Bohol celebrates heroism a year after foiled Abu attack

I was in Panglao when media friends --Ric Obedendio and Dave Charles Responte-- informed me about the clash in Inabanga  town on April 11, 2017. When I told them I was interested to cover it, they fetched me in Panglao and rushed to the battlefield. At 10:30 a.m., we arrived in Barangay Napo. We met residents fleeing their homes from barangays Napo, Calenti and Banahao who were scared of being hit as bombs were being dropped. Other media friends from Bohol (Mike Ligalig and Chito Visarra) and Cebu arrived later in the afternoon. 

Kids at the top of military tanks carried

 placards on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, during

 first commemoration of the Bohol clash, when 

11 members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) entered

 Bohol province and never made it out.  Leo Udtohan

The following day, other media friends Allen Doydora, Ern Pahayahay and Helen Castaño joined us in the battlefield.  When we were told that some ASG members were still hiding, we ran looking for shelter.   A resident gave us water to drink to sustain.

Your media friends reported the clash and what followed.  We thanked our “foster families” in Clarin and Pangangan Island in Calape town for converting their houses  into a “media center,” until the last two remaining ASG members were killed.

After one year, the incident was still fresh.  It was a day to remember that the ASG landed in Bohol and never made it out.

***

Officials of the Bohol provincial government chose to commemorate, instead of forget, the attempt of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) last year to establish a base in Inabanga town last Wednesday, April 11.

The clash killed three Army soldiers, a policeman and two civilians, and displaced hundreds of families during the firefight that lasted for a month and spanned three towns.

Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto explained they were celebrating, not the entry of the Abu Sayyaf, but the heroism shown by the government troops who were relentless in hunting down the bandit group until all 11 were killed as well as the community involvement that enabled authorities to learn about their entry.

The switch-on ceremony of the road project 

that links Barangays Datag to Napo, Inabanga town

 and Libertad to Tan-wan in Tubigon town led by 

Acting Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. It was also 

witnessed by Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto, Inabanga 

Mayor Josephine Socorro Jumamoy and other officials.  

Leo Udtohan

“We are celebrating the positive value of heroism that was showcased because of that challenge. It is something worth remembering. It is something worth celebrating,” said Chatto.

Chatto led the ceremony that commemorated the first anniversary of the attempt of the bandit group to establish a base in Inabanga where they planned to launch kidnapping and terrorism activities in nearby provinces.

Members of the Inabanga Theatre Group held a dance drama that reenacted the events of April 11, 2017 when 11 men on board three kumpits (two-engine motorboats) arrived in Barangay Napo, Inabanga.

The children saw the group who were led by Napo native, Joselito Melloria as well as high-powered firearms with “bullets as big as corn ears.” They told their parents who then passed the information to the village officials who then told the police.

Combined forces of the police and Army arrived and a firefight ensued –something that was not seen in Bohol despite the presence of communist insurgents in some towns. Residents of Napo and nearby villages fled as the Philippine Air Force dropped bombs to flush out the bandits who were in hiding.

Four ASG members including bomb expert Abu Rami were killed during the initial assault. But also killed were three soldiers and one policeman and two civilians. The seven others fled to nearby Clarin town where Melloria was later killed.

At the height of Clarin clash, law enforcers arrested Supt. Ma. Cristina Nobleza and her husband Abu Sayyaf bomber Reenor Lou Dungon, Judith Dungon and a minor who allegedly tried to rescue the remaining Abu Sayyaf members.

Hunger prompted Abu Saad to surrender in Tubigon town but was killed by police after he allegedly tried to escape from prison.

The last two ASG members- Ubayda and Asis were killed in a firefight in Calape town on May 15, 2017, which ended the month-long operation.

The three kumpits used by the bandits as well as the military tanks and weapons used by the government troops were on display in a one-day exhibit outside the municipal gymnasium in Inabanga last Wednesday.

Also launched during the commemoration was SAFE Bohol (Security Always for Everyone: Boholano Bayanihan), a movement inspired by the community involvement that led to the discovery of the Abu Sayyaf 

Reporting from the battlefield- (l-r) Ric Obedencio
 (The Freeman/PhilStar), Dave Charles Responte
(dyTR)   Ern Pahayahay (dyTR), Allen Doydora
 (dyRD) and Helen Castaño in Barangay Napo
 in Inabanga town on April 12, 2017.   Leo Udtohan

presence in Inabanga.

