman ng taong may hawak nito.

Tip 6. Siguraduhing ligtas na gamitin ang isang baril. Tulad din ng iba pang mga kasangkapan, ang baril ay kailangan din ng regular na pag-aalaga upang mapanatili ang kaligtasan nito. Madalas na paglilinis at tamang imbakan ay bahagi ng pangkalahatanng pag-aalaga ng baril. Kung may anumang katanungan tungkul sa kakayanan ng isang baril, huwag mag atubiling kumunsulta sa isang eksperto.

Tip 7. Gumamit ng tamang bala para sa iyong baril. Karamihan sa mga baril ay may bala na ang uri ay naka tatak sa barrel. Ang paggamit ng maling bala ay maaring maging sanhi ng pagkasira ng baril at pagkasugat o pagkamatay ng gagamit.

Tip 8. Magsuot ng proteksyon sa mata at tainga kung kinakailangan. Matatandaang ang baril ay may malakas na tunog na maaring maging sanhi ng pagkasira ng pandining. Ito rin ay nagbubunga ng mainit na gas na maaaring makapinsala sa ating mga mata. Sa tuwing puputok, dapat ay magsuot ng proteksyon sa mata at tainga.

Tip 9. Huwag uminom o gumamit ng alak o anumang gamot na nabibili sa botika bago o habang ikaw ay puputok ng baril. Ang alcohol o anumang nakalalasing na inumin ay nagiging sanhi ng mabagal na paggana ng ating pagiisip  at pisikal na pangangatawan kung kayat mas makabubuting umiwas dito kung ikaw ay hahawak o gagamit ng baril.

Tip 10. Paglilinis. Ang madalas na paglilinis ng ating baril ay mahalaga upang ang iyung armas ay maayos na gumana. Sa pagaalaga ng tama sa ating baril mapapanatili natin nang maayos na paggana nito at pinapahaba pa nito ang buhay. Kung kayat kinakailangan linisin ang ating baril sa bawat panahon na ito ay ginagamit. Ang baril na matagal ng nakaimbak ay dapat ding linisin. Ang naipung dumi, grasa at langis ay maaring magdulot ng pagkasira ng ating baril sanhi ng hindi maayos na paggana nito

Moro National Liberation Front / Dissent Among Philippines Separatists (Video)

OVERVIEW

The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is an organization that originally sought the secession of Muslim Mindanao from the Philippines and the creation of an independent Islamic state. It subsequently opted for regional autonomy. It was created during a period of heightened civil unrest among Muslims in the Philippines in the late 1960s.

For centuries, tension had been brewing between Christians and Muslims in the Philippines, particularly in the southern islands of Mindanao. The conflict escalated when a group of Muslim youth was brought by the Philippine Army to Corregidor Island in 1968 for training on guerrilla tactics in preparation for an invasion on the Malaysian island of Sabah. The young recruits were supposed to join a commando group, known as “Jabidah,” that would carry out the planned invasion. When the trainees began protesting against the unbearable training conditions and demanding their return to Mindanao, they were summarily executed by their Army officers on March 18, 1968. The incident, which came to be known as the Jabidah Massacre, led to the formation of Muslim groups clamoring for a separate Islamic state.

In 1968, Cotabato Governor Datu Udtog Matalam founded the Muslim Independent Movement (MIM), an above-ground organization that advocated the creation of an ideal Islamic state. When Matalam stepped aside, more radical elements of the Muslim cause began to organize. From 1968 to 1969, at the height of the Philippine-Malaysian dispute over Sabah and the turmoil created by the Jabidah Massacre, some members of the MIM underwent guerilla training in Sabah. These men eventually formed the nucleus of the MNLF. A total of three batches of MNLF guerillas went to Sabah from 1969 to 1974. The first batch comprised 90 recruits; the second batch, 300; and the last batch, 87. The training included guerilla warfare and tactics and mortar warfare and all the trainers were British-trained.

