Thousands rally against Philippine govt-Muslim land deal Aug 4, 2008
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP) - Thousands of people protested in the southern Philippines on Monday against a land deal that could pave the way to peace between the government and Muslim separatist guerrillas. In the southern port city of Zamboanga an estimated 15,000 people, many of them of other faiths, took to the streets expressing their opposition to the accord, due to be signed in Malaysia on Tuesday ... Protesters carrying placards saying "MILF go home" blocked streets around Zamboanga's... (Yahoo! Asia News)
Filipina dreams of countrys first gold medal Aug 3, 2008
Diaz, one of seven children born to a tricycle driver in a poor coastal village near the southern port of Zamboanga, started training out of necessity her family's two-bedroom home has no running tap water ... She discovered the colourful barbell discs at age 11, at a weightlifting gym in Zamboanga run by one of her male cousins a former national champion. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
* Philippine talks with MILF fail Jul 27, 2008
AGENCIES, MANILA AND ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES Sunday, Jul 27, 2008, Page 4. Philippine government attempts to alter the timing of a plebiscite derailed a hoped-for territorial deal with the countrys largest Muslim rebel group and set back, yet again, hopes for peace in the volatile south. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
TVI Pacific Receives Balabag Scoping Study Jul 17, 2008
CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - July 17, 2008) - TVI Pacific Inc. (TSX: - ) or the "Company") announced today that it has received a comprehensive scoping study (prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects) respecting the Balabag epithermal gold project, which is located near the municipalities of Bayog, Zamboanga Del Sur, and Diplahan, Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines ... The tenements covering the Balabag property comprise a Mineral... (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
A Filipino embrace Jul 17, 2008
Reynar Monteclaro, a 21-year-old college graduate from Zamboanga del Norte on the southern island of Mindanao, howled after Arenas signed his plush toy basketball. Monteclaro said he made the cross-country journey to Manila just to see Arenas. (International Herald Tribune)
* Southern Philippine police foil bomb attacks by rebels Jul 8, 2008
The police chief in Zamboanga city, where an ordnance team detonated a powerful bomb on Saturday, said suspects included militants belonging to the Abu Sayyaf group and the MILF, a group engaged in peace talks with the Philippine government ... Security has been tight in Zamboanga, a predominantly Christian city of more than 750,000 people. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Another Transco tower bombed in N. Cotabato Jul 2, 2008
With Queenie Casimiro, ABS-CBN Zamboanga ... ZAMBOANGA CITY The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday confirmed that the suspected Abu Sayyaf member nabbed in Sunshine, Basilan is a minor ... Zamboanga City - The Zamboanga City Mobile Group on Monday intercepted two trucks loaded with around three tons of mineral coal in barangay Boalan. (ABS CBN News)
Hunting Down the Bali Bombers Jul 1, 2008
Congressional staffer voltaire Mahasol was trying to ignore the crowd outside his window in downtown Zamboanga in the far south of the Philippines. Mainly old women and young children, they were waiting for a plane at the Edwin Andrews Air Base across the road, a free flight on the transport being one of the perks for relatives of military personnel. (Time.com)
Sunken ferry abandoned at noon Saturday Jun 23, 2008
Philippine Navy rubber boat is pictured leaving a house after rescuing stranded residents at a farming village near Zamboanga City, southern Philippines June 21, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo). (Xinhuanet, China)
* Kidnapped TV host claims she was betrayed Jun 19, 2008
AFP, ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES Thursday, Jun 19, 2008, Page 5. A television presenter freed after being held hostage nine days by Muslim militants in the Philippines said yesterday that she was betrayed by someone who delivered her to the kidnappers. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Philippine TV crew released Jun 18, 2008
The group were to undergo medical examination and debriefing in Zamboanga city before being flown to Manila, Avelino Razon, the Philippines national police chief, said. ABS-CBN in a statement said: "We cannot wait to bring them home.". (Aljazeera.Net)
Asian gains seen in terror fight Jun 9, 2008
More than 500 American personnel, including experts from the military Special Operations Forces, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency and the Agency for International Development, are training and working with Philippine counterterrorism forces from a base in Zamboanga, a city in Mindanao. The Pentagon recently awarded the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia a total of $27 million in coastal surveillance stations equipped with special radar, heat-detecting cameras... (International Herald Tribune)
* Bomb kills three outside Philippine air force base May 30, 2008
AFP, ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES Friday, May 30, 2008, Page 5 ... The blast struck soldiers and their families waiting near the main gates of the Edwin Andrews air base in Zamboanga, said Colonel Darwin Guerra, a senior counterterrorist commander ... Zamboanga has been the target of numerous bomb attacks in recent years carried out by Muslim extremist groups or criminal gangs. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Bomb kills 2 near Philippine air base May 29, 2008
Police chief: Bomb goes off outside Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga city ... Al Qaeda-linked militants have targeted Zamboanga in the past ... The cell phone-detonated bomb was apparently concealed in one of several bags of civilian commuters waiting to hitch a ride on an air force C-130 cargo plane outside Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga city, police Chief Superintendent Jaime Caringal said. (CNN -- World)
Two killed in Philippines blast May 29, 2008
The explosion happened around 1000 (0200 GMT) just outside the Edwin Andrews Air Base in Zamboanga City ... Zamboanga is close to the islands of Jolo and Basilan, where troops are fighting Islamist rebels ... Last month, two small bombs exploded outside a Roman Catholic cathedral and a cafe in Zamboanga City. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
40,000 dengue cases projected in Philippines rainy months May 28, 2008
While there have been no outbreaks of the disease, there have been clusters of cases in the cities of Manila, Davao, Zamboanga, Olongapo and San Fernando, the Philippine Daily Inquirer citing DOH Director Enrique Tayag as saying in a report posted on its website. The health agency earlier reported a 36. (Xinhuanet, China)
* World News Quick Take May 11, 2008
James David Rowe, described as an automotive spare parts businessman, had been staying at the Amil Hotel in the port city of Zamboanga when he left with an unnamed Filipino man on Thursday, an employee of the hotel said ... Last month, the US embassy received information that extremists might be planning to kidnap Americans or other foreigners in Zamboanga. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Missing Briton Tracked Down In The Philippines May 10, 2008
Briton was missing in Zamboanga. James David Rowe, believed to be a 35-year-old businessman, disappeared from his hotel in the southern port city of Zamboanga on Thursday ... Police chief Laurimer Detran said the Briton had fled to Negros after failing to deliver a cargo of motorboat engines to a client, a Chinese national in Zamboanga City. (Sky News)
Reactions to Malaysia s May 2, 2008
I cant imagine Celso Lobregat agreeing to have Zamboanga fall under the MILFs homeland map. If the administrations negotiators will end the governments problems with the MILF by granting its ancestral domain demands, it will reap bigger problems from non-Muslim and Lumad Mindanaoans as well as other Filipinos outside Mindanao. (Manila Times)
Small bombs hit south Philippines Apr 13, 2008
No one was injured in the blasts, which happened at dawn in Zamboanga City, where US troops helping the Philippines army fight an insurgency are based. Police officials said they suspected Abu Sayyaf-linked militants might be behind the incidents. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Arroyo visits soldiers in south Apr 11, 2008
Mrs Arroyo held talks with senior commanders after arriving at the military's regional command centre in Zamboanga city, 860km (535 miles) south of the capital Manila ... Earlier this month the Philippine government temporarily moved the army's headquarters to Zamboanga, and deployed thousands of extra troops as it stepped up its offensive against the militants ... Fourteen people were injured after a bomb exploded in a crowded square in Zamboanga late on Tuesday. (Yahoo News -- Philippines)
