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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/voters-approve-muslim-self-rule-in-philippines-troubled-south MANILA • Voters have decisively approved a new Muslim-led region in the Philippines' south, which is hoped will bring a measure of peace after decades of fighting killed thousands and mired the area in poverty. The results, announced yesterday, will begin the process of the Catholic-majority nation's largest rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), laying down its weapons and assuming political power. About 150,000 people were killed in the rebellion that began in 1970s and aimed to push the government to grant independence to a Muslim minority concentrated on the southern island of Mindanao. As part of the peace process, the MILF has joined the government in battling the hardline factions aligned to terror group Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) waging guerilla campaigns in the southern Philippines. President Rodrigo Duterte, himself from Mindanao, has been a staunch supporter of Bangsamoro and signed the law last year paving the way for the vote. Under the terms of the law which lays out the region's powers, Bangsamoro will get US$950 million (S$1.29 billion) in development funds over the next 10 years, as well as a chunk of the tax revenue generated within its borders and national receipts. Manila will keep control over the police, but it is hoped that close cooperation on security with Bangsamoro's leaders will help get a handle on the region's endemic lawlessness. Muslim rebels have long been battling for independence or autonomy on Mindanao, which they regard as their ancestral homeland dating back to when Arab traders arrived there in the 13th century. The Bangsamoro region will expand and supersede an existing Muslim-led region which struggled to govern effectively due to limited powers and was hamstrung by alleged corruption. After voters' approval, the rebels are to immediately demobilise a third of their fighters, which the group said number about 30,000. MILF has begun an inventory of its weapons, which will not be destroyed but rather placed in a depot guarded by former MILF fighters and government security forces. Laying down their guns may prove to be a delicate process for rebels living in a region with extremely limited rule of law, where being armed is also a way to protect oneself and family from crime. Transitioning from rebellion to governance also promises to carry challenges for rebels who have limited experience in the difficulties of politics and bureaucracy. AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

ah ah ah.................lai liao another one.............lick boots call father............now detain workers..........what the dog going to do when owner shout............. http://www.businessinsider.com/philippines-detains-chinese-nationals-accused-of-running-gambling-op-2016-11?IR=T&r=US&IR=T BEIJING (Reuters) - China is concerned over the Philippines' detention of more than a thousand Chinese nationals during a crackdown on online gambling, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday, in what could be a strain for ties that have warmed in recent months. The Philippines immigration bureau last week detained about 1,200 Chinese people working in call center-like facilities suspected of running online gambling operations out of a former U.S. air base, Clark Field. The detentions marked the government's biggest such round-up of Chinese nationals in the country, many thought to be working there illegally. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China had requested that the Philippines "appropriately make arrangements" for those who had been detained and quickly release individuals who have "legal identification". "At the same time, China expresses concern over the large number of Chinese citizens detained by the Philippines," Geng told reporters at a regular press briefing, adding that China always reminds its citizens who travel abroad to abide by local laws. It is unclear if the Chinese nationals were being held for gambling offences or for visa and immigration violations, but about 900 were brought to the immigration detention center in Manila, according to a Philippine police report. Online gambling is not illegal in the Philippines, but it is subject to permitting and zoning regulations. China has expressed support for the Philippines' other law enforcement efforts, including President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-narcotics campaign, which has sparked criticism from Western countries over fears of extrajudicial killings. In contrast with the previous Philippine government's adversarial relationship with Beijing, Duterte has made efforts to improve ties with China, which have been plagued by territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Prior to leaving for an Asia-Pacific summit in Lima this month, Duterte said if Russia and China decided to create a "new order" in the world, he would be the first to join.