The waters between the Philippines, and Malaysia and Indonesia are prone to abductions and piracy.
The three countries have agreed to jointly patrol these waters and to cooperate to secure the important shipping route that passes through it.
Follow this thread for updates on incidents near the country's porous maritime boundary.
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Six passengers of a wooden-hulled boat that sank off Baguan Island waters in Tawi Tawi were rescued by the Philippine Marines on Thursday, July 7. The report was relayed by the Naval Forces Western Mindanao which said that the boat left Tabawan, South Ubian for Taganak Island on Ju
ZAMBOANGA CITY - An alleged Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandit already detained here for kidnapping charges got a third arrest warrant for the same offense, an official said Thursday. Col. John Francis Encinareal, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Region 9 (CIDG-9) chief, said the latest arrest order against Suhud Salasim was for four counts of kidnapping for ransom and serious illegal detention. A court in Jolo, Sulu recommended no bail. The arrest warrant was issued last May 6. Salasim has been jailed since March last year following his capture when government troops rescued three of the four Indonesians that the group held captive off Pasigan Island, South Ubian, Tawi-Tawi, in January 2020. Prior to his capture, Salasim had pending arrest warrants for his alleged involvement in at least two kidnapping incidents. Salasim's group seized the five Indonesian fishermen on January 15, 2020 off Lahad Datu, Sabah, and brought them to Sulu. Authorities said the bandits killed one of
DAVAO CITY A total of 351 agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARB) recently received titles to over 788 hectares of land in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). “This day is very important not only for you beneficiary farmers but especially for us because we are happy to be par
LEGITIMATE LANDOWNERS. Farmer-leaders pose with Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao agriculture officials after the distribution of certificates of land ownership award by the BARMM's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) in Cotabato City on Tuesday (Dec. 28, 2021). Since 2019, MAFAR has granted 507 land titles to 758 beneficiaries across the region, covering a total of 1,590.29 hectares. (Photo courtesy of MAFAR-BARMM) COTABATO CITY - Landless farmers in three provinces of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) can now claim ownership of the lands they have been tilling after the government granted them certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs). Minister Mohammad S. Yacob of the BARMM's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Agrarian Reform (MAFAR) on Wednesday said his office has facilitated and distributed 351 CLOAs to agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) from the provinces of Maguindanao, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi.