From 649 to 8: DOJ cuts communist terror list
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has reduced to eight the alleged officers of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) it wants declared as terrorists in an amended petition filed before the Manila regional trial court (RTC). This is a significant decrease from the 649 alleged communist terrorists in the earlier version filed, which included United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz and 45 other human rights defenders.
Philippine Star

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

Military solution vs reds not the solution- Lorenzana
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Saturday that they have no plan to employ purely military solution in ending communist insurgency in the country despite the bogging down of the peace talks marked by harsh exchanges between President Rodrigo Duterte and Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founder Jose Maria Sison.
Manila Bulletin

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

Army tags rebels as number one private army in Negros
THE Philippine Army tagged the New People's Army (NPA) as the number one private army in Negros. Col. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the 303rd Brigade based in Barangay Minoyan, Murcia made this statement Friday, January 11, when the Provincial Joint Security Control Center (PJSCC) was convened at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City. 
Sunstar Bacolod

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

Makabayan bloc to PNP: Prepare ‘lame excuses’ for House probe on profiling
The Philippine National Police (PNP) should be ready with its “lame excuses” when it appears before a House inquiry into its profiling of individuals, organizations, and candidates allegedly linked to the communist movement, two solons from the House Makabayan bloc said.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

ACT denounces ‘escalating harassment’ vs its members
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) denounced on Saturday “an escalating harassment” on its organization as it received reports of another incident of intimidation involving one of its leaders. In a statement, the ACT disclosed that a regional coordinator of ACT Central Luzon, Aurora Santiago, received a phone call on Friday from an anonymous person who issued threats against her.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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

Peace Talks

Incidents/ Operations   

9 soldiers hurt in blast during encounter in Samar
Nine soldiers were wounded when an improvised explosive device went off near an encounter site in Barangay  Bay-ang, San Jorge, Samar about 6:50 a.m. Saturday.
Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila Bulletin

PNP seeks AFP help in probing 2 arrested ‘terror suspects’ in Manila
The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) will be seeking assistance from the military to conduct its own background check and investigation on two suspected sympathizers of a notorious terror group who were collared days before the Black Nazarene procession in Manila.
Manila Bulletin

2 Maute-IS remnants surrender in Lanao del Sur
Two Maute-Islamic State (IS) remnants, who reportedly belong to terrorist leader Abu Dar’s group, surrendered to the military in Lanao del Sur on Friday, January 11. A military report disclosed that the two turned themselves in to the Army’s 55th Infantry Battalion  in Pagayawan, Lanao del Sur at about 9 a.m..
Manila Bulletin, Philippine News Agency, Philippine Star, Sunstar Zamboanga, GMA News

MARAWI

SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE WORLD      

New initiatives to help religious and community groups combat fake news and terrorism
Two new initiatives have been launched to help religious and community groups fight fake news and terrorism. One is a seminar module that helps them understand what is fake news and how such falsehoods could impact security and society.
The Straits Times, Channel News Asia

ISIS wives: The lost women of war
They left the West to join their husbands in Syria, only to lose them in battle and then face death by hanging; for the foreign women wed to Islamist jihadists, their countries have abandoned them to a judgment that is quick and often lethal.
Ynet News (Israel)

How arguments can stop extremism
Many of my best friends think that some of my deeply held beliefs about important issues are obviously false or even nonsense. Sometimes, they tell me so to my face. How can we still be friends? Part of the answer is that these friends and I are philosophers, and philosophers learn how to deal with positions on the edge of sanity. 
The Week Magazine

Can Indonesians help Moderate Islam in Europe?
The mass migration of Muslims into Europe with little selection has brought with it many problems. No influential Muslim groups have emerged that regularly speak out against the misbehavior of extremists of their faith. In the past there was the hope that in the course of time, a European Islam integrated in democracy would emerge. The prominent Muslim academic Bassam Tibi, originally from Syria, has promoted the idea of a European Islam for a quarter-century.
The Jerusalem Post

Religious Freedom Is On The Decrease In India
Religious freedom in India continues to deteriorate and it has been on a gradual decline for at least a decade. As a result, the plight of religious minorities is reaching new levels. This despite the fact that the right to freedom of religion or belief is clearly recognized in the 1949 Constitution of India. Also, India acceded to the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and so pledged to adhere to the international standards of human rights enshrined in the treaty. 
Forbes