Shortly after the imposition of martial law in the Philippines on September 23, 1972, Abul Khayr Alonto and Jallaludin Santos formed the MNLF, espousing an armed revolutionary approach to the struggle of Filipino Muslims in Mindanao. Nurallaji “Nur” Misuari, a professor at the University of Philippines who was active in a well-known Marxist movement called Kabataang Makabayan (KM), was asked to head the organization. KM was responsible for the creation of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The CPP and its military wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), are responsible for the second, more secular struggle against the Philippine government. Most of the secular ideology of the MNLF was inherited from Misuari. The left-leaning ideology of the MNLF relates to the organization’s adherence to Moro nationalism, not Islamic fundamentalism. The MNLF is regarded as a national liberation movement comprised of mostly secular Muslims in the Philippines. In 1976, the group finally reached a peace agreement with the Manila-based government. Unfortunately, this was quickly broken by violent militant attacks on security forces, and throughout the next two decades, conflict remained steady between government and militant fighters. Finally in 1996, another agreement was reached which established the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), a predominately Muslim region in which the people, led by Nur Misuari, could live by their own rule of law. Those individuals who did not agree with this truce fell to support other terrorist groups in the region, chiefly Abu Sayyaf and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Misuari’s rule ended when he was imprisoned in late 2001 after unsuccessfully leading a coup to remove the current Filipino government from power which resulted in over 100 deaths. His predecessor, Parouk Hussin, was also an MNLF member.

Within the last decade, support for the main MNLF organization has waned. Splinter groups became common, and Misuari continues to hold a dedicated band of followers. Some MNLF members and affiliates continue to launch attacks against security forces and government officials. One such attack in August 2007 led to the deaths of 60 troops and militants. Since 2007, other attacks have taken place between troops and suspected rebels, although the MNLF denies their members have been involved.

STRUCTURE

The MNLF is organized into three factions: Misuari, Alvarez Isnaji, and Islamic Command Council. There is also a 15-member Executive Committee which is run by Muslimin Semma, the mayor of Cotabato City. A branch of the MNLF, the Bangsamoro Army (BMA), is the armed wing of the organization. Another branch, the Misuari Renegade Group (MRG) also engages in armed conflict for the group, and is known to be closely affiliated with Abu Sayyaf.

The MNLF is reported to have limited access to arms during their ceasefire agreement with the Filipino government, although during the height of their activity they utilized AK-47s, M-16 Armalites, grenade launchers, mortar launchers, landmines, and improvised explosive devices.

FUNDING

Much of the organization’s funding comes from foreign sources; this includes donations from supporters from Malaysia, Libya, and Iran. Other forms of support derive from local sources, exortion activities, and ransom from hostage takings.

TACTICS

The majority of group activity involves attacks on Armed Forces of the Philippines members. These clashes usually involve light arms, although MNLF militants also use grenade and mortar launchers against government outposts and installations. MNLF members rarely target civilians in these attacks, although they are well known for engaging in kidnap-for-ransom activities. In 2009, two U.S. soldiers and one AFP soldier were killed by an improvised explosive device which was supposedly planted by MNLF and Bangsamoro National Liberation Army (BNLA) members.

Bombs Recovered From NPAs Can Blow Bridges, Buildings And Roads

On 31 March 2011, army soldiers discovered a cave believed to be a New People’s Army’s (NPA) factory of explosive devices at Sitio Kalinawan, Barangay Taocanga, Man-ay, Davao Oriental. 

Troops under Lt. Col. Reuben Basiao, commander of the 67th Infantry Battalion, found the rebels “bomb factory” full of items needed for the manufacture of explosives. The cave is under the NPA’s Merardo Arce Command wherein they harbor materials needed to construct improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other explosives.

The impact of the bomb can blow a 5-6 storey building or even a mall, it can blow major bridges, and it can make more than 30 anti-personnel landmines or may easily blow buses or trucks used by civilians. These bombings can inflict heavy casualties to school children and ordinary civilians plying their main access routes where the NPAs lay their bombs.

