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Internal Security in the Philippines – Padlet Rationale

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"The Communist Threat to Reviving Democracy in the Philippines" by Richard D. Fischer

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"The Communist Threat to Reviving Democracy in the Philippines" by Richard D. Fischer

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"The Never Ending War in the Wounded Land: The New People's Army on Samar" by William Holden

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"The Never Ending War in the Wounded Land: The New People's Army on Samar" by William Holden

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"Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army

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"Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army

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An overview of the New People's Army in the Philippines, including their attacks and relationships with other groups.

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Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army | Mapping Militant Organizations

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The Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA) seeks to overthrow the Philippine government in favor of a new state led by the working class and to expel U.S. influence from the Philippines. The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) was founded in 1968, and its armed wing, the New People's Army (NPA), was founded in the following year.

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"Around the World: the Communist War against the Philippines and why it rages on" by Joshua Lipana

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"Around the World: the Communist War against the Philippines and why it rages on" by Joshua Lipana

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Discusses the continued threat posed by the CPP and NPA in the Philippines.

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"Philippines: Aquino vetoes rights of Internally Displaced Persons Act of 2013"

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"Philippines: Aquino vetoes rights of Internally Displaced Persons Act of 2013"

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"Philippines Must Protect Internally Displaced Persons, Warns UN Expert" by Mong Palatino, The Diplomat

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"Philippines Must Protect Internally Displaced Persons, Warns UN Expert" by Mong Palatino, The Diplomat

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Discusses the conditions of displaced persons in the Philippines, providing some more context to a discussion on why displaced person (through their injust treatment and large numbers) may pose an internal security threat.

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A few days after Philippine President Benigno Aquino III enumerated the achievements of his government during his final state of the nation address, a UN expert issued a report which highlighted the deplorable conditions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in various parts of the country.

United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons Chaloka Beyani was in the Philippines for 10 days last month to review the situation of IDPs in Tacloban, Zamboanga, Cotabato, Maguindanao, South Cotabato, and Davao.

Tacloban was the 'ground zero' of typhoon Haiyan which battered the central part of the Philippines in 2013. Haiyan killed more than 6,000 people and it was the strongest typhoon in recorded history.

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Zamboanga, located in the southern part of the country, was attacked by armed separatist groups in 2013 which displaced about 120,000 people.

Cotabato and Maguindanao are Muslim-dominated provinces where clashes between government soldiers, private armed groups, and revolutionary forces are known to be frequent.

South Cotabato is the potential site of the country's largest open pit mining project. Davao is currently hosting some 700 Lumads (ethnic peoples) displaced by militarization in a nearby region.

Dr Beyani's report on the present circumstances of Haiyan victims validated the concern of grassroots networks about the inadequate assistance provided by the national government.

"Many families remain housed in collective "bunkhouses" that do not meet necessary minimum standards for the provision of basic needs and services and create numerous safety and protection challenges, particularly for women and girls," wrote Beyani.

He praised the leadership of the government for placing "institutional and policy structures and frameworks that have proved to be effective in the immediate crisis response period" but he also expressed concern about the "financial constraints on [local] authorities that have impacted on their ability to move forward towards durable solutions."

He was questioning the "funding shortfalls" and the "waning" attention given by the national government to the IDPs.

He also noted the lack of transparency in implementing programs that affect the typhoon victims.

"A common concern expressed to me was the need to increase the level of consultation and information flow to IDPs to ensure that their voices and concerns are heard and included in future planning and their rights respected."

The media focused on Dr Beyani's assessment of the Haiyan recovery efforts which is understandable because of the global significance of the issue. After all, international aid poured in after Haiyan devastated the Visayas region and it is only right to ask authorities about the utilization or non-utilization of these funds.

But Dr Beyani's report on other parts of the country deserves to be given prominence too since it involves the peace process and mining investments. These are issues which the international community should also be aware of.

For example, Dr Beyani described the situation in some parts of Cotabato and Maguinadao as a "forgotten crisis".

"For many in this region displacement has become the pattern of life," he wrote.

In South Cotabato, he learned that some leaders and members of the indigenous communities have been killed over the past years reportedly due to their anti-mining activities.

In Davao, he met Lumad leaders who cited the presence of paramilitary groups as the major factor that "creates anxiety" among indigenous communities.

Dr Beyani offered some concrete recommendations. He proposed the building of permanent housing for IDPs in Zamboanga, including the delivery of livelihood assistance to displaced fisherfolk. He also endorsed the passage of a law protecting the rights of IDPs which was vetoed by the president in 2013. He noted that the failure to enact the draft law "sends a wrong signal about the commitment of the government" to ensuring the rights of IDPs.

Reacting to Dr Beyani's report, the presidential spokesman assured the UN expert that more funds have been allotted by the government to fast track the rehabilitation of Haiyan-affected areas.

Meanwhile, the country's vice president and opposition leader mentioned the UN report as an indicator of the incompetence of the ruling party.

Human rights group Karapatan asserted the immediate pull-out of government troops in mining communities and other ancestral domains of indigenous peoples.

