'Don’t be in a hurry to die': Australian motto for Philippines troops
Australian soldiers have been sharing a motto with Philippines troops: “Don’t be in a hurry to die.” After decades of training from the United States, Philippines soldiers have absorbed elements of a more gung-ho American approach. But they are getting a different emphasis from an Australian training mission: patience, caution, survival. It is wisdom the Filipinos are taking on board after their tough, five-month fight last year to retake their southern city of Marawi from more than 1000 Islamic State-linked insurgents, at a cost of at least 165 soldiers’ lives.
The Sydney Morning Herald

Australia's help stops Islamists spread, says Philippines war hero
A top Philippines army general and war hero has warned that if Australia does not help his country fight Islamic State-backed jihadists in his country, those militants could carry out attacks in other countries including Australia.
The Sydney Morning Herald

MARAWI

A framework for a model Islamic Ummah (community)
In a larger sense, the 2017 Marawi siege served as a wake-up call. A focus group discussion among Maranao women after the siege revealed these sentiments: “We call Marawi an Islamic City, but there are many wrongs; drugs, corruption and extremist views are increasing especially among the young. Many of Allah’s commandments have been disobeyed. It was God’s way of reminding us… to reflect on our lives as Muslims. We now have a chance to win back God’s favor by striving to be on the right path.”
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Rebuilding Marawi: Rising from ground zero
The people of Marawi City lost their homes, schools, mosques, churches and for some, even their lives, in the city they called home during the five-month fighting between Islamic State-inspired Maute groups and government troops that started in May 23 last year.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE WORLD      

Radicalization and Terrorism in Greece
In Greece, radicalization leading to violent extremism and terrorism is mainly politically driven. In fact, the country has one of the most sustained political terrorism problems anywhere in the world. From the mid‐1970s to the present, political and socioeconomic institutions have been confronted by systematic terrorist violence, mainly at the hands of revolutionary guerrilla groups.
European Eye on Radicalization

UN official warns of high global terrorism threat
A top-ranking UN counter-terrorism official Friday warned of the continued serious threat of terrorism to the world.  "If we follow the newspapers we see the scourge of terrorism remains very high. This threat is not decreasing and because of the splintering of the activities and different methods used by the terrorist groups it becomes a thing of high risks," Michele Coninsx, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) told a news conference. 
MENAFN/ KUNA

‘Terrorist’ as job title: The professionalization of ISIS
ISIS has lost 98 percent of the territory it once controlled. It has lost its operational basis and its Utopia too. But there are still few thousands well-trained ISIS fighters that are now looking for a new occupation. “No one knows how the returnee threat is going to play out, but it might lead to a professionalization of attacks,” said Peter Neumann, Director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King’s College in London.
Al Arabiya

Charity regulator welcomes Financial Action Task Force report
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the inter-governmental body that sets the standards for Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Counter Terrorist Financing (CFT) and Counter Proliferation of the Financing of Weapons of Mass Destruction (CPF) has today published its Mutual Evaluation Report of the United Kingdom.
UK Government

UKIP: Scottish leader David Coburn quits over 'extremism'
David Coburn's resignation is the latest to hit UKIP leader Gerard Batten after he appointed English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson as an advisor. In a letter, Mr Coburn said UKIP had been "infiltrated by people with an alternative agenda". The MEP said the party was now running on an "anti-Islam platform".
BBC News

How far will extremism affect stability in post-war Syria?
Syria is unlikely to see stability unless an internationally-fostered political solution to the conflict is agreed upon, including a post-conflict recovery program and counter-extremism strategy.
The Arab Weekly

Baguio police forms task force to solve imam’s killing
The Baguio police have set up a task force to solve the killing of Bejedim Abdullah, a much-revered imam here.  The police said there might be at least 3 men directly involved in the killing of Abdullah, who was on his way to his office at the junction of Kayang and Chugum streets before lunch Thursday, December 6.
Rappler

BANGSAMORO ORGANIC LAW

BOL campaign starts
Government officials and the leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), as well as members of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), urged residents of the proposed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to take part in the plebiscite that has been set for early next year that will approve the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
Manila Bulletin, Rappler