The inventory of items found in the said NPA bomb factory are: two anti-armor IEDs, four anti-personnel IEDs, 3/4 kg. white powder, seven unfinished anti-pers IEDs, six unfinished anti-armor IEDs, 500 meters of detonation cord, 14 blasting caps, 700 pieces of liquid explosives, one set Stanley wrench, one electric drill, 20 pieces of claymore adhesive iron, two pieces of soldering gun, 10 pieces fuse, nine resistor sets, 10 pieces of ballast, 50 pieces of alligator clips, 29 switches, 11 pieces of dead man’s switch, five hammers, three mallets, one metal saw, four files, two tri-squares, one piece mold for anti-personnel IEDs, 18-kg. metal shrapnel, two sets of claymore molds, one tinsmith, one blow torch, one clamp, four rolls of wire, 300 grams of sulfur, nine plastic pipes, three liters of oil, six bottles of polyvinyl chloride solution, one piece port bypass circuit, one roll plastic hose, one weighing scale, and 22 bottles of acetone.

PREVENTING KIDNAPPING

KNOW THE RULES...

ABDUCTION and KIDNAPPING

Prevention Tips for Parents and Guardian

1. Teach your children to run away from danger, never toward it. Danger is anyone or anything invading their personal space. If anyone should try to grab them, tell them to make a scene; loudly yell this person is not my father/mother/guardian; and make every effort to get away by kicking, screaming, and resisting. Their safety is more important than being polite. Teach your children if they are ever followed in a vehicle to turn around and run in the other direction to you or another trusted adult.
2. Never let your children go places alone, and always supervise your young children or make sure there is another trusted adult present to supervise them if you cannot. Make sure your older children always take a friend when they go anywhere.
3. Know where your children are and whom they are with at all times. Remind children to never take anything or respond in any way if approached by anyone they don’t know, and also remind them to never approach a vehicle without your permission. Teach them to run away as quickly as possible to you or another trusted adult.
4. Talk openly to your children about safety and encourage them to tell you or a trusted adult if anyone or anything makes them feel scared, uncomfortable, or confused. Discuss safety issues with your children so they will understand the need for precautions. Advise your older children about steps they may take to help safeguard themselves. Know your children’s friends and their families. Pay attention to your children and listen to them. If you don’t, someone else may. And others may have ulterior motives for befriending your children.
5. Practice what you teach by creating “what if” scenarios with your children to make sure they understand the safety message and are able to use it in a real situation.
6. Consider installing an alarm system in your home with a monitoring feature. If you do not have an alarm system, consider purchasing less expensive wireless door and window alarms. Make sure your home is secured with deadbolt locks, and ensure landscaping around it doesn’t provide places for people to hide. Check other access points such as gates, and make sure they have been secured. Consider installing exterior lighting around your home. Make sure your home is fully secured before you go to sleep and items such as ladders have been stored inside. Prepare a plan to vacate your home in case of any emergency. This should include but is not limited to a fire. Have a plan if an intruder tries or gets into your home.
7. Make your children part of securing your home. If you have installed an alarm system, demonstrate it to your children and show them how to make sure doors and windows are locked. This will not only help calm their fears but will also help make them part of your “safety plan” at home.
8. Have a list of family members who could be contacted in case of an emergency. Designate a family member or close associate who would be able to fill the role of advisor in case of an emergency.
9. Be alert to and aware of your surroundings. Know the “escape routes” and plan what you would do in different emergencies. Practice “what if” scenarios, so you will be well prepared. Know the location of local hospitals and best routes to take to reach them. Know how to reach the nearest local law enforcement agency or sub-station.
10. Know your employees and coworkers. Do background screening and reference checks on everyone who works at your home, particularly those individuals who care for your children. Their knowledge of your family is extensive so make sure you have an equivalent understanding of them.
11. Consider varying your daily routines and habits. Do not take the same routes or go at the same time on your regular errands. If you take your children to school, change that route as well.
12. Take steps to secure personal information about yourself. Consider getting a post office box and registering everything you may there including your vehicles and drivers’ licenses. Have personal bills sent to your place of work or the post office box. Be discreet about your possessions and family’s personal habits and information. Take steps to protect your identity by not revealing too much information and notifying authorities of any irregularities.
13. Report any suspicious persons or activities to law enforcement. If you feel anyone in your family has been targeted or is being stalked, immediately report this information to law-enforcement authorities. Do not wait.
14. Remember you are your best resource for better safeguarding your family. Stay alert, informed, and vigilant about personal-security issues.