Dr Beyani will deliver his complete report next year. His concluding words should alert Philippine policymakers and other concerned stakeholders about the need to protect the country's IDPs and indigenous populations: "Displacement, whether due to conflict or development, not only destroys the homes and livelihoods of indigenous peoples, but has an incalculable impact on their cultures and ways of life that are part of the rich and diverse heritage of the Philippines that must be protected or otherwise lost, perhaps forever."

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Philippines Must Protect Internally Displaced Persons, Warns UN Expert

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A few days after Philippine President Benigno Aquino III enumerated the achievements of his government during his final state of the nation address, a UN expert issued a report which highlighted the deplorable conditions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in various parts of the country.

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Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre - The Philippines

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Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre - The Philippines

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A website that provides information and articles on the situation for displaced persons in the Philippines

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Displaced Persons: a threat to internal security

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Displaced Persons: a threat to internal security

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"Secure in Insecurity: The case of threat perception/acceptance in the Philippines" by Amador IV Peleo

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"Secure in Insecurity: The case of threat perception/acceptance in the Philippines" by Amador IV Peleo

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The discussion in this article focuses on whether the Philippine government is looking to secure long-term stabilisation or whether its security policies are more immediate in nature.

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"The Philippines: how much real democracy?" by Björn Dressel

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"The Philippines: how much real democracy?" by Björn Dressel

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An article that questions the stability of democracy in the Philippines and brings into question the threat that the government actually poses to the solidification of democracy.

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"It's All the Rage: Popular Uprisings and Philippine Democracy" by Dante B. Gatmaytan

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"It's All the Rage: Popular Uprisings and Philippine Democracy" by Dante B. Gatmaytan

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A piece that discusses the concept of 'people power' that ousted the authoritarian leader, Ferdinand Marcos, but which has now led to new forms of threat to the state.

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"The Philippine Response to Terrorism" by Alexander P. Aguirre

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"The Philippine Response to Terrorism" by Alexander P. Aguirre

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This document slightly differs from others in that it takes a much more supportive approach to the methods employed by the Philippine government to combat the threat of terrorism in the Philippines.

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The democratic condition in the Philippines: weak or strong?

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The democratic condition in the Philippines: weak or strong?

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"The Communist Insurgency in the Philippines: Tactics and Talks" compiled by The International Crisis Group

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"The Communist Insurgency in the Philippines: Tactics and Talks" compiled by The International Crisis Group

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An overview report of the Communist Party's history and impact on the Philippines

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"A Conflicted Land: Rebellions, Wars and Insurgencies in the Philippines"

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"A Conflicted Land: Rebellions, Wars and Insurgencies in the Philippines"

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Overview of the recent conflict-heavy history of the Philippines

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FRONTLINE/WORLD . Philippines - Islands Under Siege . A Conflicted Land: Rebellions, Wars and Insurgencies in the Philippines - 1898-1933: America's Colony | PBS

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To run America's new possession, President McKinley implemented a policy of "benevolent assimilation," under which the United States would control the Philippines temporarily while it oversaw the transition to self-rule and independence. The colonial administration, headed by future president William H. Taft, set up local governmental bodies and a system of universal public education.

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"The Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos"

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"The Philippines under Ferdinand Marcos"

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A history of the Philippines under the authoritarian regime of Marcos.

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"The Philippine economy is powering into 2015" by Gilbert M. Llanto, East Asia Forum

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"The Philippine economy is powering into 2015" by Gilbert M. Llanto, East Asia Forum

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A brief article on the state of the economy today.

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Author: Gilberto M. Llanto, PIDS

The Philippines never had it so good. But with a slowing global economy and an election coming up in 2016, what can it expect from the future?

The economy has been performing creditably. GDP grew at an average of 5.9 per cent over the last three years amid a lingering global economic slowdown and natural disasters. The economy has outperformed most ASEAN countries in the past few years and will be a major player in the envisaged ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). However, the official growth target of 6.5-7.5 per cent for 2014 has been revised downward to 6-7 per cent following government underspending, weak performance of agriculture and the impact of natural disasters. The ADB has also lowered its GDP forecast to 6 per cent.

The government expects a rebound to a 7-8 per cent growth rate in 2015, which is expected to be maintained until the end of the current administration's term in 2016. This bold forecast seems based on strong fundamentals: a stable macroeconomic framework (a regime of low inflation and larger fiscal space), continued rise in remittances from Filipino workers overseas (around US$23 billion in 2013), a resurgent manufacturing sector and well-performing service sector, a consistent build-up of foreign exchange reserves (currently at US$79.8 billion) and credit rating upgrades from international credit rating agencies.

Yet there are some potential troubles - external and internal - looming on the horizon that could, if not properly managed, spoil this impressive performance and dampen future growth prospects. The economy is becoming more integrated into the global and regional economies, so weaknesses in major trading partners will impact on domestic growth prospects. Trade is largest with East Asia (51 per cent of total value exports and 39 per cent of total value of imports) and ASEAN (16 and 22 per cent of exports and imports respectively).

