Philippines: Mindanao's Frustrated Peace

Pulitzer Center Staff

Ryan Anson examines the most recent political and military developments in the southern Philippines in two articles published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Sunday, September 9, 2007.

In "Trying to keep it all in the family dynasty," Ryan reports on a congressman-elect and his two wives -- one the mayor of Isabela City and the other Basilan's new governor -- and the concerns that come with one family's rise in political power.

Isabela City is not Baghdad. Roadside bombs don't rip through the floors of humvees, nor do masked insurgents take pot shots at Kevlar-vested soldiers from bullet-riddled buildings.

But like Baghdad, there are American servicemen here. They've been helping Filipino soldiers fight al Qaeda-linked terrorists who have made the southern Philippine region of Mindanao a hotbed of extremist activity during the past decade.

And they're doing it without firing a shot - at least not outside their camp.

After weeks of vote counting, sporadic bombings and allegations of election fraud, the insurgency-racked island of Basilan in the southern Philippines finally has a new congressman. It also has a new governor and mayor of the provincial capital where al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf terrorists once dined in local restaurants by day, and kidnapped priests and schoolteachers at night.

In a twist on the long Filipino tradition of dynastic rule, Basilan's new governor and the mayor of Isabela City are both married to congressman-elect Wahab Akbar.

Two of Ryan Anson's photos were featured in Newsweek's August 20, 2007 edition. The article titled "How to Beat Terror" looks at the new tactics adopted by Asian states in the war on terror. Authors Joe Cochrane, Criselda Yabes and Marites D. Vitug look at these tactics and the capture of Jemaah Islamiah's leader. Ryan Anson illustrates this article with two of his photos taken in the region. Refer to Newsweek's August 20, 2007 edition for the full story.