Plebiscite on Bangsamoro law now set for January, February 2019
The plebiscite to ratify the landmark Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) is now set to take place on two dates, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Friday, December 7. The Comelec originally scheduled the plebiscite to take place on one day, but decided to add another date to allow more time for the full resolution of petitions which local government units (LGUs) submitted to be included in the proposed new region.
Rappler, ABS-CBN News, Sunstar Manila, The Manila Times

Most ARMM youth will vote in favor of Bangsamoro Law – survey
A majority of youth in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will vote in favor of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in January, according to the results of a survey conducted by peace-building organization International Alert Philippines. The plebiscite for the BOL is set to take place on January 21, 2019. The campaign period for the plebiscite began on Friday, December 7.
Rappler

ARMM youth favor Bangsamoro Organic Law- International Alert Survey
The International Alert survey reveals that majority of youth voters in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are in favor of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL). The survey by the advocacy group found 89.4 percent of its 614 respondents aged 18-35 said they will vote yes in next year's plebiscite for the law that will establish a new autonomous Bangsamoro region, said a report by ABS-CBN on December 6.
Luwaran

Cotabato City should be part of BAR
Without preempting what the voters will write, yes or no, in their ballots on plebiscite day on January 21, 2019, it is our humblest and sincerest wish that Cotabato City should decide to be part of the future Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR). It has nothing to lose but everything to gain.  
Luwaran

“Media is the Source of Information and Truth”-Iqbal
“Media is the source of information and truth,” Mohagher Iqbal, Chair of the MILF Peace Implementing Panel said during the Media Forum on the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) held December 6 at Cyrstal Hall of Em-Manor Hotel, this city. Iqbal said that the media being the source of information and truth plays a relevant role in educating people in the community. 
Luwaran

So sad and sudden!
Indeed, the resignation of Secretary Jesus Dureza Jr., as Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (PAPP), is so sad and sudden. Frankly, we received the news in almost total disbelief that such a thing would happen to a man whom we know for decades as champion of peace-making in the country. His mastery of negotiation, bargaining, and human relations can be equaled but it is hard to surpass.
Luwaran

Former peace adviser Dureza wants clean BOL plebiscite sweep
Former presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza endorsed here Thursday the Bangsamoro Organic Law saying it will solve decades of secessionist strife in the country’s south. “I am from Davao City yet I am campaigning for it for the sake of peace. I’m doing this as a private citizen,” Dureza said while here Thursday.
NDBC News

MAGUINDANAO AND COTABATO CITY

LANAO PROVINCES

BASILAN

SULU 

Duterte wants to end Abus killings of troops in Jolo 
President Rodrigo Duterte wants to end the killings of troops in Jolo, Sulu, a known hotbed of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Mindanao. “Tapusin na natin ito,” Duterte said in a speech at the closing ceremony of a motorcycle riding course in Davao City on Friday, referring to the killings of state troops during encounters with the Abu Sayyaf terrorists.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

TAWI-TAWI 

Tawi-Tawi flick wins Moro Film Fest
A short feature film from Tawi-Tawi bested 10 other finalists and won as best short film for the 2018 Moro Film Festival at the Sharif Kabunsuan Complex here Thursday night. "Manis Ma Pikilan", which in Samal dialect means “Beauty in My Mind”, romped with PHP300,000 as the grand prize winner. The film captures the personal struggles of Pahad, a boy from a small coastal community in Tawi-Tawi.
Philippine News Agency

DRUGS

Duterte says drug-free PH his ‘gift’ by end of term in 2022
A drug-free community will be President Duterte’s “gift” to the Filipino nation when he ends his six-year term in 2022. Unfazed by human rights criticisms on his war on drugs, the President said he was determined to kill those who destroy the nation with illegal drugs.
Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer

PNP vows action on politician’s ‘tanim-ebidensya’ claims
The Philippine National Police (PNP) assured the public Thursday night that it will not tolerate its own men if proven they have violated laws and protocols after an Agusan del Norte town vice mayor expressed plans to sue the cops who allegedly planted evidence during a raid at his house last month.
Manila Bulletin