But last year, Japan could not seem to find the formula for reigniting growth while the powerhouse Chinese economy showed signs of slowing. The proposed AEC offers prospects of a large trading and investment market, but it has yet to be established. ASEAN is an important cog in East Asian trade and investment, but is also affected by weaknesses in East Asian economies. The European Union and the US also continue to be important trading partners. But while the US shows signs of (albeit weak) recovery, the Eurozone continues to falter.

Given these headwinds, Philippine policymaking has to be nimble, astute and efficient to take advantage of emerging opportunities in a very dynamic region. The government should spend its remaining political capital on pursuing difficult reforms - covering trade facilitation, competition policy and regulatory frameworks. It should focus on creating a competitive business environment and bringing down the cost of doing business. Previous reforms have paid off: the country's ranking has risen in various indicators (on competitiveness and reduced cost of doing business) but stronger action is needed to really make the Philippines a preferred investment destination.

An important internal factor is the issue of who succeeds the current president, who will end his term of office in the middle of 2016. The Constitution bars an incumbent president from seeking re-election. The market has responded favourably to President Aquino's drive for transparency, elimination of corruption and good governance. Will the same (if not stronger) commitment to good governance, policy and regulatory frameworks be assured by the succeeding administration? The challenge for voters is select a leader who will not flinch at difficult reforms.

There will be plenty of populist contenders in the political sphere who could put political expediency over difficult policy and institutional reforms. This poses a danger to the economy because Philippine politics is personalised and opportunistic. Voters vote not on issues but rather on the personal qualities and promises made by political entrepreneurs. The electorate, the majority of whom are poo r and less educated, is vigilant but it needs to be better informed and educated if it is to hold governments to account.

Fortunately, the taste of growth driven by reforms in governance and policy has aroused an appetite for broadly-shared prosperity and has engendered a growing support for more policy reforms. A rising middle class empowered by continuing cash remittances and returning overseas Filipino workers (who have experienced living in functioning societies abroad) could constitute the swing vote for a leader with the best interest of the country in mind. We can only hope.
Gilberto M. Llanto is President of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

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The Philippine economy is powering into 2015

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Author: Gilberto M. Llanto, PIDS The Philippines never had it so good. But with a slowing global economy and an election coming up in 2016, what can it expect from the future? The economy has been performing creditably. GDP grew at an average of 5.9 per cent over the last three years amid a lingering global economic slowdown and natural disasters.

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"The Philippines: Internal and External Security Challenges" by Zachary Abuza

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"The Philippines: Internal and External Security Challenges" by Zachary Abuza

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A general overview of the Philippines security issues, including an entire section on the internal security threats.

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"The Southern Philippines in 2013: One Step Forward, One Step Back" by Bryony Lau

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"The Southern Philippines in 2013: One Step Forward, One Step Back" by Bryony Lau

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After a peace deal in 2012 between the Philippines government and MILF, have conditions improved? This is the premise of this article.

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Project MUSE - The Southern Philippines in 2013: One Step Forward, One Step Back

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The peace process in the southern Philippines is making progress after a banner year in 2012, in which the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government signed a peace pact a decade-and-a-half in the making.

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"Assessing the Abu Sayyaf Group's Strategic and Learning Capacities" by Luke M. Gerdes et al

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"Assessing the Abu Sayyaf Group's Strategic and Learning Capacities" by Luke M. Gerdes et al

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An assessment on the capacity of the ASG to grow and develop into a greater terrorist threat

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From top left, running clockwise...

MILF Flag

MNLF Flag

National Flag of the Philippines

Flag of Jihad (now associated with the ASG)

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A list of acronyms relevant to the Philippines

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A list of acronyms relevant to the Philippines

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MILF - Moro Islamic Liberation Front

MNLF - Moro National Liberation Front

ASG - Abu Sayyaf Group

NPA - New People's Army

CPP - Communist Party of the Philippines

NDF - National Democratic Front

VFA - Visiting Forces Agreement

AFP - Armed Forces of the Philippines

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"Balik-Terrorism: The Return of the Abu Sayyaf" by Zachary Abuza

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"Balik-Terrorism: The Return of the Abu Sayyaf" by Zachary Abuza

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A detailed overview of the entire threat Abu Sayyaf poses to the Philippines and its internal security. Draws connections between the ASG and MILF. Provides policy recommendations as well the implications for Philippines security.

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"Terrorism in Southeast Asia" by Bruce Vaughn et al

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"Terrorism in Southeast Asia" by Bruce Vaughn et al

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An assessment on the state of terrorism in southeast Asia with a section dedicated to the Philippines. Focus lies on MILF, however sections are also dedicated to the CCP and the ASG

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"Abu Sayyaf: The Father of the Swordsman" - by Garret Atkinson

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"Abu Sayyaf: The Father of the Swordsman" - by Garret Atkinson

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A review of the the rise of the Islamic insurgency in the southern Philippines

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"A Brief History of Abu Sayyaf" by Christopher Shay, Time Magazine

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"A Brief History of Abu Sayyaf" by Christopher Shay, Time Magazine

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An American perspective on the Philippine terrorist organisation

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Ryan Anson / Zuma Press

A small band of U.S. and Philippine soldiers were on their way to pick up supplies for a local school on the southern Philippine island of Jolo on Sept. 29 when their vehicle rolled over a land mine. The blast killed two U.S. soldiers and one Filipino marine, and though authorities are still investigating the incident, analysts immediately pointed the finger at the militant Islamic separatist group Abu Sayyaf known to be active in the area.

