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JOMA, NPA, ASG TOP 'TERRORISTS' LIST—ATC List dubious; Joma‘not bothered (Story on A4)
By Vito Barcelo, Rey E. Requejo and Willie Casas THE Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC) has designated Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison and top National Democratic Front peace consultants Vicente Ladlad, Adelberto Silva, Rafael Baylosis, Wilma Tiamzon, and Benito Tiamzon and the New People’s Army as “terrorists.” Also listed in the ATC resolution are Jorge Madlos, Julieta De Lima Sison, Rey
VICENTE LADLAD
Claro Cera Casambre, Abdias Guadiana, Alan Valera Jazmines, Adelberto Albayalde, Ma. Concepcion Araneta-Bocala, Dionesio Micabolo, Myrna Sularte, Tirso Lagora Alcantara, Pedro Heyrona Codaste, Tomas Dominodo, Ma. Loida Tuzo Magpatoc and Menandro Villanueva. Ten other members of different “local terrorist groups” who are allegedly members of the Abu Sayyaf Group were listed in a separate resolution. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., vice chairman of the ATC, signed Resolution Nos. 16 and 17 dated
RAFAEL BAYLOSIS
Feb. 24, 2021 and April 17, 2021 which were made public yesterday. Esperon said the ATC has also identified 29 individuals designated as “terrorists.” In Resolution No. 16, the top listed terror suspect is Esmael Abdulmalik, belonging to the Islamic State (IS). Also tagged as terrorists in the resolution are nine other individuals affiliated with either the Dawlah Islamiya, Abu Sayyaf Group, or the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. These are Raden Abu,
at all’; peace talks collapse seen
By Maricel V. Cruz
COMMUNIST leader Jose Maria Sison on Thursday dismissed the government’s decision to include him and his wife and the rest of the 19-member central committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines in a list of terrorists. In a statement, Sison said he and his wife Julieta are “not at all bothered” by their designation as terrorists by the AntiTerrorism Council (ATC). Next page “To start with, the list of names in the
JULIETA DE LIMA-SISON
JOMA SISON
BENITO TIAMZON
designation appears to be arbitrary, dubious and even contradictory or inconsistent with the various public and purportedly personal statements even of its own NTF-ELCAC (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict) evil minions,” Sison said in a statement issued from The Netherlands, where he is in self-exile. “Moreover, it includes mostly publicly known political consultants of the NDFP (National Democratic Front of
Next page
WILMA TIAMZON
ADELBERTO SILVA
NCR Plus returns to GCQ
Duterte: Avoid fiestas; ‘heightened restrictions’ take effect May 15 By Joyce Pangco Pañares, Joel E. Zurbano and Willie Casas
WEATHER TS Crising threatens Davao-Surigao area
P
RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte placed Metro Manila and four neighboring provinces comprising the NCR Plus bubble under General Community Quarantine with Heightened Restrictions starting May 15 as he ordered local chief executives to ensure that no fiesta (religious festivity) is held to avoid superspreader events amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Rio N. Araja and Alena Mae S. Flores TROPICAL “Crising” maintained its strength while moving closer toward Davao Oriental-Surigao del Sur area, but was forecast to weaken into a tropical depression while traversing the rugged landmass of Mindanao and emerging over the Sulu Sea on Saturday morning. It will move west-northwestward and is likely to make landfall over the Davao Oriental-Surigao del Sur area between Thursday night and Friday morning. It is forecast to remain a tropical storm prior to landfall and to weaken into a remnant low on Sunday morning after passing Next page over Palawan.
VOL. XXXV • NO. 88• 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
“May is traditionally the month for fiestas. Do not just tone these fiestas down – forego them. God knows we love him... We are just being mindful because we are still in a pandemic and there is no way of knowing how long this will last,” the President said in his address to the public late Thursday evening.
COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE
(AS OF 4 PM MAY13)
1,124,724
• Indoor dining at 20% venue capacity • Bars, cinemas, arcades still not allowed • Normal GCQ: CAR except Ifugao (MECQ) “I will not allow any violation of the guidelines given by the task force, and I will hold LGUs down to the last barangay level – meaning barangay captains – for laws that are not being enforced. If you want this country to recover from Next page
TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES
6,385 55,260
EID MUBARAK! Members of
the Muslim community maintain social distancing and strictly observe health protocols as they flock to the Golden Mosque in Quiapo, Manila during the celebration of Eid'l Fitr or the end of the holy month of Ramadan on Thursday. Norman Cruz
ACTIVE
18,821
107
1,050,643
4,289
NEW
DEATHS
RECOVERIES
GIFT FROM THE PHILIPPINES. This photo taken on
NEW
LOCAL ROUNDUP
May 12, 2021 shows Pope Francis wearing a hat given by Filipino devotee as he arrives at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican to resume his weekly outdoors general audience with the public after a six-month absence due to the novel coronavirus crisis. AFP
Roque insists on tackling WPS By Rey E. Requejo and Joel E. Zurbano
pine Sea, even though he was dressed down by Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and several senators for saying that the Julian Felipe (Whitsun) PRESIDENTIAL spokesman Harry Reef was not inside the Philippines’ exRoque on Thursday said he would clusive economic zone (EEZ). continue speaking on the West PhilipNext page
OFWs on alert amid Gaza conflict A picture taken on May 13, 2021 shows a ball of fire engulfing the Al-Walid building which was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza city early in the morning. The Israeli army has launched hundreds of air strikes on the Gaza Strip since the begining of the week, while Palestinian militants have launched more than 1,200 rockets, according to Israel's army, in some of the worst violence in seven years in the area. AFP
NEW
THE Philippines is ready to facilitate emergency repatriation of Filipinos from Israel amid the heaviest fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, Malacañang said Thursday. In a virtual presser, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque called the
Philippine Embassy in Israel and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) “experts” in ensuring the safety of Filipinos amid the latest escalation of violence in Gaza and Jerusalem. “So we are preparing for Filipinos’ Next page
• P75-b vaccines for teens, adults • Razon's Moderna • Rollout revved By Julito G. Rada and Willie Casas FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on Thursday said the government would likely need around P75 billion to purchase vaccines for approximately 15 million teenagers and 70 million adults in the country. "With the announcement that some countries will inoculate teenagers and the expectation that we eventually will follow suit, we are anticipating an additional expenditure of about P20 billion to vaccinate the approximately 15 million kids age 12 to 17," Dominguez said in a message to reporters. Next page