Philippine army in new offensive Apr 11, 2008
In an unprecedented step, Ms Arroyo said the army headquarters would temporarily move to the city of Zamboanga on Mindanao island, close to the flashpoint islands of Jolo and Basilan, to boost the offensive. Government troops, backed by US military trainers, have been hunting militants in the region's mountainous terrain for months, but last week saw some of the worst fighting so far. (Yahoo News -- Philippines)
Philippine tests for 'rebel body' Feb 19, 2008
Teams from the Philippine police and America's FBI were now in the southern city of Zamboanga to carry out tests, an official said. DULMATIN Born in Central Java in 1970 Believed to be protg of Azahari Husin, JI's former top bomb maker Named as bomb maker in 2002 Bali bombings Also suspected of involvement in Jakarta Marriott Hotel attack in 2003 US put $10m bounty on his head Thought to have fled to southern Philippines in 2003 to avoid arrest. (BBC News)
* Fighting leaves five dead in the southern Philippines Feb 5, 2008
AP, ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES Tuesday, Feb 05, 2008, Page 4. Soldiers clashed with militants linked to al-Qaeda in the southern Philippines yesterday, leaving three rebels and two soldiers dead just days after a top Indonesian terror suspect eluded a military raid on a nearby island, an official said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Customs seize cooking oil Jan 16, 2008
Three local people aged between 30 and 60 were detained when customs officials discovered the cooking oil worth RM30,000 to be loaded on a Zamboanga City bound ferry at the port here on Tuesday evening. Sabah Customs deputy director Abdullah Zawawi Abd Latif said the suspects did not have the valid permits to export the subsidised cooking oil. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- News)
Abu Sayyaf militants arrested Jan 4, 2008
Troops arrested suspected Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Tuwatin Anahalul in Zamboanga del Sur province's Margusatubig town Thursday, said Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga. Anahalul, also called Abu Basilan, has a $48,700 bounty on his head. (CNN -- World)
Philippine military to probe US troops' closure of hospital Jan 2, 2008
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP) - Philippine authorities are to make a formal inquiry into the closure of a government hospital in the south by US soldiers providing counter-terrorist training to Filipino troops, the local military said Wednesday. Armed US troops reportedly entered the hospital in Panamao on Jolo island in late November and ordered doctors to close it down every night, preventing them from treating patients. (Yahoo! Asia News)
* Senior Islamic militant killed by Philippine Navy Dec 17, 2007
AFP, ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES Monday, Dec 17, 2007, Page 4. A senior Islamic militant, wanted by the US government, has been killed in a clash with the Philippine military in the nation's restive south, an official said yesterday. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Soldiers take over Manila hotel Nov 29, 2007
I directed the national capital regional commander to address the situation and use force if needed, Esperon told reporters in Zamboanga City, where he was visiting troops. A Reuters reporter saw at least five truckloads of navy men around the hotel. (MSNBC -- International)
To our WWII veterans Nov 10, 2007
He was on an island named Sangihe guarding an air strip when he heard Germany had surrendered, and was at Zamboanga Mindanao waiting for orders to be shipped to Japan when he heard about the atom bombs and the Japanese surrender. His unit went to Japan shortly thereafter where he was amazed and dismayed at the destruction and loss of lives. (Bainbridge Post Searchlight, GA)
Philippines, Muslim rebels to resume formal talks next week Nov 10, 2007
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AFP) - The Philippine government and Muslim separatists will resume formal peace talks in Malaysia next week, in the hope of settling a territorial dispute, a presidential aide said Saturday. Jesus Dureza, the presidential adviser on the issue, said that "formal exploratory talks" between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which stalled in September 2006, would resume on November 14. (Yahoo! Asia News)
* Japanese war veteran speaks of atrocities in the Philippines Nov 6, 2007