Much to the frustration of military advisers who want them in bigger conflict zones, the U.S. military keeps a small number of highly skilled soldiers in the southern Philippines to help train local troops in their ongoing fight against Abu Sayyaf, which the U.S. State Department believes has only between 200 and 500 active members today. The Philippine military told a reporter that the U.S. troops in the Sept. 29 incident were not involved in any combat operations but "were just there to help in building a school." The deaths were the first U.S. military casualties to occur in the Philippines since 2002, when a bomb, most likely planted by Abu Sayyaf, exploded in a bar on the island of Mindanao, killing one American soldier.

Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, a former Filipino Islamic scholar who battled the Soviets in Afghanistan in the 1980s, founded the fundamentalist Abu Sayyaf in 1991, splitting from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) — a more mainstream Islamic political organization fighting for increased autonomy for Muslims in the southern Philippines — after the MNLF engaged in peace talks with the government.

Abu Sayyaf has always said it is fighting for an independent Islamic nation in the southern Philippines, but during the late 1990s, the movement began to show cracks, and members started behaving more like a gang of well-armed bandits driven by greed, not creed. Since about 2002, however, the extremist group has been reverting to its original separatist goals, and its bombings and assassination attempts have increased accordingly.

In the early 1990s, Osama bin Laden's brother-in-law funneled money into Abu Sayyaf through a fake Islamic charity in the Philippines. Abu Sayyaf, which means "barrier of the sword," carried out its first attack in 1991, killing two American evangelists with grenades on the southern island of Mindanao. As the 1990s unfolded, the group's body count in Mindanao steadily rose. In 1994 the Philippine army blamed Abu Sayyaf for a series of bombings in the Philippine city of Zamboanga that killed 71. The following year, Abu Sayyaf raided the town of Ipil, leaving 53 dead, and in 1998 a grenade attack on a department store injured 60.

But after its leader, Abdurajak Abubakar Janjalani, was killed in a gun battle with police in 1998, the militant group changed course, stopping its bomb attacks and kidnapping potentially rich foreigners for ransom money to fund operations and gain support from local communities. In 2000 the group kidnapped 21 people — 19 of whom were foreigners — in Malaysia, 50 students and teachers from two schools on the island of Basilan, and at least 15 foreign journalists, including one reporter who was kidnapped and released twice.

When Abdurajak's younger brother Khadaffy Janjalani took complete control of the group sometime around 2002, Abu Sayyaf renewed its ideological fervor for independence and refocused its efforts on bombmaking. In 2004 the group took responsibility for the most deadly terrorist attack in the history of the Philippines: the 2004 bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay that killed 116 people. By mid-2005, the Philippine government says Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian terrorist group responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, had trained some 60 members of Abu Sayyaf to make bigger, better explosives. Two Jemaah Islamiyah bombmakers connected with the Bali bombings are still believed to be working with Abu Sayyaf.

Abu Sayyaf appeared, however, to lose ground after the army launched a major offensive against the organization in August 2006. Shortly thereafter, Khadaffy Janjalani and two other high-ranking Abu Sayyaf leaders with important connections to funding in the Middle East were killed. According to one analyst, Abu Sayyaf is running low on funds, and no new leader has come forward to unite the disgruntled factions within the group. And once again, Abu Sayyaf is back to kidnapping for ransom money as a means of funding its operations. In January, the group held three Red Cross workers hostage, and analysts suspect they were released only after large ransoms were paid.

Since 2001, when an American citizen was beheaded, about 600 U.S. special forces have rotated in and out of the southern Philippines to train the Philippine armed forces. But after eight years of U.S. training and hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and military assistance, the Philippine government still has not defeated the relatively small separatist group, and since 2007 progress seems to have stalled. The U.S. military presence in the Philippines has long been a contentious issue. Recently, Philippine senators have urged President Gloria Arroyo to renegotiate the agreement that allows U.S. troops on Philippine soil, and the deaths of two U.S. soldiers will surely incite more debate. The Sept. 29 deaths, though, demonstrate that one thing is certain: Abu Sayyaf is still a dangerous, desperate terrorist group.

See TIME's Pictures of the Week.

See the Cartoons of the Week.

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Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com

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A small band of U.S. and Philippine soldiers were on their way to pick up supplies for a local school on the southern Philippine island of Jolo on Sept. 29 when their vehicle rolled over a land mine. The blast killed two U.S.