PO2 Rey Anthony Nazareno, 2nd Lieutenant Espelito Saldua, Jr, Corporal Meljun Cajaban, Sergeant John Dexter Duero who perished during the clash were also remembered and honored.

 Acting Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, who was the guest of honor, said the vigilance of Boholano community and the military’s tough and focused stance were the reasons why the Abu Sayyaf didn't succeed.

“Dito sa Inabanga is one ideal example on how the government, the NGOS (nongovernment organizations), the local government enforcement agencies, law enforcement agencies and local populace worked together and defeated the Abu Sayyaf threat,” said Año.

Part of the activities on Wednesday was the launching of the road project that links Barangays Datag to Napo, Inabanga town and Libertad to Tan-wan in Tubigon town.

 For so long time, Barangay Napo in Inabanga has been isolated because there is no access road that connects it to any existing road. It can only be reached by boat through the Inabanga river or on foot passing through mountainous trails.

Chatto said that with the assistance of Año, it is hoped that this project can be completed that will give positive impact to the communities in the said barangays.

***

Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.

ASG wiped out in Bohol

ASG wiped out in Bohol

The day the Abu Sayyaf landed in Bohol and never made it out

CALAPE— Sleep has come easy for Alexander Cuabo and his family now that the two remaining members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) are dead.

“We can sleep well now because all ASG members have been neutralized,” said Cuabo, 57, and a resident of Barangay Looc, Pangangan Island, Calape town.

Fishermen went fishing on Tuesday morning, a day after the killing of the two remaining bandits. Some residents went to the beach to swim.

Life on the island of Pangangan has slowly returned to normal following the death of Abu Ubayda and Alias Asis, the last of the 11 Abu Sayyaf members who tried to enter Bohol through Barangay Napo in Inabanga town on April 10.

Soldiers combing the five-hectare mangrove swamps on Pangangan Island 

in Calape where the two remnants of the Abu Sayyaf Group 

hid before they were killed.  Leo Udtohan

The two were killed in a shootout with the police on May 15 after surviving two separate clashes with government troops on April 11 and April 22 that killed seven of their colleagues including leader Abu Rami and their local guide, sub-leader Joselito Melloria.

“Life on the island is back to normal although the presence of the police there remains. We still conduct police visibility and mobile patrol,” said Senior Inspector Cresente Gurrea, Calape police chief.

Cuabo said he and his neighbors used to stay awake at night after they learned that the two Abu Sayyaf members reached their island by stealing a paddle boat.

They were afraid that the bandit group might hostage them out of desperation since the government troops were hot on their trail.

Even their fiesta last week was affected, said Cuabo.

“The fiesta was so quiet. It was better to kill a snake because it would create a little noise,” said Cuabo.

Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto said it was the residents’ vigilance that enabled authorities to track down the bandits and neutralize them.

“We laud our people’s vigilance in providing information to our law enforcement authorities without which tracking of the bandits would have been very difficult,” Chatto said.

Brig. Gen. Arnulfo Matanguihan, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, said Bohol is now cleared of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits.

“This crisis is finally over,” said Matanguihan. “Now, we can finally say that nothing was left of the terrorists who went to Bohol,” he added.

Survival

Alias Ubayda and Alias Asis were spotted on May 8 in Barangay Candungao, a hinterland village in San Isidro town, at least 17 km from Barangay Tanawan in Tubigon town.

The two were hiding in the forests and thick vegetation of San Isidro.

According to Capt. Jojo Mascariñas, spokesman of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, they were able to survive in the forest of Bohol which is abundant with coconut trees and other edible fruits.

But he added they had difficulty getting out of the province because they didn’t know Bohol’s topography.

“They just kept on avoiding the people and would go where their feet would take them,” he added.

The hinterlands of Clarin, Tubigon and Inabanga has a lot of coconuts, bananas and several fruit-bearing trees that could provide food for the stragglers.

They could drink water from the springs and rivers in the areas.

Mascariñas said Kiram survived by eating coconut meat for many days.

“Our body can survive as long as there is water and food that contains sugar,” he added.

‘Kastila Cave’

The "Kastila Cave" in Barangay Kahayag in Pangangan 

Island in Calape town, #Bohol where the the last two 

remnants of the Abu Sayyaf-Alias Ubayda and Alias Asis -hid 

for five days before they were killed on Monday. Leo Udtohan

Early morning on May 11,   several island residents spotted the two men paddling a stolen boat from Sitio Abucayan in Barangay Liboron, still in Calape.

The villagers immediately reported the sightings to authorities.

Checkpoints were set up the following day in the seven barangays on Pangangan Island.

By the crack of dawn on Friday, government troops were already seen on the island’s Barangays Kahayag and Lawis.

Rubber boats from the Philippine Navy roved the waters surrounding the island while helicopters hovered at night to prevent the ASG members’ escape.

The bandits were believed to hide in a mangrove forest preserve connected by a four-kilometer causeway to mainland Calape town.

At around 7 a.m. on May 11, Hilario “Baludoy” Toloy, 76, and his 12-year-old son went near the mangroves to look for seashells in Barangay Kahayag, Pangangan Island.

Little did they know that Abu Ubayda and Alias Asis were hiding in a small cave called “Kastila Cave” which was covered by mangrove trees.

The father and son were held hostage by the bandits who asked for food because they were starving.

To ensure that Toloy would return after going home to get rice and “inun-unan” (fish stewed in vinegar), the bandits kept his son.

At home, Toloy told his wife about what had just happened.

His wife then reported the matter to the village chief and authorities while Toloy returned to the bandits.

After Ubayda and Asis finished eating, the Toloys were released.

Authorities later found near the cave four coconuts, a string, pieces of small wood and jackets — believed to be owned by the bandits.

Meanwhile, the two fled to Barangay Lomboy where Asis reportedly commandeered a motorcycle.

While traveling, the bandits were flagged down at a security checkpoint. The two turned around and were chased by government troops.

They then split up.

Ubayda, who was armed with an M-16 rifle, tried to go back to the mangrove forest but was met by a 70-year-old man identified only as Lolo Peryong who was cleaning his yard.

Gurrea said that instead of running away, the elderly took his bolo and tried to attack Ubayda.

But Peryong was overpowered by the much younger Ubayda who slashed the farmer with his own bolo and hit him with the rifle.

Peryong was rushed to a hospital while Ubayda was killed moments later after he was cornered by government troops who repeatedly shot him in the head, ripping off his face.

The military confirmed that the fatality was Ubayda because of his wedding ring where the name of his wife was engraved.

A few hours later, Asis was killed at least 200 meters from where Ubayda lay dead.

At about 10 a.m. on May 12, Ubayda and Asis, like their ASG comrades slain in Inabanga and Clarin towns, were buried without a ceremony outside the Calape Municipal Cemetery in keeping with the Islam tradition of burying the dead within 24 hours of their death.

Incidentally, their burial site is just a few meters away from where Special Weapons and Tactics operative PO2 Rey Anthony Nazareno was laid to rest.

Nazareno was among the four government troops who were killed in the encounter in Barangay Napo, Inabanga.

T I M E L I N E

APRIL 10, 2017- 11 Abu Sayyaf members including their sub-leader Joselito Melloria slipped into Bohol on board three kumpits (two- engine motorboats) in Barangay Napo, Inabanga town, for a kidnapping and terror mission.

APRIL 11, 2017 – A firefight erupted in Inabanga town between the ASG members and government troops and resulted in the killing of four ASG members including bomb expert Abu Rami, three soldiers and one policeman and 2 civilians. Thousands of villagers were displaced. Seven ASG survivors went into hiding. 

April 22, 2017- A firefight in Clarin killed Joselito Melloria and three other members. At the height of Clarin clash, law enforcers arrested Supt. Ma. Cristina Nobleza and her husband  Abu Sayyaf bomber Reenor Lou Dungon, Judith Dungon and a minor. Nobleza and Dungon were in a mission to rescue the remaining ASG members trapped in Bohol.

May 4, 2017-  Samad Saad Kiram o Alyas Kiram was arrested in Barangay Tanawan in Tubigon town.  He came out of hiding to look for food in the village. He was held for tactical investigation, but less than 24 hours after his capture, he was gunned down by police for allegedly trying to escape while being transported to the Bohol District Jail. Kiram’s death is now the subject of an in-depth investigation by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).

