Philippines: Rebel Risks and Foreign Investors

A New Year’s Day rebel attack against a foreign-owned copper mine in Barangay Tablu in Tampakan, South Cotabato, Philippines, could in part have been an inside job, STRATFOR sources said. The sources also suggest that rebel recruitment is being ramped up for a possible February attack. Though threats of attacks are part and parcel of Philippine rebels' tactics, and it is not clear if the risk to foreign investors is genuinely increasing, investors considering ignoring extortion demands now will think twice before doing so.