YEARENDER: AFP battles natural, man-made 'enemies' in 2009

MANILA, Philippines - It was a dizzying 2009 for the defense and military establishments, as they had to deal with natural and man-made catastrophes that nearly sapped the nation’s energy.

Widespread flooding in several provinces – particularly Zambales, Bataan, Pangasinan and the Bicol region – greeted 2009.

And before the year was over, tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng” brought unimaginable destruction and deaths to several areas in Luzon including Metro Manila in late September and October. The two weather disturbances killed more than a thousand people and left more than a million homeless. One more typhoon, “Santi,” also hit the country.

But the government was more prepared for this calamity. The National Disaster Coordinating Council already had in place a preemptive evacuation plan. Under the plan, soldiers were deployed in danger zones to force the evacuation of residents ahead of the typhoon’s onslaught. Some 100,000 people were moved out of their homes before Santi made landfall, saving countless lives.

Apart from the human toll, the weather disturbances had also severely affected business, prompting President Arroyo to place affected areas, including Metro Manila, under a state of calamity and impose price ceilings on major goods and commodities.

On Oct. 7, the United Nations, at the government’s request, issued a flash appeal for help.

As Luzon reeled from the effects of the deadly typhoons, the military pulled out of combat duty 80 percent of its troops in the region and redeployed them to rescue and relief operations. Two soldiers lost their lives in rescue operations.

Red Cross not spared

While troops in Luzon were risking their lives in disaster duties, their comrades in Western Mindanao were busy hunting and battling members of the terror group Abu Sayyaf and its regional partner Jemaah Islamiyah.

On Jan. 15, Abu Sayyaf terrorists snatched three workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Patikul, Sulu.

The kidnapping of Andreas Notter, Eugenio Vagni and Mary Jean Lacaba undermined development and aid efforts in the region as well as set back the government’s anti-terrorism campaign.

The military sent more troops to the province to rescue the three and in the process lost dozens of soldiers in skirmishes with the terrorists.

The three were freed one after another months later and authorities said no ransom was paid.

But there were persistent reports that millions of pesos changed hands before the three ICRC workers were freed.

The high-profile kidnapping of the ICRC workers sidelined other cases of kidnapping by suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits based in Basilan.

The victims included six schoolteachers, who were later released reportedly after payment of undisclosed amount of ransom.

“No kidnap victim in Basilan and Sulu had ever been released without paying ransom,” a source pointed out, debunking claims by officials that intense military and police pressure forced the release of the captives.

Aside from the rash of kidnappings, bombings terrorized some urban centers in Mindanao. Commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), particularly Ameril Umbra Kato, were blamed for the blasts.

Despite the military’s claim of success, the murderous MILF commander and his cohorts, Abdurahaam Macapaar alias Commander Bravo and Aleem Sulayman Pangalian, remain at large.

The three are facing more than a hundred charges for deadly attacks on civilians in August 2008.

Missionary snatched

Even a Roman Catholic missionary involved in civic and charity work fell victim to kidnappers.

Suspected MILF gunmen snatched Irish priest Michael Sinnott on Oct. 11 at a Columban missionary convent in Pagadian City. He was eventually released.

As the country waited for news of Sinnott’s whereabouts, a Manila-bound SuperFerry sank off Zamboanga del Norte, killing 10 people.

Disaster and military officials ruled out terrorism in the SuperFerry 9 sinking, but investigators have yet to establish the cause of the sinking.

And as the disaster-weary nation prepared to celebrate Christmas, another sea disaster struck on Christmas Eve.

Wooden-hulled passenger ferry Catalyn B was on its way to Lubang Island in Mindoro when it collided with the steel-hulled fishing boat Anatalia off Cavite, causing it to sink. Three people were confirmed to have died in the accident and several remain unaccounted for.

Maguindanao massacre

Year 2009 also witnessed the most gruesome murders in the country in recent history.

On Nov. 23, armed men allegedly led by Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. killed 57 people – including journalists and lawyers – in a remote area in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao.

The main targets of the killers were the wife of Buluan town Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu and some female relatives who were on their way to the capitol in Shariff Aguak to file his certificate of candidacy for governor to challenge Andal Jr.

They were in a convoy with the journalists and lawyers when waylaid. Andal Jr. has been in detention at the National Bureau of Investigation headquarters in Manila after his surrender on Nov. 26.