#Brunei promises a memorable journey.

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Discovering Brunei: A Jewel of Southeast Asia

Nestled on the northern coast of the island of Borneo, Brunei is a small yet fascinating country that often goes unnoticed by many travelers. Officially known as the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace (Negara Brunei Darussalam), this sultanate offers a unique blend of rich history, lush landscapes, and a distinctive cultural heritage. A Brief History of Brunei Brunei’s history dates back to…

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First of 11 barracks for decommissioned weapons completed

#PHnews: First of 11 barracks for decommissioned weapons completed

CAMP ABUBAKAR, Barira, Maguindanao -- The first of eleven Joint Peace and Security Team (JPST) barracks to be built in seven provinces across Mindanao was officially turned over to the Joint Peace and Security Committee (JPSC) last Wednesday in this former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) stronghold.

The barracks are being constructed with funding support from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through its Support to Peacebuilding and Normalization (SPAN) Program.

Newly-installed JPSC co-chair, Brig. Gen. Francisco Ariel Felicidario III, who also co-chairs the Coordinating Committee on Cessation of Hostilities - Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (CCCH-AHJAG), accepted the barracks on behalf of the JPSC.

The facility shall serve as the headquarters of the first JPST team which has been tasked to safeguard weapons turned over by members of the MILF-Bangsamoro who have undergone the process of decommissioning.

The decommissioned firearms are now kept in the Secured Arms and Storage Area (SASA) inside the camp under the oversight of the International Decommissioning Body (IDB).

The JPST team, composed of 15 members each from the MILF-BIAF, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), has been deployed in the area for almost a week.

Symbol of trust in peace process

OPAPP Undersecretary David B. Diciano, head of the Joint Normalization Division and Chair of the GPH Peace Implementing Panel and Enrico Gaveglia, UNDP deputy resident representative, led the turnover of the facility.

“Today’s turnover of the first of 11 JPST barracks that will be established in mutually agreed areas symbolizes our desire to ensure the implementation of the security component of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB),” Diciano said.

He said the decommissioned weapons “represents the decades of armed struggle of the Bangsamoro People.”

“And now that they have been put to rest, they will serve as a reminder to all of us of the sacrifices made by our Moro brothers and sisters in order to uplift the lives of their people,” he said. “The laying down of these firearms are concrete proof of the Bangsamoro People’s trust and confidence in the peace agreement forged between the government and the MILF.”

The JPSC coordinates with the GPH and MILF implementing panels on security arrangements, develops policies and operational guidelines for creating a more effective partnership among JPST members, and carries out security arrangements for activities related to the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).

Unwavering commitment to peace process

Diciano pointed out that the numerous accomplishments in the Bangsamoro peace process were achieved because of the unwavering support and commitment coming from the government’s various local and international peace partners.

“The major milestones we have achieved in the Bangsamoro Peace Process over the years are largely due to the support coming from our local and international peace partners who share our belief that the only way to resolve the armed conflict in Mindanao is by walking the path of peace,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gaveglia reaffirmed UNDP’s continued support to the government, MILF and the normalization process as a whole, as he lauded the parties for working very hard to move the peace process forward.

“UNDP reaffirms its commitment to support OPAPP and the normalization mechanism [by] helping to move the process forward through our SPAN Program,” he said.

“UNDP has been working with Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) and JPSC to support the operationalization of the JPSTs -- to [gather] the needed supplies, equipment and uniforms, conduct JPST trainings, procure vehicles, and construct barracks and stations,” Gaveglia added.

He explained that the UNDP’s implementation of projects under the normalization track is being carried out in partnership with the Embassy of Japan. The agency, he said, looks forward to completing the other 10 barracks in the first quarter of 2020.

“This is actually a testimony of a wider purpose, it is the emblem of the Normalization Process. I do believe that this is just the first step of a longer journey,” Gaveglia said.

Lt. Col. Sherpor Nezam Abdul Ghapor, IDB deputy chief of staff, also reaffirmed the body’s continued commitment to the Bangsamoro peace process.

“This facility, along with JPST personnel, will provide the IDB with the assurance and security that it needs in giving protection not only to the storage area but to the personnel as well,” Ghapor said.

“I would like to reiterate the unwavering commitment of the IDB member-countries towards the implementation of the GPH and the MILF Peace Agreement,” he added.

Ghapor also thanked the AFP’s 1st Marine Brigade headed by Col. Jonas Lumawag of the Philippine Navy, which has been assigned as the “maneuver unit” that will secure the perimeter of the Camp Abubakar or Camp Iranun.

The IDB is mandated to oversee the decommissioning of the MILF combatants and their weapons. It is composed of representatives from the governments of Turkey, Norway, Kingdom of Brunei, and local experts nominated by the GPH and MILF.

Camp Abubakar: A glorious past and promising future

Camp Abubakar had been witness to some of the most memorable historical events of the Bangsamoro’s struggle for self-governance, culminating in the signing of the historic CAB.

Alex Sulay, an intelligence officer assigned to the general headquarters of the MILF- BIAF Base Command, can still recall the look and atmosphere of the area where the JPST barracks now stands.

According to Sulay, the place used to be a bustling center of trade, which also boasted of its own “university.” Aside from a market, there were also smaller schools and clinics, within the community. It was also the home of the founding father of the MILF, the late Ustadz Salamat Hashim.

The resilience of the Iranun people was tested during the outbreak of armed conflict between the government and the MILF, which forced them to abandon their homes and evacuate to safer grounds.

With the signing of the CAB and the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, the Iranun areas are now reaping the dividends of peace as farm-to-market roads, agriculture-based establishments, as well as other infrastructure and socioeconomic projects are being implemented in the area.

Shuaib Adam, MILF Joint Task Force on Camps Transformation (JTFCT) member, is optimistic that Camp Abubakar and all the other MILF communities will be restored to their “former glory” and may even “have greater and better opportunities than it used to have especially now that we are under the Bangsamoro Government.”

Kashmir Mohamad, JPST-MILF focal person, said the barracks will provide a big boost to the JPST and “is a testament of the effective working partnership with OPAPP and UNDP through the SPAN Program.”

Aleodin Aron, who represented Minister Von Al Haq, co-chair of JPSC MILF during the event, said “the JPST has been protecting the gates of the peace process” which began during the decommissioning process at the Assembly and Processing Area (APA) Sites, to securing the SASA and other decommissioning-related activities.

Camp Abubakar is one of the mutually-agreed deployment areas where the JPST barracks will be established. The other facilities will be located in the provinces of North Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Basilan, Zamboanga Sibugay, Lanao Del Norte, and Lanao del Sur. (PR)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "First of 11 barracks for decommissioned weapons completed." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1093970 (accessed February 16, 2020 at 10:54PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "First of 11 barracks for decommissioned weapons completed." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1093970 (archived).

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Simon McMenemy – the best British coach you’ve never heard of?

Simon McMenemy was in charge as the unfancied Bhayangkara FC won the Indonesian top flight in 2017

The Indonesian top-flight season starts this weekend – and a Scottish coach you may not have heard of is about to begin the defence of his title.

Simon McMenemy’s journey from English non-league football to championship-winning manager in Indonesia is certainly a road less travelled.

Along the way, he has changed the football fortunes of the Philippines, dealt with false promises in Vietnam, chased snakes from his home in the Borneo jungle and coached a former team-mate of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Now he wants his chance back home – but can he catch the attention of clubs in the UK?

A fairytale in the Philippines

The story began in West Sussex back in 2010, when McMenemy had a chance Facebook conversation with two Filipino brothers, Simon and Paul Greatwich, who he had coached at Burgess Hill Town in the eighth tier of English football.

The pair told him that the Philippines national team job was vacant and McMenemy, despite being the 32-year-old assistant manager of non-league Worthing, audaciously threw his hat into the ring.

Remarkably, the Philippines Football Federation was convinced. He packed his bags and left the south coast of England for South East Asia.

McMenemy’s first task was to guide the Philippines to the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup – the region’s major international championship. The team was nicknamed the Azkals, after the mongrel dogs that roam the country’s streets, and it was a fitting moniker given their lowly football standing.

Under the Scot, however, they flourished. He led the Philippines all the way to the semi-finals, where they fell narrowly to Indonesia. But McMenemy and his team had won a host of admirers.

“We only realised the change in outlook that had happened when we got back,” McMenemy told BBC Sport. “There were a huge amount of people there at the airport to greet us. There were cameras, everyone was doing interviews. It felt like the birth of a new sport in the Philippines.

“It really changed the football landscape. The last six or seven years since that happened, football has exploded. There’s now a professional league up and running, and the club that wins the league qualifies for the Asian Champions League. That all stemmed from our success. We were the snowball pushed off the top of the cliff.

“It really was a fairytale.”

The fairytale quickly turned sour, however, as McMenemy – despite his managerial heroics – was dumped weeks after the end of the tournament in favour of German coach Michael Weiss.

McMenemy was in charge as the Philippines reached the last four of the AFF Suzuki Cup in 2010

Landing a job on Twitter – it didn’t last

What followed is best described as a journeyman few years for McMenemy, who took up club jobs in Vietnam, Indonesia and the Maldives – the latter of which saw the club owner initiate contact, and then seal the deal, via Twitter.

It brought many eye-opening experiences, including a memorable first spell in Indonesia, in the heart of the jungle in Kalimantan – where controlling the population of snakes in his garden proved as challenging as controlling his players. The daily serpent chase was not something he had had to face in the South Downs.

On the pitch, McMenemy’s spell in Borneo began with a bang in a dramatic local derby.

“Late in the game the referee gave our opponents a corner,” he recalls. “There was a huge pitch invasion because their fans thought it was handball and should have been a penalty.

“The police eventually got them back in the stands – and then the referee changed his mind and gave a pen. Our goalkeeper saved it and, of course, there was another pitch invasion. It was carnage.

“We were pushed into the centre circle and armed police surrounded us as a full scale riot with 15,000 fans happened around us. Just another day in the Indonesian League!”

