26 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY June 1 - 15 , 2017 RP News and More ...
13 PH Marines killed by Maute terrorist group
COTABATO - The Armed Forces of the Philippines ( AFP ) said it is validating a report that the founding leaders of the Maute terrorist group , Omar and Mhade Maute , were killed in the ongoing military offensives in Marawi City .
“ We are validating this information but that is the report ,” Lt . Col . Jo-Ar Herrera , Joint Task Force Marawi spokesperson , said in a news conference Saturday afternoon .
Herrera also said the local government of Masiu and civilians helped in the arrest of Farhana Maute ,
Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo on Sunday admitted that some foreigners have indeed canceled their trips to Mindanao because of martial law , which President Duterte imposed effective May 23 , following the attack by Maute militants in Marawi City .
Teo said that while the tourists were spooked by martial law , they were more scared of the threat posed by the extremist group Islamic State ( IS ).
Security officials previously said the Maute group has ties with the IS , which promotes violence against non-Muslims .
At the start of the Marawi crisis , Teo expressed optimism that martial law in Mindanao would not have much impact on tourism .
“ We will continue to promote the Philippines as a destination in spite of
DOT confirms tour cancellations over Martial Law , IS martial law . I am confident tourists will still come to the country ,” she said in a press briefing in Moscow , Russia last May 25 , two days after the Marawi crisis began .
The tourism department seeks to attract eight million visitors this year . Palace confident of tourism ’ s recovery
Despite the cancellations , Malacañang expressed confidence that tourism will recover once the security issues in Marawi City are addressed .
Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the tourists ’ decision to rebook to other destinations was expected , as foreign embassies issued travel warnings after the declaration of martial law in Mindanao .
“ We understand the concern of foreign tourists . Safety is on top of their minds ,” Abella said .
“ We remain optimistic that things would bounce back once the peace , order and normalcy have been restored in Marawi ,” he added .
Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo
Duterte placed the entire island of Mindanao under martial law after Maute militants raided Marawi City , torched several build-
WWW . PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY . COM
ings and seized more than a dozen people , including a Catholic priest . Slogan clarification Meanwhile , officials of the Department of Tourism ( DOT ) clarified yesterday that they did not change the country ’ s campaign slogan “ It ’ s more fun in the Philippines ,” contrary to some reports that it has been changed to “ Experience the Philippines .”
“( DOT ’ s ) main slogan is the same . We are not getting rid of ‘ It ’ s more fun in the Philippines .’ In fact , we still use that slogan in all our collaterals ,” Undersecretary Kat de Castro said .
De Castro ’ s statement came after the DOT was criticized for allegedly coming up with a new slogan campaign that seemed to have not undergone serious deliberation .
The DOT officially
Facebook to take down accounts linked to terror groups
mother of the Maute siblings Friday night .
Thirteen more Philippine Marine commandos , including a junior officer who led the operation that led to the confiscation of some P80 million cash and checks from a suspected Maute safehouse , were killed in the continuing gun battle to retake Marawi City from the Maute Group .
One of those killed was 1Lt . Frederick Savellano , who led the assault on a Maute stronghold where the sizable amount of cash and checks were seized .
“ We salute this enormous display of heroism and raw courge of these fallen Marines in the course of the fight to clear Marawi of the remaining members of the Maute-ISIS Group ,” AFP spokesperosn Col . Edgar Arevalo .
To date , a total of 58 government forces have been killed in the operation against the Maute terrorist group .
“ We are on the offensive mode , we are constantly moving toward the position of the enemies , unfortunately we incurred several casualties , we are doing our best to re-strategize ,” Herrera said .
“ The enemy has strong defensive positions , maximized presence of high structure buildings and civilian hostages used as human shields ,” he added .
“ We are making adjustments in our offensives ,” he said , adding that air strikes were effective in the operations .
“ We hit the logistical hubs , several command and control and communications and snipers ’ nest of Maute ,” Herrera said . ●
- MB
launched its newest campaign during the nationwide simultaneous flag-raising ceremonies commemorating the country ’ s 119th Independence Day yesterday .
The one-minute commercial titled “ Sights ” features blind Japanese retiree M . Uchimura who enjoyed his stay in Pangasinan , Ifugao , Paoay Sand Dunes in Paoay , Ilocos Norte and Calle Crisologo in Vigan City , Ilocos Sur .
At the end of the commercial , a message “ Experience the Philippines ” was seen on top of the country ’ s main slogan campaign “ It ’ s more fun in the Philippines .”
Teo said the commercial goes beyond featuring the country ’ s tourist spots , as it focuses on the unique experiences that each destination can offer . ●
- A . Romero / R . Ramirez , PS
Social media giant Facebook has pledged to take down accounts that engage in terrorist activities .
In a statement sent to The STAR , Facebook said it follows a strict set of community standards to ensure that users are provided with a service where people feel safe .
“ Our Community Standards do not allow groups or people that engage in terrorist activity , or posts that express support for terrorism . Fake accounts are also prohibited ,” Facebook said .
“ We will remove accounts and content that violate these policies when we are made aware of them .”
Facebook issued the statement after the Armed Forces of the Philippines called for the removal of at least 63 accounts of Maute terrorists and their sympathizers .
“ We would also like to appeal to Facebook Philippines … to undertake the necessary measures to investigate the 63 Facebook accounts that are being utilized by the Maute local terrorist group and sympathizers ,” the Philippine Army ’ s 1st Infantry Division spokesman Lt . Col . Jo-Ar Herrera said .
Herrera said the accounts are spreading malicious information that affects the mindset of Filipinos .
Among those disseminated online using these accounts was a video of the terrorists smashing statues in a Catholic church in Marawi City . Independence Day hack While the country celebrated its 119th Independence Day yesterday , a group of hackers called AnonGhostPH defaced websites of the Laguna Lake Development Authority ( LLDA ) as well as several government websites in Mindanao and the private sector .
The LLDA homepage , www . llda . gov . ph , contained a black background and showed the messages “ OPERATION INDEPEN- DENCE DAY ,” “ STOP ! THE MARTIAL LAW NOW ” and “ AnonGhostPH .”
As of yesterday evening , the LLDA website has remained down .
The websites of the local government of Sta . Cruz town in Davao del Sur , the Davao Regional Medical Center and private company Ayala Property have also been defaced , according to a television report .
The National Bureau of Investigation ( NBI ) said it has not received any complaint about the defacement . Weak private web-hosting
The Department of Information and Communications Technology ( DICT ) said yesterday ’ s hacking of the four websites showed the weakness of private web-hosting providers . The department ’ s undersecretary for special concerns Eliseo Rio told The STAR that three of the four hacked websites were of government agencies that had not availed themselves of the more secure government web-hosting services . ●
– J . Mateo / G . Ong with R . Allan Ronda . PS