Soon after arriving at the Japanese military base at Zamboanga on the western tip of Mindanao, Makino found himself and his unit cut off from headquarters, with the situation growing worse by the day. They received no military supplies or orders, let alone medical packages. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Docena: US Basing in Philippines Oct 27, 2007
The unit is headquartered in the Philippine militarys Camp Navarro in Zamboanga City [46] but its area of operations, according to a US military publication, spans 8,000 square miles, covering the entire island of Mindanao and its surrounding islands and seas ... By getting the US semi-permanently based south of Luzon for the first time since World War II, Kaplan notes that the larger-than-necessary base complex in Zamboanga has delivered more than tactical benefits ... In September 2006, 114 US... (Zmag.org)
Military explosives used in deadly bomb blast Oct 20, 2007
No group has claimed responsibility for the blast, which came weeks after military intelligence, foiled an alleged plot by Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants to bomb the southern port city of Zamboanga. Reports said officials from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) were helping Philippine police in the probe. (Hindustan Times)
Philex Gold Announces Earn-In Agreement With PDEP, Inc. Oct 4, 2007
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 4, 2007) - Philex Gold Inc. (TSX VENTURE: - ) announces the execution of an Earn-In Agreement (the "Agreement") on October 3, 2007 between its wholly-owned subsidiary, Philex Gold Philippines, Inc. ("PGPI") and PDEP, Inc. ("PDEPI") concerning part of PGPI's Sibutad Project tenements (the "Property") covering 6,954 hectares in the province of Zamboanga del Norte in the Island of Mindanao, Philippines ... The Property lies in a highly mineralized region in the... (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
US, China vie for Philippine influence Sep 20, 2007
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - Competition for military influence in the Philippines is heating up, with both the US and China making new pledges of funds, arms and equipment to help modernize the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Since 2002, Washington has poured hundreds of millions of dollars of military aid into helping the Philippine Army combat radical Islamist groups as part of the US-led campaign against terrorism in Southeast Asia. (Asia Times Online)
President Bush Attends APEC Business Summit Sep 7, 2007
They conducted a bombing in Zamboanga City that killed an American soldier and two Filipinos. Abu Sayyaf was behind the worst terrorist attack in the history of the Philippines -- the 2004 bombing of a Manila ferry that killed more than a hundred people. (White House News Releases)
US digs in deeper in the Philippines Sep 5, 2007
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - As the Armed Forces of the Philippines expand the scope of their offensive against Muslim insurgent groups on Mindanao, some are wondering if the escalating conflict could lead or already has led to the establishment of a permanent US military presence in the restive region ... Since 2002, the US has invested millions of dollars toward the construction not only of military facilities, but also of development and humanitarian projects in and around Zamboanga City,... (Asia Times Online)
Philippines troops shell militant base Aug 28, 2007
ZAMBOANGA: Government forces shelled an Islamic militant stronghold in the southern Philippines in preparation for an offensive, the military said on Tuesday. Mortar fire started on Monday on a suspected Abu Sayyaf hideout in the jungles of the island of Basilan, said Captain Niel Estrella, spokesman for its counter-terrorist task force. (India Times, India)
US congressman pushes for more aid to Philippines' fight against terrorism Aug 25, 2007
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines: A U.S. congressman heading a bipartisan delegation to the volatile southern Philippines said on Saturday he will push for more American aid for the country's fight against al-Qaida-linked terrorists. The five-members of the congressional mission traveled to southern Zamboanga city, where they met Philippine military and government officials and U.S. troops training and assisting Filipino soldiers fighting the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group on Basilan and Jolo islands... (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
