VZCZCXRO6000
OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHML #1780/01 2070845
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 250845Z JUL 08
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1410
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 001780 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KISL KPAO EAID RP
SUBJECT: BUILDING CONFIDENCE FOR PEACE IN THE SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY.  The Ambassador continued to focus attention on U.S. 
assistance in conflict-affected areas in the Southern Philippines 
during a visit to Zamboanga City and Basilan Province to observe 
U.S.-funded development projects and meet with local Basilan 
business leaders.  Recently-appointed Presidential Peace Advisor, 
Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, joined the Ambassador in his first 
visit to the southern Philippines since stepping down as head of the 
Armed Forces of the Philippines in order to assume his new position. 
 Throughout the day, the Ambassador and Secretary Esperon emphasized 
the importance of development assistance in the Philippines-U.S. 
partnership bringing peace and prosperity to the Philippines.  The 
United States Agency for International Development assistance 
projects included opening a reading corner at a center for homeless 
and orphaned youth, providing computers and internet connections to 
a high school in Zamboanga City, the formal turn-over of a newly 
completed bridge,  and celebrating the progress being made by some 
former MNLF combatants who have ventured into fish-farming in 
Lamitan, Basilan Province.  All events were well attended by local 
officials, enthusiastic crowds, and both local and national media. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
-------------- 
BACK TO SCHOOL 
-------------- 
 
¶2. (U)  Flanked by Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat and Secretary 
Esperon, the Ambassador toured one of USAID's Education Quality and 
Access for Learning and Livelihood Skills (EQuALLS) assistance 
projects dedicated to providing literacy and livelihood training for 
out-of-school, orphaned, and homeless youth.  Zamboanga City is one 
of 39 USAID-EQuALLS project beneficiary cities.  Several dozen 
students, teachers, and social workers watched as the Ambassador, 
Secretary Esperon, and Mayor Lobregat cut a ribbon formally opening 
a "reading area" complete with donated books, lighting, and chairs. 
Afterwards, Ambassador Kenney read one of the donated books to 
several children and visited the skills-training area where older 
students demonstrated their paper-making processes.  EQuALLS will 
also refurbish a building to be used for additional alternative 
learning classes and skills training. 
 
---------------------------- 
CLICK AND THE WORLD IS YOURS 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U)  Greeted by a throng of cheering students and teachers, the 
Ambassador, Secretary Esperon, and Zamboanga City Mayor Lobregat 
arrived at Cabaluay National High School to turn over an assistance 
package of computer resources under USAID's Computer Literacy and 
Internet Connection (CLIC) program.  As of July, 2008, the CLIC 
program has helped introduce computer and internet education in 672 
high schools in Muslim Mindanao, with a combined enrollment of over 
half a million students.  The Ambassador and Secretary Esperon spoke 
to the assembled student body on the importance of becoming citizens 
of the world and then toured the school's computer laboratory.  The 
CLIC program, USAID pays the cost of the internet connection for the 
first year, with the school's Parent Teacher Community Association 
(PTCA) taking on the responsibility after the first year. 
 
---------------- 
A BUSINESS LUNCH 
---------------- 
 
¶4. (U)  Upon arriving in the town of Lamitan, in the island-province 
of Basilan, the Ambassador and Secretary Esperon joined Lamitan 
Mayor Roderick Furigay at a luncheon with local business leaders of 
Lamitan.  During the luncheon, the Ambassador and Secretary Esperon 
moderated a free-ranging discussion on regional and national 
economic issues with the chamber's largely small business owners. 
Throughout the discussion, the Ambassador praised the business 
people for their sustained efforts to create a peaceful business 
climate in their region of the Southern Philippines. 
 