May 15, 2017- The last two remaining ASG remnants-Alias Ubayda and Alias Asis were killed in a firefight in Barangay Lawis, Pangangan Island, Calape town. They were hiding for five days inside the “Kastila Cave” covered by mangrove trees until they accosted a resident ad held his son hostage in exchange for food.

***

Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.

Bohol Clashes/A War in Napo

● Jingle writes ‘Gubat sa Napo’ (A War in Napo)

● We will miss you Maam Zen, so long Nestor

We are caught up in the ongoing crackdown of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the province and the unraveling of Supt. Maria Cristina Nobleza’s ties to the extremist group.

The failure of the bandits to establish a base in Bohol should serve a lesson to the bandit group: They are not safe in Bohol. 

As of yesterday, three ASG stragglers are still in Bohol. However, the lack of community support and vigilance of the residents would make it difficult for the bandit group to sow terror here.

The vigilance of ordinary residents prevented the bandits from implementing their plans when they sailed to Bohol from their base in Jolo.

Children reported the presence of armed men with ammunition as “big as corn ears” in Barangay Napo, Inabanga town on April 10 and alerted the government troops who chased them down, killing three members including their leader Abu Rami.

The quick-thinking of a habal-habal driver helped the government troops locate the remaining members in nearby Clarin town and killed four others, including sub-leader and Napo native Joselito Melloria who guided the group to his hometown.

The poem, “Gubat sa Napo” (War in Napo) written by James “Jingle” Lofranco Tripoli, who hails from Tubigon town, resonated with netizens, too, many of whom shared it on their Facebook pages.

Jingle writes poem once a week for station dyLA in Cebu City, also managed by Jhunnex Napallacan, also a Boholano from Maribojoc town.

“I was inspired to make another poem that summarizes the unexpected terror event in a peaceful and calm province of Bohol to remember those people who were directly affected of the war most especially to our brothers who sacrifices their lives just to protect the Bol-anons from the bandits,” said Jingle.

He said he didn’t expect that his poem “Gubat sa Napo” has caught the attention of the netizens especially those living abroad who keep on worrying about the safety of their loved ones.

“I feel happy everytime people appreciate my poem that makes them relax rather than on worrying. In my own little way of writing the poem, I was able to help to ease the pain, worries and sadness they feel, “ said Jingle.

GUBAT SA NAPO (A War in Napo)

By James “Jingle” L. Tripoli

Balita nga nikuyanap sa kapupud-an

Katawhan nakurat og nakalitan

Wa damha nga kami ang hidangatan

Kakuyaw nga perti og hilabihan.

Bandido niabot sa barangay Napo

Nga bisan kinsa wala makatuo

Mga tawong armado mahisalaag didto

Nga gikahadlokan sa tanang tawo.

Gadala og ngilngig nga mga armas

Gamiton kuno sa ilang tahas

Nga magmugna og dakong kakuyaw

Sa among probinsya nga anaa sa kalinaw.

Gikatingad-an sa mga silingan

Bag-ong dagway napadpad sa ilang tugkaran

Matod pa bisita sa ilang kababayan

Apan kadudahan ang ilang sakayan.

Matod sa uban kumpit ang ngalan

Sa sakayan nga ilang nakit-an

Apan napalgan sa kagamhanan

Baruto diay ang ilang gisakyan.

Nakaplagan sa kabataan

Mga bala sa bandido gipainitan

Kay nabasa sa ilang pagpadagan

Paingon sa barangay nga ilang giabtan.

Gisumbong sa mga bata

Ang ilang talagsaon nga nakita

Didto sa ilang pinanggang barangay

Nga unta malinawon man sa kanunay.

Gitiktikan sa kasundalohan

Terorista nga ilang kalaban

Nagpang-abot sila sa kabukiran

Ug didto nagsugod ang ilang bakbakan.

Nikalas sa mga bililhong kinabuhi

Army, pulis og sibilyan way pili

Sa giyera ikaw molikay

Ug sa bala maglihay-lihay.

Terorista nakaikyas og nitago

Didto nagpahipi sa mga buho

Gilibutan sila sa kasundalohan

Ug gibantayan ang ilang lutsanan.