The chaos of that first match was indicative of what was to come as the job in Borneo, and another in Java, ended prematurely. Performances were good but the political game proved a stumbling block.

A return to the Philippines with Manila-based Loyola Meralco Sparks in 2014 brought more stability – but two years later, McMenemy was ready to throw himself back into the lions’ den.

McMenemy landed in job in the Maldives on Twitter – but it was anything but paradise

The Indonesian Leicester City?

In January 2017, he joined Bhayangkara FC in the newly rebranded Indonesian Liga 1.

“I knew that I had one more chance,” said McMenemy. “I saw an opportunity to redeem myself and although Bhayangkara were a mid-table team – an unfancied team at best – I believed I could get them playing.”

McMenemy set about crafting his new side, with one of the first major decisions being which marquee player to sign. Former Premier League players Michael Essien, Peter Odemwingie and Didier Zokora are among those to turn out in Indonesian football in recent years – but Bhayangkara’s new boss was after more than star power.

“In my first spell in Indonesia I signed Marcus Bent from Birmingham. He was an incredible guy, a lovely bloke, but he took a lot of time to manage on and off the pitch because he was new to Indonesia and found the new surroundings difficult.

“I wanted to avoid that again – why sign Robin van Persie if you have to focus all your time on helping Robin van Persie settle in Indonesia? It’s not fair on the other players.”

McMenemy brought Marcus Bent to Indonesia from Birmingham – and learned lessons from the experience

Instead of a Flying Dutchman, McMenemy turned to a poised Portuguese. The arrival of Paulo Sergio, a midfielder who came up through the ranks of Sporting’s fabled academy with Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo, was a masterstroke.

Sergio had starred under ex-Blackburn boss Steve Kean as Brunei DPMM won Singapore’s S.League in 2015 and he quickly became the glue that held McMenemy’s young side together.

A motivated coach bred a motivated group of players and the wins kept coming.

With three games of the season to go, Bhayangkara were top and locked in a three-way title battle with Bali United and PSM Makassar, clubs with deeper pockets and bigger fanbases.

“No-one expected us to be challenging for the title but I wouldn’t say this was another Leicester City story. We weren’t a counter-attacking team – we played attractive football and dominated games. The belief was always there and with a couple of games of the season to go, we were top and fighting hard to stay there.

“Then we had a huge slice of luck.”

In a 1-1 away draw at McMenemy’s former club Mitra Kukar, ex-Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko played for the hosts despite being suspended. The Indonesian FA awarded Bhayangkara the three points, leaving them in need of a victory in their next game to claim the league title with a match to spare.

They won that match 3-1 and celebrated as if they had won the title – but it was short-lived. Rivals Bali United had complained about the Sissoko decision and the league refused to confirm McMenemy’s side as champions until they conducted an investigation.

“We were left on tenterhooks for two to three days,” McMenemy explains. “It was horrible. Eventually, though, we got a phone call in the middle of training saying we’d won the league. It was a messy end and took the shine off things a little given how well we’d played all year. But at least we were able to lift the trophy at home on the last day of the season.”

McMenemy became the first British coach to win the Indonesian championship and, more importantly, finally proved that his initial success with the Philippines had been no fluke.

“It was an incredible relief. I still have a tweet on my phone that I saved from the day I arrived at Bhayangkara. It said: ‘Coach, you’ve been here twice. Why would you come back? #loser.’ That served as great motivation. Everything I learned over the past seven years – the failures and successes, all the different cultures and ideas – came together to help shape the title win.”

McMenemy was celebrating as his team won the Indonesian top flight last year – but would love a chance to impress back home

Can he cut it back home? Clyde didn’t want to know

McMenemy is now busy preparing for the new season, having turned down job offers from Malaysia, Thailand and even South Africa.

The Scot’s reputation is clearly growing – he was recently named FourFourTwo South East Asia’s coach of the year – but he is yet to capture the attention of clubs back in the UK.

New jobs for Roy Hodgson, David Moyes and Sam Allardyce in recent months – at Crystal Palace, West Ham and Everton respectively – show that some Premier League clubs still have a penchant for the familiar.

But McMenemy is hopeful a time will come when club owners in general are more outward looking in their managerial choices.

“I honestly don’t mind that no-one at home knows who I am, but I do think there is a fundamental problem with the culture,” he added.

“There are a lot of disheartened young coaches who can’t get a look in because there is still that old school, insular circle of coaches just swapping positions.

“Where’s the new blood? Why aren’t we learning from countries like Germany, where new young coaches seem to pop up and enjoy success every year?

“A few years ago I sent across my CV for the Clyde job and spoke to the chairman on the phone. He said: ‘It’s very impressive but you have never done anything in Scotland.’ I get that he was stating the facts but I had managed a national team in front of 90,000 people in the semi-final of a tournament.

“Hopefully a time will come when I can put my CV in for a job next to the latest England international who’s just retired and people will think: ‘This guy has done a lot – let’s give him a chance.’

“I know my name might not open doors – but maybe one day my football experiences will.”

The post Simon McMenemy – the best British coach you’ve never heard of? appeared first on Breaking News Top News & Latest News Headlines | Reuters.