Arroyo rallies Philippine troops Aug 24, 2007
On Thursday Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the Philippine president, travelled amid tight security to the southern city of Zamboanga to rally troops and receive a progress briefing from military commanders ... Her comments on Tuesday were followed hours later by a bomb explosion in Zamboanga that wounded 14 people. (Aljazeera.Net)
Urgent: 14 injured in southern Philippine bomb blast Aug 22, 2007
MANILA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Fourteen people were injured in a bomb blast in Zamboanga city of southern Philippines Tuesday evening, local police said. Editor: Yao Siyan. (Xinhuanet, China)
Full Story » Aug 22, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007. Abu Sayyaf likely behind Philippine bomb: police Posted: 22 August 2007 1237 hrs. (Channelnewsasia.com)
Philippines: Rebel camp captured Aug 20, 2007
A body of a soldier is unloaded from a helicopter upon its arrival at a military base in the southern Philippine city of Zamboanga on Saturday. . (MSNBC -- International)
Terrorists hit back in Philippines Aug 20, 2007
Local newspapers yesterday were filled with grim photographs showing the latest unloading of body bags from air force planes at army headquarters in Zamboanga City. According to Western Mindanao Command chief Eugenio Cedo, the Abu Sayyaf guerillas lost at least 30 of their comrades in the day-long gunfight. (The Australian)
* Scores killed in Basilan clashes Aug 19, 2007
AFP, ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES Sunday, Aug 19, 2007, Page 5 ... "The offensive is continuing," he told reporters in Zamboanga City. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Philippines teeters on brink of total war Aug 17, 2007
Army chief General Romeo Tolentino recently announced that he had temporary moved army headquarters from Manila to Zamboanga City on the southern island of Mindanao while the campaign is conducted. Fighting on the southern island of Jolo this month saw 50 people - including 25 army soldiers - killed in armed exchanges, and thousands of civilians have since evacuated the area. (Asia Times Online)
Top Philippine military brass tour rebel island Aug 13, 2007
She also ordered Tolentino to shift his headquarters to the southern city of Zamboanga, which is close to Jolo, until the situation was resolved. There were no signs of fighting on Sunday on Jolo, a moutainous island carpeted with forest. (AlertNet)
Philippine military chief visits restive southern island Aug 12, 2007
Zamboanga City, Philippines - The Philippine military's chief on Sunday arrived on a southern island as government troops stepped up an offensive against Muslim rebels who killed 26 soldiers in recent clashes ... President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has also ordered the head of the army, General Romeo Tolentino, to relocate to nearby Zamboanga City to be in charge of the offensive ... Zamboanga City until the situation normalizes. (Monsters and Critics.com)
Philippines army chief sent south Aug 12, 2007
"The army headquarters will now be temporarily set up in Zamboanga until the situation normalises," she said. Fighting on the island of Jolo this week has left at least 50 people dead, 25 of them Filipino soldiers. (BBC News -- Asia-Pacific)
Philippine military sends more troops to southern island Aug 11, 2007
Zamboanga City, Philippines - Additional troops were dispatched Saturday to a southern Philippine island where fierce fighting between government soldiers and Muslim rebels has left more than 50 people dead, the military said. Lieutenant Colonel Ernesto Torres said the first batch of about 1,000 troops arrived on Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila, on Saturday to hunt down guerrillas involved in the fighting that killed 25 soldiers. (Monsters and Critics.com)
* Philippines says fighting on Jolo island left 57 dead Aug 11, 2007
Major Eugene Batara, spokesman for the military's Western Mindanao Command in southern Zamboanga city, said soldiers recovered the bodies of five slain rebels, while the rest of the dead and wounded were carted away by their comrades. This story has been viewed 203 times. (Taipei Times, Taiwan)
Over 50 killed in southern Philippines fighting Aug 11, 2007
In gun battles later in the day, at least 16 soldiers were killed, said Major Eugene Batara, a spokesman in Zamboanga city. At least 31 rebels were killed and 25 wounded, he said. (Globe and Mail -- International)