Nideklara si Presidente

Nga mohatag og ganti

Sa makatoltol og makasulti

Sa impormasyon nga importante.

Habal-habal driver ang unang nitug-an

Sa lugar nga iyang nahibaw-an

Terorista didto nasigpatan

Nagpangayog tabang sa kabalayan.

Pulis og army maoy niresponde

Nagkaengkwentro sa Brgy. Bacani

Ginukdanay hangtod sa Brgy. Nahawan

Terorista niresulta sa ilang pagtaliwan.

Panid-an ang nahabilin

Nga anaa sa lungsod sa Clarin

Aron kalinaw atong mapupo

Ang gubat nga nagsugod sa Brgy. Napo.

***

We will miss you Maam Zen, Nestor

Our media colleague, Nestor B. Daarol was laid to rest in Dauis town yesterday.  Family, friends and fans gathered to say their final goodbyes to one of Bohol’s prominent broadcasters, after a short but brave fight with cancer.

We have more recollections of happy days with Nestor by friends who will forever miss him and cherish him deep in their hearts. As I’ve been saying, Nestor was a good man, loved by everybody who has said everything that could be said about him.

He was very straightforward, very sure of himself and once you’ve asked for a help—he’s there. When I asked Nestor if he could share his video and photos of news I’d missed, he sent the files right away with no “if’s and but’s.”

He told me once that word of honor was more important to him.

“Dili ta mag-unay og away sa media kay kita raman magtinabangay,” he told me.

And that was how it has been with him all these years.

So long, bai Nestor.

On a sad note, environmental activist, health advocate and visionary-leader Zenaida Darunday passed away on April 9.

Maam Zen paved the way to countless earthkeeping advocacies in Bohol.

Her friends celebrated perhaps less with tears but more with recollection of beautiful memories and anecdotes about this woman about whom nobody could say anything negative.

“You have done your share to advance the cause for a better world in your lifetime,” said community developer Nestor Maniebo Pestelos. “In your passing, we lost a close friend and a committed development worker.”

Another environmental activist Pat Ruiz, “She is an inspiration and a role model. Her legacy is now ours to continue”

Maam Zen was all that — and more.

Several years ago, I told her that I need to interview her about ubi (purple yam) for my story in Inquirer. She told me all about ubi, a healthy energy source with important nutritional benefits- that to my surprise I didn’t have enough space left in my notebook.

When I told her I need to go home to write my story, she told me to use her computer.

“Use it,” she said, while preparing a healthy lunch for me to stay for an hour. Before I went home, she shared to me about homeopathy, an alternative medicine, which I suggested to my friends of Magandang Gabi, Bayan (MGB) on ABS-CBN to feature it. 

She also lent me her camera and taught me the basics of photography. Well, it was an honor since Maam Zen was a photojournalist to several magazines in the United States of America. She spent 20 years of her life in New York where she earned her position as a senior environmental technologist of Shel Oil Company in New York and associate editor of Research Institute of America in New York City.

Maam Zen strongly opposed the controversial "water and power deal.” She also prevented the entry of GMOs here in Bohol, and Bohol is now GMO-free because of her heroic efforts. She played a key role in drafting “The Bohol Environment Code of 1998,” the first of its kind in the Philippines and now being adapted by other provinces; also authored The Bohol Climate Change Primer.

There was a time when I went to see her at Cedar’s to ask why our watery rose apple tree (tambis) was not growing healthy. She told me, “Talk to the tree” for which I did. Miraculously, the tree grew forth and bore fruit.

That was Maam Zen. With her, it was always fresh knowledge and never, never hesitated to share her expertise.  She was that generous, very giving in every way, whether with her time, materials things and friendship.

Two years ago, Maam Zen lent me her book, Alex Loyd’s The Healing Code, a good source of information on how to heal the source of any health and success or relationship issue.

“If you’re done reading it, you can return the book,” she told me. Until now, I still have the book.

Last December, I met Gabby (his driver before). He told me about her failing condition and he asked me to visit her. It didn’t happen.

You will be sorely missed, Maam Zen.

***

Thanks for your letters, all will be answered. Comments welcome at leoudtohan@yahoo.com, follow leoudtohanINQ at Twitter /Facebook.