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"The Abu Sayyaf Group: From Mere Banditry to Genuine Terrorism" by Rommel C. Ban

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"The Abu Sayyaf Group: From Mere Banditry to Genuine Terrorism" by Rommel C. Ban

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An overview of the Abu Sayyaf group and their development in the Philippines. Includes their recent history and the growth from a criminal group to a classified terrorist group responsible for the one of the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines history.

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"Senior Abu Sayyaf leader swears oath to ISIS" - by Maria A. Ressa

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"Senior Abu Sayyaf leader swears oath to ISIS" - by Maria A. Ressa

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A short news article on the recent commitment by Abu Sayyaf to expand its recruiting strategies online and towards the Philippines and Indonesia

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MANILA, Philippines - The Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIS or the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq or ISIS, is expanding its recruitment on social media in the Philippines.

On July 23, a video of senior Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon along with masked men was posted on YouTube. Hapilon carries a reward of up to $5 million from the US Rewards for Justice Program. He was indicted in the District of Columbia for "terrorist acts against United States nationals and other foreign nationals." The FBI says he was "the deputy or second in command for the foreign terrorist organization, the Abu Sayyaf."

The propaganda video begins with still photos establishing the notoriety of Hapilon: his encircled photo on posters of most wanted terrorists from the United States, which include al-Qaeda's leaders. Al-Qaeda's symbolic black flag, which is being used by extremist groups in more than 20 countries around the world (including the foreign fighters of ISIS), peppers the opening montage. (Read: Al-Qaeda's black flag seized in ASG camp)

In the video clip that lasts a little more than 6 minutes, Hapilon, wearing a black gown, links arms with men, most of whom hide their faces. Using a combination of his native dialect, Yakan, and Arabic, Hapilon and his men swear allegiance or "bay'ah," an oath, to IS and its head, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

"We pledge bay'ah to Caliph Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Ibrahim Awwad Al-Qurashi Al-Husseini for loyalty and obedience in adversity and comfort," says Hapilon, reading from a sheet of paper. The men, ostensibly members of the Abu Sayyaf, linking arms with him in the video recite the oath after him.

"We pledge to obey him on anything which our hearts desire or not and to value him more than anyone else," Hapilon leads the men. "We will not take any emir other than him unless we see in him any obvious act of disbelief that could be questioned by Allah in the hereafter."

Philippine officials as well as a former member of the Abu Sayyaf verify the identity of Hapilon.

This is not the first time Filipinos have said they joined and/or recruited for ISIS, although it's unclear exactly what that means.

The first known instance of Filipino support on social media for ISIS was posted on July 2. It shows Filipinos in prison, many of whom are members or former members of the Abu Sayyaf, gathering around a black flag and swearing allegiance to ISIS.

Three days later, a second video was posted on Facebook. Claiming to be members of Abu Sayyaf, about a dozen masked men speaking in Arabic said: "Our brothers in Faith, we are your brothers from Ummah Fi'e Sabilillah, the official media of al Harakatul al-Islamiyah [the official name of Abu Sayyaf]. We would like to inform everybody that we sincerely support our mujahideen brothers of ISIS. We are willing to extend to them our right hand when their left hand is lost."

To Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, they said, "'You are to us a replacement of our mother and father.' Our aim is to join you to claim Iraq and As-Sham and to share the Caliphate by the will of Allah." That video was taken down before Filipino authorities could get a copy.

A third video is being investigated by authorities in Southeast Asia. In a mix of languages including Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia and Filipino, the masked men claim to be throwing Filipino support behind ISIS, but at least one investigator says the men could be Indonesians pretending to be Filipinos. The video was uploaded from Indonesia.
Recruiting Indonesians
A day before the video of Isnilon Hapilon was posted, the Islamic State posted an 8-minute video targeting to recruit Indonesians.

The video declares the "good news" that "the Islamic State implements the Sharia of Allah in the entire land" and concludes with a call to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, aka Caliph Ibrahim. (Read: Don't join ISIS, Indonesia's religious affairs minister tells Indonesians)

This is not the first call for recruits from Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population and a once active terrorist network that carried out Southeast Asia's 9/11 and succeeding annual attacks until 2005. (READ: Indonesia's evolving terror networks)

In July, jailed Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, the emir of Jemaah Islamiyah or JI, once al-Qaeda's arm in Southeast Asia, called on his supporters to join ISIS.

JI's goal was to create an Islamic Caliphate through parts of Southeast Asia and Australia. After authorities captured or killed most its top and middle rank leaders, Ba'asyir founded what one anti-terrorism official calls the "reincarnation" of JI, Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid or JAT. (READ: Support ISIS, jailed Indonesian terror leader tells followers)

On June 9, the day ISIS began its march to capture Baghdad, a video of Indonesian men in Syria was posted on YouTube. Speaking in Bahasa Indonesia with snippets of Arabic, they urged Indonesians to join ISIS: "Let us fight in the path of Allah because it is our duty to do jihad in the path of Allah." (READ: Southeast Asian recruits join jihadist ISIS)

Officials in the region say at least 60 Indonesians, 30 Malaysians, 2 Singaporeans and 2 Filipinos have fought or are fighting with ISIS. Analysts say more than 12,000 Muslim extremists travelled to fight in Syria and Iraq in 3 years, more than the 10,000 who fought in Afghanistan in the late 80's, the conflict that gave birth to al-Qaeda.