Travel Safety Tips

Traveling to unfamiliar destinations can bring to you the sort of troubles you do not want to experience while on the road namely: robbery, rape, or murder. Tourists often fall prey to perpetrators because they do not prepare properly before embarking on a trip. Some things you should do to prevent your travels from becoming a tragedy:

1.  Never list your home address on the luggage tag. If on business, put the company's address on the tag; if visiting friends you can list their address. Use covered luggage tags as well.
2.  Stay with your luggage until the luggage is checked. If you must put your bag down, keep one foot on the handle.
3. Carry important papers with you; NEVER check anything that you simply cannot afford to lose. Photocopy your passport, driver's license and credit cards.
4. Bring a small flashlight. You never know when you'll suddenly be "in the dark" and find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings. At night, keep your flashlight by your bed.
5. Make sure that your prescription medicines are filled properly and labeled accurately. In some countries certain prescription medicines are forbidden.
6. Never wear anything that projects affluence. No gold chains, expensive watches and rings, luggage, or other paraphernalia should be in easy view. Better yet: leave your jewelry at home.
7.  If possible travel with only one or two credit cards.
8.  Women particularly should never accept a drink from a stranger. Keep an eye on your drink at all times.
9. Vary your schedule; try not to come and go at the same time everyday.
10. Only stay in a hotel that uses cards to open room doors and make sure your room has a peephole and a deadbolt lock. Secure the chain and secure the door by pushing a rubber stop under it.
11. Stay in a room near a stairwell. Never take the elevator if a fire or smoke is detected. Always stay in a hotel where the doors enter the hallway and not directly from the outside.
12. Do not wear name tags in public.
13. Do not use unmarked taxi cabs.
14. Sit behind the driver so you can see him, but he cannot see you.
15. Pay the driver upon arriving at your destination and while you are still sitting in the vehicle.
16. If you must rent a car, rent only from a reputable company. Any operating problems that occur could signal sabotage.
17. Be aware of 'staged' car accidents meant to catch you off card.
18. Back into your parking spaces to facilitate a quick exit.
19. Park only in well-lit and well-traveled areas.
20. If your cell phone does not work outside of the country, consider renting one that does for the duration of your trip.
21. If detained for whatever reason by an official, ask for identification. If in doubt, tell them that you want to see his superior. Keep your emotions in check.
22. If traveling with children, bring along an updated photograph of each child in the event that you become separated from them.
23. Write your child's name and your hotel number on each card; include a close friends or relative's contact information on the card. Give a card to each child which they will carry with them as long as you are away. Destroy once home.
24. Discuss with your family what they would do in event of an emergency while away from home, e.g. whom to call, how to contact emergency personnel, etc.
25. Do not discuss travel plans, your room number or any other personal information in public within earshot of strangers.
26. Bring along a basic first aid kit with bandages, iodine, mosquito repellant, sunscreen, alcohol packets, dramamine, pepto bismol, diarrhea medicine, etc.
27. Familiarize yourself with train and bus schedules before traveling. Have an alternate plan in place in the event your transportation plans change.
28. Do not flash your passport in public. Discreetly show important documents to officials only.
29. Consider purchasing portable alarms that emit a loud sound.
30. Watch for scams on the street. Children working with adults are notorious as pickpockets.
31. Never flash your money in public. Exchange funds with reputable and recognized exchangers only.
32. Have tips ready in advance for service personnel.
33. Consider renting an escort [security] service if traveling in areas where crime is high.

The key to safe traveling in any area is situational awareness. Distractions because of luggage, children, hotel personnel, strangers, etc. can put you at risk. Know your surroundings and stay in control of every situation.

UNDERSTANDING TERRORISM

It is very important for all of us, including the public, to have a clear understanding of what terrorism is and how it works. A correct appreciation of the problem will greatly help us deal with the situation more effectively. Following are some valuable lessons learned from past events:

At the outset, we must consider that those faceless cowards can choose the time, place and even the manner they would carry out an attack. Hence, all preventive measures can only somehow reduce the threat but cannot guarantee total safety.