Operations/ Incidents

Zambo City anti-drug ops net 5 suspects, P64K ‘shabu’
Five people were arrested while PHP64,700 worth of illegal drugs were seized in separate anti-drug operations in this city, police said Friday. Chief Insp. Shellamie Chang, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) information officer, identified the arrested persons as Nurhassan Gonzales, 20; Jamal Hadjail, 46; Sheria Majuk, 28; Darwisa Cuevas; and Erica Cuevas.
Philippine News Agency

Bacolod cops seize P37.6-M in illegal drugs since January
The anti-drug operations of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) from January to November this year had yielded PHP37.62-million worth of illegal drugs and led to the arrest of 615 drug personalities.
Philippine News Agency

Recovery and Rehabilitation  

ILLICIT FIREARMS, EXPLOSIVES AND AMMUNITION

Lanao Norte town residents surrender 10 firearms
Residents of the Lanao del Norte town of Nunungan have surrendered 10 loose high-powered firearms to military authorities, officials said Friday. Brig. Gen. Thomas Sedano Jr., commander of the Army's 2nd Mechanized Brigade, said the surrender of the firearms on Thursday was made possible by Nunungan’s local government.
Philippine News Agency

Firearms, explosives seized in Nueva Ecija
Police seized guns, explosives and several rounds of ammunition for different types of firearms during a raid Wednesday afternoon in Barangay Doña Josefa, Palayan City, this province. Senior Supt. Leon Victor Rosete, acting director of the Nueva Ecija Police Provincial Office, said on Thursday that lawmen raided the residence of suspect Rejan Aligem, 41, on the strength of a warrant issued by the Palayan City Regional Trial Court Branch 40.   
Philippine News Agency

CROSS-BORDER TRADING/ SMUGGLING  

HUMAN TRAFFICKING

ILLICIT FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS 

Duterte gives motorcycles to top performing cop riders
President Duterte promised to give the three police officials a Yamaha dual bikes each for getting the highest marks in a motorcycle riding course Friday evening. Duterte made the statement as head led the distribution of various certificates and awards to the graduates of the Motorcycle Riding Course (MCRC) and Motorcycle Riding Safety Training (MRST) at the Rancho Palos Verdes in Davao City.
Manila Bulletin

Gordon advises a ceasefire between Catholic Church leaders, Palace officials on verbal fight
Senator Richard J. Gordon strongly advised on Friday a ceasefire and eventual dialogue between Catholic Church leaders and Malacañang officials on their verbal fight. ‘’There should be a modus vivendi (an agreement establishing a temporary compromise between two groups in a conflict),’’ Gordon said.
Manila Bulletin

ICC probe an insult to judiciary – Palace
THE continuous examination by the International Criminal Court (ICC) of the government’s war on drugs is an “insult” to the Philippine judiciary system, Malacañang said on Friday.
The Manila Times

---------------------

Focus on helping others with integrity, Robredo tells youth leaders
Vice President Leni Robredo on Friday urged young leaders to find the courage to speak their own words, aim for their greatest dreams, and focus their lives on helping others with “integrity, empathy, and compassion.”
Manila Bulletin

---------------------

Davao RTC issues arrest warrant vs Senator Trillanes
The Regional Trial Court in Davao City on Friday issued an arrest warrant against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a staunch critic of the Duterte administration, for four counts of libel filed months ago by former vice mayor Paolo Duterte and brother-in-law lawyer Manases Carpio.
Mindanews

Trillanes will prevent his arrest from libel charges as he plans to post bail on Monday
Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV will prevent his arrest from the libel charges filed against him by former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte as he plans to post bail on Monday, December 10.
Manila Bulletin, Rappler

Trillanes on arrest warrant: ‘Baliktad ang hustisya sa gobyerno ni Duterte’
Opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Friday, December 7, slammed what he called “topsy-turvy" justice under the Duterte administration, after a Davao City court issued a warrant for his arrest stemming from a libel complaint filed by presidential son Paolo Duterte in his hometown.
Rappler

Metro Manila police chief asks Davao cops to 'LBC' Trillanes arrest warrant
Hearing of the newest arrest warrant against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Metro Manila top cop Director Guillermo Eleazar asked for a copy for implementation. After all, watching over Metro Manila, Eleazar also has jurisdiction over where Trillanes works, at the Senate in Pasay City.
Rappler