Authorities fear, like Afghanistan, fighters will bring the radical ideology and terror tactics home. It's certainly brought a global diaspora of extremists together. Take Melbourne-born Musa Cerantonio, an ISIS cheerleader who effectively recruited militants to the ideology through social media.

He was arrested and deported by Philippine authorities after he tweeted that he had joined the fight in Syria and exhorted other Muslims to do the same. Australia, sources say, wanted to expose his lie.

Regardless of that, says Ansyaad Mbai, the head of Indonesia's National Counter-Terrorism Agency, known by its Indonesian acronym, BNPT, social media is potent and, using the "Caliphate" of ISIS, could rejuvenate Southeast Asia's terror networks.

"The names don't matter, and they can change," Mbai told me. "When they say they want an Islamic Caliphate, they are part of the same group with the same ideology."

That ideology is spreading fast on social media, which Mbai called "the new machine to recruit militants." - Rappler.com

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Senior Abu Sayyaf leader swears oath to ISIS

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MANILA, Philippines - The Islamic State (IS), formerly known as ISIS or the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq or ISIS, is expanding its recruitment on social media in the Philippines. On July 23, a video of senior Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon along with masked men was posted on YouTube.

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Abu Sayyaf as had a short, yet tumultuous, history in the Philippines. Starting as a group that was more closely associated with criminal activities, the ASG has grown to be considered one of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world. The ASG has been recognised by the United Nations, United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organisation. Members of the group have also recently demonstrated publicly their sympathy for ISIS.

The following documents are intended to broaden people's understandings on the history and role of the ASG in the Philippines.

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"The Mindanao Conflict in the Philippines: Roots, Costs, and Potential Peace Dividend" by Salvatore Schiavo-Campo and Mary Judd

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"The Mindanao Conflict in the Philippines: Roots, Costs, and Potential Peace Dividend" by Salvatore Schiavo-Campo and Mary Judd

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An overall take on the conflict between the Philippine government and the Moro insurgency movements. Gives a brief insight into the costs of the conflict from an economical, social and governance perspective.

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"Ethnic identity and popular sovereignty: Notes on the Moro struggle in the Philippines" by E. San Juan, Jr

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"Ethnic identity and popular sovereignty: Notes on the Moro struggle in the Philippines" by E. San Juan, Jr

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This piece analyses the recent history of the Moro struggle, from the effects of colonialism on the indigenous population to the ways in which neoliberal ideology as only fomented the southern conflicts in the Philippines.

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"The Moros in the Philippines" by Edward M. Kuder

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"The Moros in the Philippines" by Edward M. Kuder

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This piece is dated but brief, and gives greater insight into the history of the Moro people.

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The Journal of Asian Studies

The Moros are those natives of the Philippines who are Mohammedans. They did not give themselves this name, nor do they use it among themselves; but they recognize it when applied to them by others.

Misnomers are often validated by time or history. The ancient Romans took a small community of the Hellenes for the whole population and called them Greeks. A Mediterranean sailor thought the New World was India and called its people Indians. In extreme western Europe the Christian Iberians, in seven bitter centuries, drove their Mohammedanized Berber cousins back to their native Mauretania, and in the process made Mohammedan a synonym for Moro, or Mauretanian. And so, although the appearance of the Iberians two-fifths of the world around in the extreme fringes of eastern Asia in the 16th Century was a remarkable feat, it was not strange that they called the Mohammedans they found here, Moros.

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The Moros in the Philippines | The Journal of Asian Studies | Cambridge Core

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The Journal of Asian Studies The Moros are those natives of the Philippines who are Mohammedans. They did not give themselves this name, nor do they use it among themselves; but they recognize it when applied to them by others. Misnomers are often validated by time or history.

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"Contesting Land and Identity in the Periphery: The Moro Indigenous People of Southern Philippines" by Myrthena L. Fianza

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"Contesting Land and Identity in the Periphery: The Moro Indigenous People of Southern Philippines" by Myrthena L. Fianza

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This piece focuses on the Moro people and their history and claim in the Mindanao region.

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The Philippine government has fought against numerous insurgent groups in the southern, Mindanao region such as the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The following documents are intended to give greater contextual and analytical information on the threat that the Mindanao region has created for the stability of the Philippines

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The major events in the Philippines history from 1542 to 2015

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1542 - Spanish expedition claims the islands and names them the Philippines after the heir to the Spanish throne.

1896 - Civil and armed campaign for independence from Spanish rule begins.

1898 - Revolutionary forces under Emilio Aguinaldo proclaim independence.

1898 December - During brief Spanish-American War, US Navy destroys Spanish fleet in Manila Bay. Spain cedes Philippines to US, which proclaims military rule.

1899 - Revolutionaries refuse to recognise US takeover, proclaim First Philippine Republic with General Aguinaldo as president, launch armed struggle against US forces known as Philippine-American War.