'A mother tells me her son joined Isis and is now dead'
After the school run, I rush over to Westminster for a series of meetings with MPs to discuss counter-terror issues facing the UK. While I am out of the office a member of my team alerts me to some hate mail that features vile imagery of women of colour and faith being hanged, accompanied by the text: “You’re next.”
The Guardian

Pangarungan named head of PH Hajj 2019 delegation
After several years of “outsiders” taking the helm of the Philippine Hajj delegation, the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) had regained the position. On January 9, President Duterte appointed NCMF Secretary Saidamen Pangarungan the Amirul Hajj, or head of Filipino pilgrims to Mecca, for this year.
Rappler, Manila Bulletin

Peace adviser seeks UN help in Moro areas
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. has urged the United Nations to continue its assistance in providing capacity development to key leaders in the Bangsamoro region. “Our focus now is how to have good governance on the new Bangsamoro government. I would like to request the UN family to help us in mentoring key leaders on how to be efficient and effective in governance,” Galvez told officials of various UN agencies who called on him at his office on Friday.
Manila Standard

BANGSAMORO ORGANIC LAW

Thousands join Cotabato City ecumenical prayer event
Muslims and Christians on Friday together prayed for peace amid the tension between quarters bitterly divided by irreconcilable stances on the Bangsamoro Organic Law. Representatives from the local Islamic and Christian communities prayed one after another during the event, organized to allay worsening security apprehensions triggered by the glaring animosity between groups that are either for, or against the BOL, also known as the Republic Act 11054.
NDBC News

MILF to decommission warriors under new Bangsamoro law
The Moro Islamic Libe­ration Front (MILF) will start decommissioning the 40,000 combatants of its Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAFF) once the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) is ratified. Republic Act 11054, known as the BOL, created the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to replace the present Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which is subject for approval in the plebiscites on January 21 and February 6.
The Manila Times

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


MAGUINDANAO AND COTABATO CITY

Security forces foil another bomb try in Maguindanao
Combined elements of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police foiled the attempt to bomb urban centers in Sultan Kudarat after seizing improvised bombs and triggering devices in Damakling village here at around 5:00am on Saturday (January 12). Lt. Col. Harold M Cabunoc, the Commanding Officer of the 33rd Infantry (Makabayan) Battalion, said that his unit orchestrated the counter-terrorist operations after learning about the presence of bombs in a remote village of Pagalad here. 
NDBC News, The Manila Times

LANAO PROVINCES

BASILAN

SULU 

TAWI-TAWI 

DRUGS

Duterte fires Bacolod police chief, 4 other cops
President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday announced that he was firing the chief of police of Bacolod City in Negros Occidental for “enabling” the proliferation of illegal drugs in the city. He also identified four other police officers and some civilians, including a Bacolod City councilor, who had alleged links to illegal drugs.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Operations/ Incidents

Cops kill leader of notorious drug syndicate in Zambales
A notorious leader of a drug syndicate operating in this province was killed Friday morning, January 11, by police officers who were serving a search warrant in Barangay Calapacuan, Subic town. According to Senior Superintndent Felix Verbo Jr., chief of the Zambales Provincial Police Office (ZPPO), the cops killed Ali Nali, leader of the so-called Karansang Drug Group.
Rappler

2 slain in Laguna, Bulacan drug busts
Two drug suspects were killed in alleged shootouts with police officers in Laguna and Bulacan yesterday. Senior Superintendent Eleazar Matta, Laguna police director, said Jeffrey Orofil, who was on the drug watchlist,  resisted arrest in Barangay Banay-Banay, Cabuyao.
Philippine Star

Man dead, 2 held in Camarines Sur buy-busts
A man was killed and two people were arrested in separate buy-bust operations in this city Saturday afternoon. Records from the Naga City police said Roderick Alteza, 31, was the target of a buy-bust operation in Barangay (village) Sabang around 1:30 p.m.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Recovery and Rehabilitation  

ILLICIT FIREARMS, EXPLOSIVES AND AMMUNITION

CROSS-BORDER TRADING/ SMUGGLING  

KIDNAPPING

ILLICIT FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS 

Duterte getting P102,000 pay hike
President Duterte is getting an increase of almost P102,000 in his monthly salary this year. Duterte’s pay will go up from P298,083 to P399,739. He has repeatedly complained that his salary was not enough for his two families.
Philippine Star