With said reality, we must be resilient; that is, capable and always ready to surge back and restore our lives to normal right after an incident. Never should we allow terrorists to dictate on us.

In examining the nature of terrorism, we are dealing with a multi-dimensional problem. Discussion is centered mostly on the criminal justice aspects: prevention and punishment. The overriding questions are not technological or legal; they are philosophical and political.

Political considerations form the framework in which the activity of those engaged in terrorism is interpreted. We usually hear people say “A man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter”. Simply stated, terrorism can be held to revolve around one's political point of view and this is the major impediment standing in the path of a universally acceptable definition of the term.

However, regardless of the diversity in our political, religious or social outlook, we should be one in looking at the more important issue. Motivation notwithstanding, the rhetoric of terrorists should not be allowed to conceal their true identity. They are first and foremost, criminals. No doctrine or belief could justify killing helpless, innocent people.

Because of the enormous damage they inflict, there is a misconception that terrorists are big in number and so strong. To the contrary, terrorism is the strategy of the weak, a weapon of those small bands of rascals who are prepared to use violence but who believe that they would lose any contest by sheer strength.

Terrorism is means to an end, not an end in itself. Let alone, terrorism can accomplish nothing in terms of political goals; it can only aim at obtaining a response that will achieve those goals for it. Said another way, terrorist violence is aimed not so much on the target upon which the initial act is committed but to much wider audience who will view and interpret the act.

The success of terrorism is due in large part to the miscomprehension of the strategy by its opponents; which is failure to focus on the critical issue of how to respond properly to provocations and threats.

Brutality and repression are induced responses that will alienate the government from the masses, thus set the stage for revolution. In dealing with the problem of terrorism, paramount is the rule of law and our respect for human rights.

To be able to correctly interpret events, we must clearly distinguish terrorism from an ordinary criminal act. Not all violent incidents, however terrifying, can be categorized as works of terrorists. The political and social objectives which drive terrorists to act give terrorism a character of its own.

Likewise, it is different from regular, as well as guerilla war because in terrorism, innocents are killed deliberately. Its very wickedness makes it a vulnerable strategy.

One possible purpose of a terrorist act is to create strife among the various sectors in a society. Some radicals pull religious verses out of context to suit their objective. But murder has no home in any religious faith. All of the world's major religions preach the values of love, peace, charity and respect for the sanctity of life. Hence, we must not fall into the enemy trap by institutionally faulting religion or its members for the upheaval.

Publicity tends to exaggerate the threats that terrorism pose to society. If we fail to understand its nature, possibility is high that we will make our fears very much greater than the actual threat.

Most of the victims of terrorist violence are innocent bystanders. Obviously then, terrorists are enemies of the humanity thereby making public support an essential factor in our war against terror.

Note: Join the war against terror. Please reproduce this hand-out and give to friends and neighbors.

VIDEO: Communist rebels led by Jorge Madlos, also known as Ka Oris, meet with members of the Philippine press during a recent clandestine interview which coincided with the 42nd founding anniversary of the New People’s Army in Mindanao. 26/12/2010

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) / New People’s Army (NPA) held what it called its grandest anniversary celebration ever somewhere in the Caraga region on 26 December 2010, marking its 42 years of existence. Jorge Madlos, also known as Ka Oris, spokesman of the CPP-led National Democratic Front of the Philippines in Mindanao, said that at least 8,000 individuals from four regions in Mindanao attended the event. About 30 large vehicles brought peasants, workers, students, religious, lawyers and the media to the event that threaded through several military and police checkpoints to reach the venue — a mere kilometer away from the provincial highway.