1901 - Emilio Aguinaldo captured.

1902 - Philippine-American War formally ends as US civil government replaces military rule. Some independence forces fight on until defeat of Moro resistance in south in 1913.

Mount Mayon

Mount Mayon volcano, with its near-perfect cone, is active
Living in the shadow of a volcano Invasion and occupation
1907 - Elected Philippine assembly inaugurated under US rule. 1916 - US government promises Philippines greater autonomy, leading to independence.

1935 - A plebiscite approves establishment of Commonwealth of Philippines. Manuel Quezon is its first president. Philippines promised full independence within 10 years.

1941 - Japan seizes Philippines.

1944 - US forces retake islands.

1946 - Islands granted full independence and renamed Republic of the Philippines.

1947 - The US is awarded military bases on the islands.

Ex-president Ferdinand Marcos

Marcos amassed an estimated $10bn fortune
Martial law

Born in 1917

Became president in 1965

Fled the country in 1986

Died in Hawaii in 1989

Manila awarded Marcos millions 1986: Filipino coup leaders tell Marcos to go
1951 - Peace treaty signed with Japan. The Philippines eventually receive $800m in reparations payments.

1965 - Ferdinand Marcos becomes president.

1969 - Marcos re-elected amidst allegations of electoral fraud. Supports US policy in Vietnam. Muslim separatists in south begin guerrilla war.
"People power"
1972 - Marcos declares martial law. Parliament suspended, opposition politicians arrested, censorship imposed.

1973 - New constitution gives Marcos absolute powers.

Fallen hero

Joseph Estrada: Former film star was ousted in coup
Profile: Joseph Estrada
1977 - Opposition leader Benigno Aquino sentenced to death, but Marcos delays execution.

1980 - Aquino allowed to travel to US for medical treatment.

1981 - Martial law lifted. Marcos wins presidential elections.

1983 - Aquino returns to Philippines, but is shot dead as he leaves plane amid suspicions of official military involvement.
Estrada tried
1986 - Presidential elections see Marcos opposed by Aquino's widow Corazon. Marcos declares himself the winner, but Aquino disputes result. Mass protests, dubbed "people power", in Manila see military abandon Marcos, who flees to Hawaii. New government says Marcos looted billions of dollars during his rule.

1989 December - US jets assist Philippine government forces suppress attempted coup.

1990 - Military officials convicted of murder of Benigno Aquino.

Conflict in the south Philippines
Guide to the Philippines conflict
1991 - US abandons Clark Air Base after volcanic eruption smothers it with ash.

1992 - Aquino's defence minister Fidel Ramos wins presidency. US closes Subic Bay Naval Station.

1996 - Peace agreement reached with Muslim separatist group, Moro National Liberation Front. Another group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), fights on.

1998 - Former film star Joseph Estrada elected president.

2000 November - Impeachment proceedings start against President Estrada on allegations of corruption, betrayal of public trust, and violation of the constitution.

2001 January - Suspension of impeachment causes mass street protests. Military withdraws support and President Estrada stands down. Vice-President Gloria Arroyo sworn in as president.
Arroyo under pressure
2001 March - MILF declares ceasefire, says ready to hold talks with government.

2001 April - Joseph Estrada is charged with plundering more than $80m from state funds while in office. Eventually found guilty and jailed for life. although he wins pardon.

2002 January - US and Filipino armies hold joint counter-terror exercises take place near stronghold of Al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group.

2002 October - Series of deadly bomb blasts on Manila bus and three locations in Zamboanga city blamed on Islamist militants.

2003 February - Ceasefire between MILF and government breaks down. Planned talks called off in May after rebel attack on Mindanao kills 30 people.

Political killings

2007: students in Quezon city stage a mock massacre in protest against political killings

Report implicated military in deaths of hundreds of activists
Philippines army is 'in denial'Rebel peace accords
2003 July - Government signs another ceasefire with MILF ahead of planned talks in Malaysia.

Army mutiny in Manila as some 300 soldiers seize shopping centre, but surrender peacefully following negotiations.

2004 February - Peace talks between government and Maoist rebel New People's Army start in Norway, but are called off by the rebels in August.

2004 June - Gloria Arroyo wins May's presidential elections.

2005 January - Heavy fighting between troops and MILF rebels breaks July 2003 ceasefire.

Mindanao massacre

The 2009 massacre of 57 people on Mindanao shocked the Philippines
The rise of the Ampatuans Benigno Aquino elected Philippine massacre exposes political underworld
2005 April- Breakthrough achieved on contentious issue of ancestral land achieved at peace talks in Malaysia between government and MILF rebels.

2005 June - Influential Cardinal Jaime Sin, who led the two peaceful revolts that toppled Presidents Marcos and Estrada, dies aged 76.

2006 February - More than 1,000 people are killed by a mudslide which engulfs a village on the central island of Leyte.

President Arroyo declares a week-long state of emergency after the army says it has foiled a planned coup.

2007 January - Death of Abu Sayyaf leader Khaddafy Janjalani in 2006 confirmed.

2007 February - Government report accuses military of being behind the killings of hundreds of mainly left-wing activists since 2001.