Duterte’s problem of communication
It is pretty obvious that President Duterte is handicapped by his inability to communicate effectively to the public, a problem that impacts negatively on many aspects of his administration. This is one of the reasons why after the President makes a major statement, or even a trivial remark, a spokesman or interpreter often has to jump in to clarify, explain, recast or even to overhaul what the President had said or tried to say.
Philippine Star

Sotto will try to mediate ‘peace talks’ between Duterte, CBCP
Could Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III mediate the war between President Duterte and leaders of the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)? Sotto said he is thinking of patching things up between the two sides as he has friends in the CBCP and that he has a line to President Duterte.
Manila Bulletin

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

Bring birth certificate: DFA to Pinoys renewing passports
Filipino applicants renewing their old passports are required to bring the original copy of their birth certificates, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. “Applicants renewing brown or green passports or maroon machine-readable passports are required to submit birth certificates because we need to capture and store the document in our database,” Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Elmer Cato said in tweet Friday.
Manila Bulletin

Hontiveros asks DFA to explain how private contractor ran away with passport database
Opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros said yesterday the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) owes the entire country an explanation. Hontiveros said the recent admission that a privately contracted firm took the entire physical database of all of the country’s passport holders ‘’indicates a serious national security risk, and is evidence of the Duterte government’s gross incompetence in protecting the people’s private data.’’
Manila Bulletin

Former DFA chief Yasay sheds light on passport data breach
Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay shed some light on the “passport mess” and called for a thorough investigation of the matter.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

NPC to probe passport data loss caused by DFA contractor
The National Privacy Commission (NPC) will investigate the passport data loss caused by a previous contractor as earlier revealed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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

Calida refutes IBP’s statement on reviving Trillanes’ rebellion case
Solicitor General Jose C. Calida said Saturday (January 12) the re-opening of the rebellion case against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV before the Makati City regional trial court (RTC) does not violate his right against double jeopardy.
Manila Bulletin

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

DISASTER

MINDANAO

ELECTION RELATED

Brace for checkpoints as election period begins Sunday: Comelec
Checkpoints will be established in strategic places across the country as the election period for the May 13 midterm polls begins on Sunday. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said poll officials will conduct inspections of checkpoints, together with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), on Saturday evening.
Philippine News Agency

PNP sets up checkpoints for midterm polls
Hundreds of checkpoints and chokepoints are expected to be set up by the Philippine National Police (PNP) across the country as part of the election security for the midterm elections in May.
Manila Bulletin

Pinoy absentee voters now at 1.7-M
The country has now over 1.7 million overseas absentee voters (OAVs) representing 86 posts, the Commission on Elections said. This is 77.78 percent higher than the 1.06 million in 2016. Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said of the additional 783,076 new voters, a total of 437,779 came from the Middle East and Africa with 20 posts.
Philippine News Agency

Namfrel urges public to be vigilant as election period starts January 13
The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) has urged the public to be “observant” as the election period for the midterm polls in May starts on Sunday, January 13. “This coming elections, be a citizen election observer. If you observe any election violation in your community, take photo, document it, or gather proof, and report it to Comelec (Commission on Elections) or Namfrel,” the poll watchdog group said.
Manila Bulletin

Drilon calls on media to allow free exposure especially for poorer candidates
Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon said Saturday media should review its policy to allow poor or not so rich candidates for the scheduled May 2019 midterm elections to give them exposure. Drilon was reacting to reports that some candidates, particularly those seeking a berth in the 24-member Senate, are already spending so much for media exposure even before the election campaign. The campaign starts on Feb. 11.
Manila Bulletin

Election fever begins
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has set up checkpoints in strategic locations across the country to prevent poll-related violence, as the election period kicks off Sunday. PNP chief Oscar Albayalde instructed police regional directors to start checkpoint operations in cities and municipalities to intercept guns and explosives and go after armed groups that may sow violence that could affect the credibility of the midterm elections in May.
The Manila Times

Election-related Violence

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Conflicting Charter drafts need to be reconciled
Although Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said the current 17th Congress has  no  more time to meet as a Constituent Assembly to draft a new Philippine Constitution, the House  of Representatives, in the closing days of the session for the year last December, approved Resolution of Both Houses of Congress No. 15 (RBH-15)  in which it proposed a draft of the proposed new Constitution.
Manila Bulletin

