Pinoy News
Missile Kills Filipino Militant in Pakistan (US Intel)
DERA ISMAIL KHAN (AP) — A Filipino militant wanted by the United States is believed to have been killed in an American drone strike close to the Afghan border earlier this month, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
If confirmed, the death of Abdul Basit Usman would represent another success for the US covert missile program on targets in Pakistan. There have been an unprecedented number of attacks this month following a deadly Dec. 30 militant attack on a CIA base in Afghanistan.
Two military intelligence officers in northwestern Pakistan said that Usman was believed killed on Jan. 14 on the border of Pakistan's South and North Waziristan tribal regions. Another 11 militants were also killed in the strike on a militant compound. Authorities have previously said the attack had targeted the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud.
There had been no previous indication Usman was in Pakistan. If the reports of his death in Pakistan are true, it may indicate stronger ties between al-Qaida and Southeast Asian terrorist groups than previously thought.
The U.S. State Department's list of most-wanted terrorists identifies Usman as a bomb-making expert with links to the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf militant group and the Southeast Asian Jemaah Islamiyah network. It puts a bounty of U.S. $1 million for information leading to his conviction, and says he is believed responsible for bombings in the southern Philippines in 2006 and 2007 that killed 15 people.
Waziristan and other parts of Pakistan's border region have long been home to militants from all over the world, primarily Arabs and central Asians. Up to several hundred Filipino and other Southeast Asian militants traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the 1980s and '90s to fight the Soviets and attend al-Qaida run camps, but they are no longer believed to be in the region in significant numbers.
The apparent presence of Usman in Waziristan may raise fresh questions as to links between al-Qaida in Pakistan and militants in Southeast Asia, which has seen several bloody bombings and failed extremist plots since 2000. Many ere carried out by militants who had returned from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Pakistani officials cited militant informers as the source of the information on Usman's death — which could not be independently confirmed. One of them said Usman had been in Waziristan for one year after arriving from Afghanistan. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media on the record.
In the Philippines, two senior intelligence officials said they were unaware of any report regarding Usman's death. A U.S. military official based in the southern Philippines, the stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, said he also had not received any report. They too spoke on condition of anonymity.
Pakistani government officials, who rarely confirm the identities of those killed in US attacks, were not available for comment. Islamabad publicly complains about the missile strikes because admitting to cooperating with the United States would be politically damaging, but it is believed to provide intelligence for many of them. US officials, also, do not often talk about the missile strikes or their targets, but they have in the past confirmed the deaths of several mid- and high-level al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters.
Most of the missiles are fired from unmanned drone aircraft launched from Afghanistan. Visiting US Defense Secretary Robert Gates was asked about the drone program during an interview with local Express TV.
"I'm not going to discuss operations but I will say this: These unmanned aerial vehicles have been extremely useful to us, both in Iraq and in Afghanistan," he said. Gates said he is expanding the program by buying more of the aircraft. He also said the United States was considering ways to share intelligence with the Pakistani military, including possibly giving it US-made drones for intelligence and reconnaissance purposes.
US officials said Gates was referring to a proposed deal for 12 unarmed Shadow aircraft. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military cooperation.
PGMA: Caticlan airport a dream come true
CATICLAN, Aklan -- Lowering the time capsule that signals the start of modernization work on Caticlan International Airport, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said her dream is about to come true. The modernization project, which will be undertaken in phases, carries a P2.507 billion price tag.
In her talk with reporters, the President noted that the International Finance Corp., the private sector investment arm of the World Bank, has recommended the modernization of the Caticlan airport to serve tourists going to Boracay Island, famous the world over for its white, powdery sand beach. She added the airport will serve as a gateway not only to Boracay but also to the rest of the Visayas.
The President, who flew in from the Kalibo airport and took a chopper to Malay town in this province, said the group of George Yang, exclusive local licensee of McDonald’s of America, and former Ambassador to the Vatican Francisco Alba, have taken up her call for the private sector to undertake the upgrading of the airport.
Through the years, the President said, tourists have been clamoring for an airport right in Caticlan, not in Kalibo.
“I saw this as a challenge since not all tourists are rich and have the money to spend for frequent bus and ferry transfers,“ she explained. The President also said that Yang, who is a frequent traveler to Boracay, has invested in Shangri-La-Boracay, Fairways, and BlueWater, which he bought from the Filinvest Group. She also expressed gratitude to Ambassador Alba, who joined the group that invested in the project.