2007 November - Renegade soldiers make failed coup bid at luxury hotel in Manila after breaking out of court where they were standing trial for failed 2003 mutiny.

2008 July-August - Government negotiators say they have reached an agreement with MILF rebels on the expansion of a Muslim autonomous region in the south. Deal collapses after Christian communities raise objections and renewed fighting on the southern island of Mindanao leaves at least 30 people dead.

2008 December - Norwegian-brokered peace talks with Maoist guerrillas of the New People's Army (NPA) break down; NPA attacks army patrol on Mindanao.

2009 September - Army announces capture of leading MILF figure Camarudin Hadji Ali.

2009 November - An attack on group of people travelling to file election nomination papers on Mindanao leaves 57 dead. Victims' relatives blame the rival Ampatuan clan.

2009 December - Peace talks between Manila and MILF resume in Malaysia, after breaking down 16 months ago.

2010 February - The army captures Abu Sayyaf leader Mujibar Alih Amon, suspected of a kidnapping raid on a Malaysian resort in 2000 and the killing of Christian missionaries in 2001.

Prosecutors charge 196 more people with murder over the Maguindanao massacre in November, including Andal Ampatuan Snr, a former provincial governor and ally of President Arroyo.

2010 June - Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino becomes president.

2010 September - Andal Ampatuan junior, a member of the powerful Ampatuan clan, goes on trial on charges of organising the Maguindanao mass killings.

2011 February - Manila and Maoist NPA agree to work towards a peace deal by 2012 at talks in Oslo, their first negotiations since the previous round broke down in 2004. Troops arrested prominent NPA member Tirso Alcantara the previous month.

2012 May - Philippines and Chinese naval vessels confront one another off the Scarborough Shoal reef in the South China Sea. Both countries claim the reef, which may have significant reserves of oil and gas.

2012 October - The government signs a framework peace plan with the Muslim rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front, ending a 40-year conflict that has cost an estimated 120,000 lives.

2012 December - Parliament defies the Catholic Church to vote for state-funded contraception, approving a bill that has been debated for 13 years.

2013 February - Armed followers of a self-proclaimed sultan invade Sabah state on Malaysian Borneo, sparking several days of fighting with Malaysian forces. More than 60 people are killed.

2013 May - Major diplomatic row erupts between Taiwan and the Philippines after Filipino coastguards kill a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters.

2013 September - Stand-off between the army and rebel remnants of Moro National Liberation Front in southern city of Zamboanga prompts 75,000 residents to flee.

2013 November - Typhoon Haiyan sweeps across central areas of the country leaving devastation and thousands of dead in its wake. A major international aid effort is organised to help more than four million people affected.

2014 March - The MILF rebel group signs a peace deal with the government that brings an end to one of Asia's longest and deadliest conflicts.

2014 April - Supreme Court approves a birth control law, which requires government health centres to distribute free contraceptives. The bill marks a defeat for the Catholic Church, which campaigned strongly against it.

2015 January - Forty-four police commandos are killed in clashes with Muslim rebels on the southern island of Mindanao, the largest loss of life for the security forces in recent memory.

2015 March - Hundreds of Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines register to vote in 2016 elections under peace deal designed to end four decades of conflict.

2016 June - Populist former mayor Rodrigo Duterte elected president, announces hard-line crackdown on drugs and suggests he might pivot from the US to China.

2016 June - The so-called Islamic State (IS) group acknowledges its operations in the Philippines in an official video, having recognised Isnilon Hapilon, an Abu Sayyaf leader, as "emir" there.

2016 July - Government welcomes the ruling in a case it brought before an international tribunal which concluded that China's claim to much of the resources in the South China Sea had no legal basis.

2017 May - Martial law imposed on the island of Mindanao after fighting erupts between security forces and Islamic State-linked militants of the Maute group and Isnilon Hapilon.

2017 October - Southern city of Marawai declared liberated from jihadist fighters who held it for almost five months.

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1542 - Spanish expedition claims the islands and names them the Philippines after the heir to the Spanish throne. 1896 - Civil and armed campaign for independence from Spanish rule begins. 1898 - Revolutionary forces under Emilio Aguinaldo proclaim independence. 1898 December - During brief Spanish-American War, US Navy destroys Spanish fleet in Manila Bay.

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A general overview of the Philippines modern and pre-modern histories

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History of the Philippines and Filipinos with a timeline of events, a chronological list of Philippine presidents & Vice-Presidents, The evolution of the Philippine Flag, Philippine statistics, old photos of Manila and more.

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A general overview of the Philippines in terms of history, demography, geography and politics.

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Contextual Information on the Philippines                                                                                                                                          

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Contextual Information on the Philippines                                                                                                                                          

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Map of the Regions and Provinces of the Philippines

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Map of the Regions and Provinces of the Philippines

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A political and population map of the Philippines depicting the regions, provinces and major cities. Note: the southern island of Mindanao, the main focus of internal conflict between the government and the MILF and MNLF insurgency groups