DISASTER

MINDANAO

Foreign investments in Mindanao reach P15.84 billion in Q3
Various state investment promotion agencies in Mindanao approved some P15.84 billion in foreign investments in the third quarter of 2018, which represents 34.5 percent of the total P45.9 billion approved nationwide, a data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
Manila Bulletin, Mindanews

ELECTION RELATED

'Fake news' should be considered form of election fraud, says watchdog
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) along with social media users should step up efforts to fact-check and monitor “fake news” in the run up to the 2019 elections, election watchdog Kontra Daya said. In a statement Friday, December 7, the group said the prevalence of misinformation and disinformation online is serious enough that it may be considered a form of election fraud.
Rappler

Election-related Violence

29 Central Visayas cities, towns on election watch list
Police and military presence will be intensified in 29 towns and cities in Central Visayas that have been declared election watch list areas (EWAs) based on their history of election-related incidents. Of the number, 10 are in Negros Oriental, seven in Cebu, six in Bohol and six in Siquijor.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Switching governance to a federalist structure is difficult but necessary
I do not think that the proponents of federalism think that the reorganization of our nation state and the constitution that governs it is an easy task. A group of Filipinos headed by former Speaker Jose de Venecia and then Senator Aquilino Pimentel went to Belgium to listen and find out more about federalism in many countries. Every country had its own reason on why and how they could successfully federalize. It is difficult but necessary to achieve better governance in time.
Philippine Star

Sotto: No Cha-cha discussion on joint session next week
Senators will not let Charter change (Cha-cha) be raised when the lower and upper chamber convene next week to tackle the possible extension of martial law in Mindanao, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Friday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

JUDICIARY

10 candidates land on SC shortlist
Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez and nine others have made it to the shortlist for the Supreme Court (SC) seat which will be vacated by Associate Justice Noel Tijam. This was confirmed by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, an Ex Officio member of the JBC.
Manila Bulletin

LEGISLATIVE

Martial law deliberations may delay approval of 2019 budget – Zubiri
The joint session of Congress called by President Duterte for the proposed extension of martial law in Mindanao may delay the approval of the P3.757-trillion 2019 national budget by the Senate.
Manila Bulletin

Lacson dares two top House officials to show good faith by declining P4.3-billion pork barrel allocations
Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson dared on Friday two top House of Representatives officials to show good faith by declining their P4.3 billion pork barrel allocations in the national budget for the coming 2019 fiscal year.
Manila Bulletin

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

Entire Iloilo town police force relieved for sleeping on duty
All 23 police officers, including the chief of police assigned at Anilao Municipal Police Station in Anilao, Iloilo, have been relieved of their posts. This was confirmed in an interview by Senior Supt. Marlon Tayaba, provincial director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), adding the full relief took effect Friday.
Philippine News Agency

ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS

2nd excise tax hike on fuel products correct, says UP economist
Proceeding with the second tranche of the excise tax hike on fuel products mandated under the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law was “correct,” a national scientist and professor emeritus in the University of the Philippines School of Economics said Friday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Peso rebounds on weak US jobs report
The Philippine peso recovered against the dollar on Friday as the weaker jobs data in the US weighed on the greenback. The local currency gained 5 centavos to close at P52.71:$1 from 52.76 on Thursday. “The peso recovered today as the broad strength of the dollar falters on weak US new jobs data,”  Land Bank of the Philippines market economist Guian Angelo Dumalagan said.
GMA News

Palace optimistic that business, consumer confidence would pick up in coming months
Malacañang is optimistic that business and consumer confidence would pick up in the coming months amid the slowdown of the country’s inflation rate and drop in oil prices.
Manila Bulletin

 Militant group downplays country’s inflation drop from 6.7% in previous 2 months to 6% this month
The militant group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) on Friday has downplayed the country’s inflation drop from 6.7 percent in the previous two months to 6 percent this month. The group believes that the measly drop of 0.7 percent will benefit commodity speculators, traders and industrialists rather than lowly wage earners.
Manila Bulletin

