AFP-PNP kill 4 NPA hors de combat

In the early morning of 6 July, combined forces of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police raided a farm in a distant village in Binalbagan, Negros Occidental province, in central Philippines, where six members of the New People's Army were resting. Four of the NPA were captured without a fight and executed by the AFP-PNP.

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Protests greet Marcos Jr. inauguration

The inauguration of Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on 30 June as the 17th President of the Republic of the Philippines was met by protests in the capital city of Manila, other cities in the Philippines, as well as in the US. The protesters rejected the “illegitimate Marcos II” who won the elections “through lies and historical revisionism.” They also expressed their demands for higher wages, scrapping of the excise tax on fuel and lowering the prices of basic commodities.

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Mindanao communities put up stiff resistance vs US mining companies

Indigenous lumad, Moros and local farmers in the communities of the Far South Mindanao region continue their resistance against land grabbing and plunder by US mining companies and the repression of the Manila government protecting these foreign mining interests.

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ICC Prosecutor pushes resumption of probe on Duterte government

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber on 24 June to allow his office to resume its investigation on crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Philippines, despite a request for deferment from the Duterte government. In his 53-page request, ICC Prosecutor Khan declared that the Manila government has not shown that “it has investigated or is investigating” crimes within the ICC’s jurisdiction.

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Government ban on online media critics denounced

The Duterte government’s order to block Philippine online users from visiting 25 websites it deemed “to be affiliated to and are supporting terrorists and terrorist organizations” drew widespread condemnation. Included in the list of banned websites are those of the Communist Party of the Philippines, National Democratic Front of the Philippines and its allied organizations, CPP Founding Chairman Jose Maria Sison, local online news organizations and local community and activist organizations. Also included are websites of international organizations and news blogs.

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NPA defends Lumad and Moro communities in Sultan Kudarat

The Communist Party of the Philippines praised the New People’s Army in Sultan Kudarat province, in southern Mindanao Island, for defending the indigenous Lumad and Moro communities in Palimbang town against landgrabbers and armed attacks of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. From 15 – 20 June, units of the NPA mounted three successful armed offensives against the 28th Infantry Battalion of the AFP in the villages of Balwan and Molon.

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‘Anti-Terrorism Council’ labels Jalandoni, 5 others as terrorists

“I am not a terrorist,” declared Luis G. Jalandoni, upon learning of his designation as a terrorist by the Duterte government’s ‘Anti-Terrorism Council’. He added, “I have worked for more than three decades for a just and lasting peace in the Philippines.” Jalandoni is a Senior Adviser of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines Negotiating Panel in peace talks with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. Prior to 2016, he served as Chairperson of the NDFP peace panel for more than 20 years.

Read more: ‘Anti-Terrorism Council’ labels Jalandoni, 5 others as terrorists