MILF SPLINTER GROUPS

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is insisting that current clan feuds, and lots of accompanying gun and mortar fire, are no danger to the peace talks. It's pointed out that there are about five or more of these feuds breaking out each month in the south. Most of these feuds are relatively low key (more shouting than shooting.) But some of them involve two or more heavily armed private militias, and these brawls are loud, bloody and go on for a while. Some of the fighting is the result of old disputes between the factions of the rebel MILF and pro-government MNLF. All this has led to several gun battles in the last month, leaving dozens dead and wounded. Over 5,000 people have fled their homes to avoid the shooting. Most of the unrest arises from two local MILF and MNLF commanders that have disputes with each other. The arguments escalated to involve over a thousand armed men from both groups. The army and police are trying to broker a ceasefire. Much of the current feuding is political, with some groups fighting to oppose any peace deal with the government that does not include a separate Moslem state in the south.

Peace negotiations with MILF have hit a snag over the reluctance of top MILF commanders to shut down factions that refuse to accept anything less than a separate Moslem state in the south. The MILF doesn't want to start a war within their own organization, and believes they can destroy the rebellious faction by persuading subordinate commanders to return to the mainstream MILF. But in the meantime, the rebellious factions continue to attack security forces and Christian civilians.

The MILF has also assured the government that MILF groups that have recently rebelled, will be taken care of. The worst of these splinter groups is BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters), which contains about a thousand armed men. In the past, such divisiveness has been a persistent problem. Over the last few decades, peace deals with Moslems separatists have constantly unraveled when some factions insisted on continuing the fight.

VIDEO: Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF)

Renegade Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) vow to continue their armed uprising despite the peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Al Jazeera tracks down the leader of a heavily armed separatist group in the Philippines. Ameril Umbrakato, leader of Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which recently split from the Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), exclusively talks to Al Jazeera's Marga Ortigas. 

Vices: The Series (Featuring: Drug Addiction)

Vices are bad habits of the person that can destroy his/her life. Bad habits such as drug-addiction, cigarette-smoking, drinking liquor or any alcoholic beverages, and any sorts of gambling can terribly ruined one’s life if not properly treated accordingly. Let us discuss the causes and effects of these harmful drugs and how to deal with it.

Are you a drug-dependent or a drug-addict?

Drug dependent is quite different from drug addiction. Actually, medical drugs are safe for those patients suffering from chronic diseases if properly prescribed by any professional doctor and follow the prescribed doses accordingly. Most patients are totally dependent on these drugs. However, if these medical drugs were completely move out from the patient’s body, of course, the patients will not be fully recovered, instead may worsen his/her health condition. Therefore, these patients can be called drug-dependents to certain medical drugs.

Sometimes, we are not aware that some food and beverages companies tend to introduce certain chemical substances into our bodies which serve as stimulants so that our taste buds are used to it. Then, we always want to look for these food items or drinks. For instance, caffeine is one of the primary component of our commercial coffee, soda drinks and energy drinks without knowing that it has adverse effects to our body. This chemical substance tends you to look for these foodstuffs because your mouth wants it. Caffeine, in particular, could affect your nervous system to keep you awake all the time even at night time which supposed to be your body at rest. Frankly speaking, there might be certain chemical substances in the man-made foodstuffs and beverages which you do not know until you are already addicted to it because you keep on looking at it.

Prohibited or illegal drugs are extremely not allowed to use in any places regardless of the person’s age and gender. It is unlawful to use it by anybody or sell it to somebody for profit. Prohibited drugs such as cocaine, heroine, marijuana, shabu, opium and other harmful substances could bring tremendous effects on your body particularly the nervous system. These harmful chemical substances can control your physically and mentally instead of controlling them. Addiction to these drugs may result into heinous crimes, broken families, greater number of school drop-outs, imprisonment, mental breakdown or instant death.

How to Quit

If you do not have any medical history, avoid drugs without prescription because these might create trouble on your part. Over-the-counter drugs are quite safe if properly labeled and used. You can still drink coffee, soda and energy drink but make no caffeine is added on it. If you are really health conscious, try to read the labels of every food or drink that you buy particularly the nutritional value of these products. Never use or sell prohibited or illegal drugs. If you are already get into these harmful drugs, go immediately to the medical doctors and ask some help. They have the expertise to treat, guide and give some pieces of advice to you. Follow their advises and let yourself be rehabilitated in the an authorized center intended for drug addicts so that you can be completely recovered. Then, start a new life with a smile on your face, peace of mind and God’s blessings on you and your family.