DUBLIN, Ireland, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- An elderly Irish Catholic priest kidnapped by rebels in the Philippines was freed Wednesday, government officials in Dublin said.
The Rev. Michael Sinnott, 79, was delivered to police and government officials in Zamboanga in the predawn hours, the Irish public broadcaster RTE reported.
The Foreign Affairs Department said no ransom was paid by the Irish government. The kidnappers, described by government officials as gunmen aligned with a local rebel commander, had demanded $2 million before they would release the priest.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the dominant Muslim rebel group in the Philippines, was said to be involved in securing Sinnott's freedom. The priest, a member of the Missionaries of St. Columban, was abducted Oct. 11.
read more @ upi asia2. Sinnot 'very sure' captors not MILF
MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 2) It was not the Moro Islamic Liberation Front but “original Lumad” from Mindanao that kidnapped Father Michael Sinnott, the Irish missionary himself said Thursday, hours after he was freed by his captors, a month following his abduction.
“They were not MILF. I’m very sure of that,” Sinnott told a press conference at the Villamor Air Base where he was flown by his Philippine Air Force Fokker plane from Zamboanga City.
It’s a group of “original Lumad” in Mindanao, said Sinnott, who was kidnapped in Pagadian City last October 11.
Sinnott’s statement disputed claims by government officials that it was the MILF that abducted the Irish priest – an allegation denied by the Muslim rebel group.
...Lieutenant General Ben Dolorfino, commander of the West Mindanao Command, said they have yet to gather and collate the information they got from Sinnott and their intelligence on the ground.He added that law enforcement operations would be conducted against the perpetrators of the abduction but refused to give out their names.
read more @ inquirer.net
3. RP-MILF peace talks 'imminent' - DFA tells Clinton
MANILA, Philippines—The formal resumption of the suspended peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is “imminent,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Special Concerns Rafael Seguis said Thursday.
Seguis, who also heads the Philippine peace panel negotiating with the MILF, made this statement after the press briefing with United States State Secretary Hillary Clinton.
...The peace negotiations between the two parties abruptly stopped August last year after the Supreme Court stopped the signing of the a memorandum of agreement recognizing the Moros’ right to ancestral domain over some parts of Central Mindanao.
read more @ global nation
4. Central Mindanao is full of gold and natural resources
Catholic bishops in Central Mindanao are gearing to fight the mining operation of an Australian-owned firm in Tampakan, South Cotabato.
Rev. Romeo Catedral, spokesperson of the Diocese of Marbel, said the three bishops will launch a series of protest rallies to oppose the mining operations of SMI....The SMI has been conducting exploratory activities within its mining concession area believed to have contained the largest gold and copper deposits in the world.
Gutierrez assailed officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for assuring the public that SMI will not destroy the environment even if it will engage in open-pit mining....He said the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines will ask Congress to repeal the controversial Mining Act of 1995, which allows foreigners to engage in mining operations in the country.
read more @ corp watch
search results reveal plenty of trouble
5. 5000 cops deployed for Clinton arrival
MANILA, Philippines – A total of 5,000 policemen were deployed by the National Capital Region police office for the arrival of US Secretary to State Hillary Clinton this Thursday, police said.
PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina said this number would be deployed in and along areas where Clinton and her entourage were expected to visit and pass.
Meanwhile, NCRPO spokesman Superintendent Rommel Miranda said that no alert status has been raised for Clinton's visit.
"There is no need so far," he added.
Nevertheless, police are bracing for protest actions from various groups to coincide with Clinton's visit.
As early as 8 a.m., police have monitored more than 100 members of the militant group Kilusang Mayo Uno, Anakbayan, and Courage would be staging protests at Plaza Salamangca in Manila.
2 comments:
I think that group had better change their name to something else that does not use MILF as an acronym if they want to be taken seriously, LOL
well....unless they're a bunch of hotties. ?? ; )
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