‘The Constitution is just a piece of paper’ – Roxas
When asked what he thought of constitutional reform in a press conference with STAR, Mar Roxas scoffed “the Constitution is just a piece of paper.” For politicians like himself it is. That is how we got into this goddam situation in the first place. Government is used by the oligarchy, to which he belongs, to own the country.
Philippine Star

JUDICIARY

LEGISLATIVE

Senate backs Road Board abolition
The Senate leadership on Saturday said it would reject any call by the House of Representatives that their bicameral committees meet to “iron out differing versions” of their bills seeking to abolish the graft-ridden Road Board.
Manila Bulletin

House to concentrate on exercising plenary powers during remainder of session days
With no more priority legislative measures to craft and pass, the House of Representatives will spend the remainder of its session days carrying out its oversight functions, former president and now Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has disclosed.
Manila Bulletin

‘Bill protecting kids in conflict areas lapsed into law’
A network of children’s rights advocates said a measure that aims to protect children in conflict areas appears to have lapsed into law. The Child Rights Network (CRN), an alliance of organizations and agencies pushing for children’s rights legislation in the Philippines, said President Duterte appeared to have not taken action on the “Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Act.”
Philippine Star

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS (LGUs)

LGUs must automate for enhanced competitiveness
As local governments march towards the path of full development, their leaderships must venture into technological advancements that only support the modernization of its operations but also equip itself with intelligent tools that help manage its most valuable resource, its land.
The Manila Times

DEFENSE AND SECURITY

Increase in pension honors sacrifices, heroism of senior veterans — Lorenzana
The government’s move to increase the pension of World War II veterans will encourage the youth to follow their sacrifices and heroic deeds for the country, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Saturday.
Manila Bulletin

ECONOMY AND INVESTMENTS

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD

Duterte’s ‘Build, Build, Build’: Reimagining Luzon
A total of 939.38 km of High-Standard Highways/Expressways are targeted to be implemented/constructed in Luzon, which is about twice the 382.26 km of existing expressways. Once completed, the travel time from Metro Manila to La Union will be reduced from six hours and 55 minutes to three hours and 10 minutes. Moreover, travel time from Ilocos to Bicol will be reduced from 19 hours and 40 minutes to eight hours and 15 minutes.
Manila Bulletin

OFFICIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE

GRAFT AND CORRUPTION

Enrile’s graft trial to finally start in March 2019
Juan Ponce Enrile will be busy in the coming months as he runs his senatorial campaign the same time that the trial finally begins for his graft case. The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan finished the pre trial stage of Enrile’s pork barrel scam graft case on Friday, January 11. The trial proper is set to start on March 19.
Rappler

FOREIGN RELATIONS  

West Philippine Sea

LABOR

TRANSPORTATION

HEALTH 

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

44K Negrense farmers, fisherfolk get crop insurance subsidy
A total of 44,690 farmers and fisherfolk in Negros Occidental benefited from almost PHP83 million worth of crop insurance premium subsidy in 2018. Based on figures released by the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC), a total of PHP72.9 million went to those enrolled under the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture (RSBSA) as of Friday.
Philippine News Agency

EDUCATION

DepEd says funds to repair damaged school buildings now dwindling
Even before its calamity fund for 2019 could be approved, pending the passage of this year’s national budget, the Department of Education (DepEd) said that there may no longer be enough funds to repair and rehabilitate public schools that were damaged by calamities. Education Secretary Leonor Briones, in a recent press briefing, noted that the P2-billion Quick Response Fund (QRF) of DepEd might soon be depleted.
Manila Bulletin

DepEd thanks Duterte for support to basic education sector
The Department of Education (DepEd) thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for his support and inspiration to the basic education sector. “We don’t only need universities and colleges, but we also need strong and established basic education facilities more importantly school buildings, computers and other equipment. And for that, we thank you for your support and for giving inspiration,” 
Sunstar Pampanga

ENERGY

POVERTY

HOUSING

TOURISM

ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES 

DENR tests 'smelly' wastewaster of mall near Manila Bay
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it is awaiting results of "smelly" wastewater reportedly coming from a mall  near the heavily polluted Manila Bay. During inspections Saturday morning near the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu pointed out that it collected samples from wastewater coming from its outfalls.
CNN Philippines, Manila Standard

COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY

DEVELOPMENT SECTOR