January4, 2007: Operations on Jolo island, where several hundred Islamic radicals are pursued by over 6,000 soldiers and marines, continue. Several months of these operations has worn the terrorists, and their supporters, down. More tips are coming in.

January 2, 2007: Military intelligence believes that at least five Indonesian Islamic terrorists are hiding out, with Abu Sayyaf, on Jolo island.

January 1, 2007: Another leftist activist was murdered, bringing the total to about 180 in the past year. Leftists insist there is a pattern to these deaths, and some kind of secret conspiracy behind all the mayhem. Investigations are demanded, but so far there is no evidence of secret government death squads.

December 29, 2006: A treaty dispute with the United States has been settled, with an American marine, convicted of rape, turned over to U.S. custody while his appeals go forward. Previously cancelled military exercises next month, have been restored. The U.S. muscled the Philippines over the issue, and the Philippines backed down. American troops now have many more restrictions placed on their off duty activities in the Philippines, to avoid another rape case.

December 28, 2006: In the south, a small bomb went off in a mall, wounding four people. Islamic terrorism is not suspected, because the mall management had earlier received a blackmail demand.

December 27, 2006: Khadaffy Janjalani, the head of Abu Sayyaf, is apparently dead. Two recently captured Abu Sayyaf men revealed the location of Janjalani's body. Janjalani, who was apparently killed in a gun battle several months ago, has a five million reward out for his capture, dead or alive. He is the most wanted man in the Philippines. It's uncertain if the two Abu Sayyaf men would be eligible for the reward. DNA tests are being performed to determine if the decomposing corpse is Janjalani.