Fighting leaves more than 50 people dead in southern Philippines Aug 10, 2007
Zamboanga City, Philippines - Fighting between government troops and Islamic militants in the southern Philippines has left more than 50 people dead and forced thousands of civilians to flee their homes, officials said Friday. Major Eugene Batara, a regional military spokesman, said 25 soldiers were killed Thursday in clashes with Abu Sayyaf rebels in Indanan and Maimbung towns on Jolo island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila. (Monsters and Critics.com)
TVI Files NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Balabag Resource Estimate Aug 10, 2007
The Balabag Property is located on the Zamboanga Peninsula in the Southern Philippines approximately 75 km east-northeast of the producing Canatuan Mine, operated by TVI's Philippine affiliate TVI Resource Development (Phils. Inc. ("TVIRD"). (CCNMatthews Press Releases)
20 soldiers killed in Sulu Aug 10, 2007
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Muslim rebels killed at least 20 soldiers and a boy on Thursday in gun battles in Sulu province, the Philippine Army said ... Eugene Batara, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) in Zamboanga City, the headquarters of the Philippines southern military command. (INQ7.net)
Probe on Basilan ambush set to begin (2:41 pm) Jul 25, 2007
Star Breaking News: Probe on Basilan ambush set to begin (2:41 p.m.). eClick for provincial news. (Sun.Star)
AFP: No deadline extension for MILF Jul 23, 2007
CAMP CAWA-CAWA, Zamboanga City They usually work in the shadows, away from the limelight. The word war between the opposition continues as Senators Francis Escudero and Jinggoy Estrada lashed back at Sen. (ABS CBN News)
(UPDATE) Bossi recovered alive in Lanao del Norte Jul 21, 2007
Authorities said three people were responsible for Bossi's kidnapping last June 10 in Payao, Zamboanga Sibugay ... The three had been charged with kidnapping in a local court in Zamboanga province ... After his release, Bossi was immediately brought to a police headquarters in Camp Cawa-Cawa in Zamboanga City and subjected to medical examination. (ABS CBN News)
Bossi freed in time for mothers birthday Jul 21, 2007
Bossi was kidnapped June 10 on his way to celebrate Mass in southern Zamboanga Sibugay province ... From the beginning, they told me they were Abu Sayyaf, Bossi told a news conference in southern Zamboanga City before he was to fly to Manila on his way to Italy. (Manila Standard Today)
* Italian priest released by Islamic militants Jul 21, 2007
AFP, ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES Saturday, Jul 21, 2007, Page 5 ... Bossi, who was abducted in Zamboanga Sibugay Province on June 10 by armed men, was released after almost 40 days in captivity ... Bossi was seized on the southern peninsula of Zamboanga after celebrating Sunday mass on June 10. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Kidnapped Italian priest freed Jul 20, 2007
In an interview with ABS-CBN television, Bossi said he wants to return to his parish in Zamboanga after his captors assured him he would not be seized again ... Bossi was immediately taken to police camp Cawa Cawa in Zamboanga to undergo a medical check-up and debriefing, Caringal said. (Gulf News)
Philippine Rebels Free Priest Jul 20, 2007
Bossi was kidnapped June 10 on his way to celebrate mass in southern Zamboanga Sibugay province. Police said his release followed negotiations with rogue elements of a Muslim separatist group, and that no ransom was paid. (Time.com)
Arroyo vows to avenge soldiers' death Jul 15, 2007
Government soldiers were deployed into Tipo-Tipo because military officers believed that Bossi and his kidnappers might have gone there, after the kidnapping incident in the Zamboanga peninsula on June 10. Sources told Gulf News that the Abu Sayyaf, a local terror group with active links to the Al Qaida network, was behind the kidnapping of Bossi and the beheading of the soldiers. (Gulf News)
Philippine president vows to hunt down killers of marines, but pursue peace talks with rebels Jul 14, 2007
Bossi, a 57-year-old missionary from Milan, was kidnapped by gunmen on June 10 in southern Zamboanga Sibugay province. Troops launched a search in Zamboanga Sibugay and in the mountainous border of southern Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte provinces, but expanded their search to Basilan last week after receiving persistent reports that Bossi and his captors have been sighted there, military officials said. (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