The President then presented two of the beneficiaries of the Caticlan Airport Development Project—Maricar Tesorero, a tour guide operator, and Dante de la Torre, a carpenter hired by the group for the upgrading of the airport—and asked them how the airport would benefit them directly.
Tesorero said she and others like her depend on daily tour duties for their income.
“When the Caticlan airport was closed because of an aviation accident, we had to go daily to Kalibo and sell our services to clients there,” she said. “It was hard, not to mention the high cost of commuting daily.”
She said she is glad to hear that the work on the airport will be completed in seven years. “We hope to earn a higher income serving local and foreign tourists in Caticlan and Boracay,” she said.
De la Torre, for his part, said the construction project will assure him of a stable source of income for the next seven years, or until he turns 52. For the locals, he added, there will be livelihood and job opportunities as well.
The President said she is happy that airport modernization and construction, “which is one of my State of the Nation Address promises, is about to make a positive impact on the lives of the people.”
The Mayors of Nabas and Malay in Aklan province are excited over the upgrading of the Caticlan Airport , which they said will substantially boost the incomes and economies of their towns.
Nabas Mayor Romeo Dalisay and Malay Ceciron Cawaling could only thank President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for being the only president who showed keen interest in improving their economies through tourism, capitalizing on the inroads already achieved by Boracay, known globally for its white sands.
“Aside from beaches, we have a lot of things to offer our tourists. We have eco-tourism spots like caves, cold springs, long winding coastlines, the hospitable people and our cottage industries whose products are now being sold to the Boracay tiangge because our tourists here are hardly enough to sustain our economies,” said Dalisay.
“Even with the operation of the Caticlan airport, which can only accommodate the small planes of Seair and Air Philippines, we still need to attract investments in our respective areas, particularly for hospitality industry businesses (lodgings, inns and outdoor sports businesses),” Cawaling said.
“This improvement of the Caticlan airport will definitely boost our economies because it will create a lot of jobs, attract investments into our towns, and force us to deliver world-class services,” Dalisay said.
Even George Yang, a major investor in modernizing the airport, said “so much investments are needed to boost these towns and make them grow as fast as Boracay.”
Yang said he plans to put up a chain of McDonald’s in the entire province, aside from beefing up his logistics operations and branching into more hotels and resorts.
“There is so much room for growth in this province and I am so excited that our investments in the airport will produce a strong positive impact on the lives of the people here and for the local officials of these town,” Yang said.
Tourism Sector Projects $3-Billion Windfall from M.I.C.E.
Promotions
The country’s tourism sector sees a $3-billion windfall from the continued surge of the global market for meetings, incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions (MICE).
Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said that while this amount ($3 billion) represents a mere one percent of the $300-billion MICE market worldwide, it is big enough to boost the country’s annual tourism receipts and compensate for any slump in the other industry sectors or market segments.
Durano issued this statement as visitor arrivals from crisis-affected countries threatened to dwindle, prompting the Department of Tourism (DoT) to look for other foreign markets and sectors that could fill up the gap.
He cited the MICE market as a stable source of foreign visitors because of its resiliency and year-round vigor, making it invulnerable to price fluctuations and seasonality. Being mostly corporate and industry driven, this market is active all year round since MICE activities make up a necessary business and social function.
“Multinational companies, for example, can hardly do away with meetings involving their numerous executives in various countries. We can, therefore, take advantage of our country’s position as a regional headquarters of many multinational firms and serve as host to these international corporate meetings that bring in hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors from all over the world, particularly Asia Pacific,” Durano explained.
The Philippines strategic location in the heart of the Southeast Asia can also make it a preferred choice for regional corporate events, including incentive travel, conventions and exhibitions, Durano added.
He said many of these events would now include marketing as their main objectives, especially incentive travel, industry conventions and trade exhibitions. “In fact, incentive travel is now a popular reward, not only to a company’s employees, but also to its dealers and even loyal consumers. Worldwide, many corporate and product promos offer foreign trips as a marketing come-on to their target markets,” Durano said.
Likewise, industry and professional conventions are being used as a venue to introduce new products. These include breakthrough pharmaceutical products that are traditionally introduced to the medical profession via company-sponsored conventions in foreign countries, which form part of the marketing incentive.