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

GRAFT AND CORRUPTION

Revilla cleared of plunder
Former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. has been cleared by the Sandiganbayan Special First Division of his plunder charge involving the priority development assistance fund (PDAF) scam, while his staff Richard Cambe and Janet Lim Napoles were convicted.
Manila Bulletin

Aquino 'bewildered' by Bong Revilla acquittal
Former president Benigno Aquino III said on Friday, December 7, that he was “bewildered” by the Sandiganbayan's decision to acquit former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr of plunder even as the court found guilty his two co-accused.
Rappler

Ombudsman Martires: We will not appeal Revilla acquittal
Consistent with his new policy at the Office of the Ombudsman not to appeal acquittals at the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan, Ombudsman Samuel Martires said they will no longer challenge the plunder acquittal of former senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.
Rappler

Cambe, Napoles could not have plundered millions without Revilla – dissenter
The two dissenters of the Sandiganbayan Special First Division maintained that convicted Richard Cambe could not have executed the elaborate pork barrel scam without the help of his boss, former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
Rappler

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

Rappler Talk: Ambassador Amanda Gorely on Australia-PH relations
Rappler talks to Amanda Gorely, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines. Gorely, whose tour is coming to an end in December 2018, talks about the bilateral relations between Australia and the Philippines. Defense relationship has been strong since World War II, but has grown to new levels following events in Marawi and a series of national disasters.
Rappler

Insight – Future challenges of PHL foreign policy
These remarks were delivered at the Stratbase ADR Institute forum on December 7, 2018, in Makati City. Mr. del Rosario is the former Philippine Foreign Affairs secretary, whose stint was marked by the country’s filing of a case against “excessive” Chinese claims in the South China Sea. A UN arbitral tribunal upheld the Philippine position. Mr. del Rosario and another pillar of the country’s quest for a principled position in the SCS, Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, recently expressed support for Manila’s Memorandum of Understanding [MOU] with Beijing, a framework for possible energy cooperation between the two SCS claimants, as crafted and signed by del Rosario’s successor, now DFA Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr.
Business Mirror

West Philippine Sea

Oil deal with China may be solution to sea dispute – Carpio
The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Philippines and China signed during President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Manila may pave the way for the “win-win formula” to the South China Sea dispute. These were the words of Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Friday, December 7, during the Pilipinas Conference organized by Stratbase and the Albert del Rosario Institute.
Rappler

PH should continue protesting China’s violations in WPS – Del Rosario
Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario on Friday said the Philippines should protest China’s violations in the South China Sea (SCS) or the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to preserve the “hard-earned gains” of the Filipino people obtained from the decision by the United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal in The Hague.
Manila Bulletin

LABOR

TRANSPORTATION

LTFRB accredits ride-hailing firms SnappyCab, Ryd Global
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) accredited two more transport network companies (TNCs), bringing the total number of firms accredited this year to 8.
Rappler, Business World Online

HEALTH 

DOJ expected to conclude prelim probe raps vs Ubial
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is expected to conclude by next week its preliminary investigation over the complaint against former Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial who is accused of being liable in the deaths of children who received shots of the Dengvaxia anti-dengue vaccine.
Manila Bulletin

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

EDUCATION

ENERGY

POVERTY

HOUSING

Housing for the marginalized
Adequate housing is a human right, as declared in the United Nations’ International Bill of Rights. But some of the most vulnerable, such as calamity victims, orphans, elderly and the handicapped, are found without a roof over their heads and walls around them to make them secure and safe.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Finding shelter amid adversity
As though overnight, the skyline in the metro and other urban areas nationwide has become studded by residential towers targeting students, young professionals, newlyweds delighted to be in each other’s hair all day, retired couples moving from empty nests, a sudden surge of foreign nationals in town for the long haul, and, in a certain rarefied level, folks with money to burn and the inclination to do exactly that.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

TOURISM

Carrying capacity policy in El Nido's lagoons takes effect
Less than a week after the national government announced El Nido's rehabilitation, local environment authorities have started implementing a carrying capacity policy to address overcrowding in two of its prime island destinations.
Rappler

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES 

COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY

DEVELOPMENT SECTOR