-------------------- 
BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE 
-------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The Ambassador traveled to the southern part of Lamitan City 
to the site of the new Camanse Bridge, the latest of some 870 
infrastructure Projects completed by USAID throughout 
conflict-affected areas of the Southern Philippines.  The new bridge 
replaces an old makeshift bridge that would regularly be covered by 
floodwaters during the rainy season, increasing transport time and 
costs.  The new Camanse Bridge allows the safe and timely delivery 
of commercial agricultural products.  At the bridge's ribbon-cutting 
ceremony attended by Basilan Governor Jum Jainuddin Akbar and 
Lamitan Mayor Furigay, Secretary Esperon remarked that this region 
of Basilan had made incredible progress since he had struggled to 
maintain order there as a young lieutenant fresh from the Philippine 
Military Academy some 30 years ago, and more recently as head of the 
Armed Forces of the Philippines.  Now, with infrastructure and 
 
MANILA 00001780  002 OF 002 
 
 
development projects created by the partnerships between the USG and 
local government units, the bridge is symbolic of the progress made 
towards peace and stability.  Secretary Esperon stated that, "this 
is not only a bridge for providing access; it is also a bridge for 
building friendship and solidarity." 
 
---------------- 
MAKING PEACE PAY 
---------------- 
 
¶6. (U) A large group of former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) 
combatants who were assisted by USAID to enter into the high-value 
fish-farming business welcomed the Ambassador and Secretary Esperon 
to the MNLF's regional headquarters in Basilan, where the Ambassador 
participated in a ceremony turning over a motorboat engine assembly 
to one group of the former combatants and witnessed the signing of a 
sales agreement between another group of the combatants and a 
high-value fish buyer from nearby Isabela City.  The motorboat 
engine assembly will allow the cooperative to double its income by 
being able to transport their harvest to markets in Zamboanga city, 
rather than selling them at farmgate prices at the point where they 
are grown.  USAID has been working with both groups of former 
combatants (and scores of additional groups as well) since 2003 in 
an attempt to help the former combatants make the transition to 
productive farmers.  (Altogether, approximately 28,000 former MNLF 
combatants throughout Mindanao have been assisted to become 
small-scale commercial producers of corn, rice, seaweed, high-value 
fish, and vegetables).  During the ceremony, Secretary Esperon 
congratulated the cooperative's members on their steady economic 
progress and as "one former combatant to another," pledged to bring 
a lasting peace to the region in his capacity as Presidential Peace 
Advisor. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
JOINT SPECIAL OPERATIONS TASK FORCE-PHILIPPINES UPDATE 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
¶7. (U) The JSOTF-P conducted a briefing for Secretary Esperon and 
the Ambassador, outlining the combined Civil Military Operations 
(CMO) the JSOTF has completed or will accomplish in the southern 
Philippines during FY08.  All projects are completed through, by, 
and with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Local Governing 
Units (LGUs) and local contractors. A total of 255 projects are in 
various stages of completion. The 255 projects include 193 
Engineering Civic Action Programs (ENCAPs) and 62 Medical Civic 
Action Projects (MEDCAPs) that provided medical treatment for 17,303 
people. Included in the 193 ENCAPs are: 25 road segments totaling 
110 kilometers; 14 ACCs; 4 Bridges; 3 Clinics; 3 Piers; 56 Schools; 
59 Water projects. The projects have affected 1,398 barangays and 
approximately 2 million people by increasing security, providing 
jobs, providing economic growth and development, and basic and 
essential services. 
 
¶8. (U) The JSOTF also provided a briefing on its Military 
Information Support Team (MIST).  The MIST helps shape the 
information environment to support the AFP and provide support to 
public safety. The MIST highlighted its "Your AFP" series of 
products consisting of posters, pamphlets, comic books, radio and TV 
commercials designed to increase public support for the AFP as the 
"people's armed forces" and to reassure the populace that the AFP is 
there to protect them.  Many of the products include images of the 
AFP conducting CMO projects, such as grading a road with a bulldozer 
and digging wells to provide fresh water for local communities. 
These products were also designed to show that the AFP has many more 
capabilities beyond the internal defense mission. 
 
-------------------- 
SOLID MEDIA COVERAGE 
-------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) Local media were present at all public events and provided 
favorable coverage of the Ambassador's visit, which was also picked 
up by national Philippine media.  The Ambassador also conducted live 
call-in interviews to a local and national radio station during 
drive-time hours where she was able to reiterate the USG's 
commitment to a stable, prosperous Philippines and our hopes for the 
successful conclusion of a peace agreement between the Philippine 
government and Muslim insurgents. 
 
KENNEY