MILF CONFIDENT IT WILL BE CLEARED ON AL-BARKA MURDER
MANILA, NOVEMBER 7, 2011 (TRIBUNE) By Mario J. Mallari- Even after Malacacang affirmed a military statement that the government has withdrawn recognition of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's area of temporary stay (ATS) in Basilan, the MILF still maintains that the military was to blame for the Oct. 18 clash between MILF forces and members of the elite Army Special Forces (SF) that resulted in the killing of 19 soldiers.
MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal expressed confidence that the MILF would be cleared by the Joint Coordinating Committee on Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH), the International Monitoring Team (IMT) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (Ahjag) of culpability in the slaying of the soldiers in the investigation which will start today.
Iqbal maintained elements of the 13th and 19th SF Companies attacked MILF positions in Al Barka town that sparked a 10-hour clash that ended in the killing of 19 SF soldiers, four of them junior officers, and six MILF fighters.
"(We are) very very confident that the MILF did not commit any mistake. They were the ones attacked. They violated the ceasefire agreement," said Iqbal.
Iqbal also stood firm on the MILF's stance not to surrender Dan Laksaw Asnawi, deputy commander of the MILF's 114th Base Command in Basilan, who was tagged as the leader of the MILF band that engaged the SF forces in Al Barka.
"If we look at the terms of reference of the ceasefire agreement, there is nothing there that says that when these things happen, we will turn over (Asnawi), and the soldiers were the ones who attacked," he insisted.
So how could we be held responsible? asked Iqbal.
Iqbal also defended Asnawi for being charged for the beheading of 10 of the 14 Marines killed during a clash in 2007 also in Al Barka.
"Those responsible in the beheading were Abu Sayyaf not MILF," said Iqbal.
For its part, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) also expressed high hopes on the JCCCH-IMT-Ahjag investigation of the Al Barka incident.
"We have high hopes on the investigation. It's a welcome development for us to give justice to our fallen heroes," said AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr.
"We also hope that the IMT-JCCCH-Ahjag will get the essential facts about the incident to make appropriate recommendations," added Burgos.
Meanwhile, Burgos stressed that the military will continue with its law enforcement operations in Mindanao region, particularly in Basilan.
Burgos stressed that regardless of the pronouncements that the government no longer recognized MILF ATS in Al Barka, Basilan, "we continue with our law enforcement operations within the framework of the ceasefire mechanism."
Iqbal, however, countered that the military should stop its pursuit operations against the MILF group of Asnawi while the investigations are ongoing.
"That (hold off military operations) should be the case, otherwise it will further complicate the issue," said Iqbal.
Iqbal also vowed the MILF will abide by the findings of the JCCCH-IMT-Ahjag probe.
On Saturday, Malacañang confirmed that the government does not recognize any ATS in Basilan as stated earlier by Army chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz.
The MILF, allegedly through the efforts of the Malaysian-led IMT, gained ATS in Al Barka town after the August 2007 carnage of 14 Marine troops also by the group of Asnawi in Barangay Ginanta. The ATS was established to prevent armed confrontations between the AFP and MILF.
The ATS served as "safe haven" for Asnawi and his fighters after clashing with the Special Forces as pursuing government troops were prevented from entering the ATS to avoid escalation of the conflict.
The MILF peace panel, meanwhile, said it is considering seriously requesting for a dialogue with the three Catholic bishops who expressed critical views on the P5 million given by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) to the MILF's Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI) last Aug.22 in Kuala Lumpur.
Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat, told www.luwaran.com that the MILF peace panel has considered inviting Bishops Leonardo Medroso of Tagbilaran, Ilagan Bishop Elenito Galido and Cotabato Auxiliary Bishop Colin Bagaforo, after they separately expressed bitter views on the donation, which they described as "very distressing."
They said there is no justification for the government to give doleouts to insurgents, adding these will not bring peace to the country.
"It will mean more dead soldiers, widows and orphans. It is paying them to destroy our country. It's like arming the enemy. They might use to buy arms so that they can become stronger," Arguelles said in an interview.
For his part, Bagaforo went further to tag the Alex Boncayo Brigade and the MILF, which is currently talking peace with the government, as "enemies of the state."
"It's almost like lawless elements or criminals extorting from businessmen or the government, that if they won't give money, they would be bothered, if they give, they won't. This is not good," Bagaforo added.
Bagaforo, son of a retired military man, is known for his critical views on many facets of the government ways to address the conflict in Mindanao.
Mantawil lamented that even Church leaders utter highly divisive statements that instead of helping promoting peace, nurture and provide foundation for hatred and animosities in society.
Asked when the MILF peace panel will hold the dialogue, he said, "We will reach out to them first through a mutually acceptable go-between."
"We have very reliable line of communication with the Catholic Church," Mantawil disclosed, without elaborating.
However, he also expressed dismay why the P5 million issue refuses to die down when the OPAPP, former GPH peace panel chairmen, Secretary Silvestre Afable and Secretary Rodolfo Garcia, have already explained it very clearly.
Former President Fidel V. Ramos, meanwhile, again drummed up his opposition to an all-out war against the MILF claiming yesterday the country lost a staggering P270 billion during Mindanao war from 1975 to 2002.
"War is not an option," Ramos said for the nth time in a Sunday newspaper column.
After completing six years as the 12th President of the Republic of the Philippines, Ramos now 83, has become a newspaper columnist and author of a number of books and continued his travel abroad to promote the Philippines which he repeated said, "without government expense."
Ramos is supporting President Aquino's no to all-out war policy but all out justice for the victims of the murderous attack.
In his column, Ramos cited the cost of war in Mindanao from 1975-2002.
He expressed his dismay the all-out war launched by then President Joseph Estrada in the summer of 2000 that lasted for three months.
"Statistics presented during the Cabinet-OPAPP briefing for Congressional leaders last August 4, 2008 showed that during 1970-1996, the AFP spent some P73 billion for arms/ammunition against the MNLF and its splinter groups (MILF included) — on top of loss of lives and socio-economic costs," Ramos said.
He said that "Estrada's 'All-Out War Policy' launched April 2000 resulted in an average of P20 million spent daily for three months (total P1.8 billion). Despite heavy spending, that offensive cost the lives of 431 soldiers and 624 wounded. Moreover, infrastructure damage amounted to P202 million, plus P125 million worth of agri-products destroyed."
Ramos continued: In 2003, when measurable progress restarted in Mindanao, the military overran the Buliok complex (MILF command center after Camp Abubakar) in campaigns against kidnap-for-ransom groups. Because of MILF-KFRG (Kidnap-for-Ransom Group) atrocities, some P47 million worth of agricultural produce was destroyed and P130 million in infrastructure damaged."
"Thus, the direct costs of renewed Mindanao war from April 2000 to December 2003 amounted to some P2.3 billion, as revealed in said briefing," he said.
Ramos also said that "more than body-counts and direct damage, war's social costs were even greater."
"Per DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) figures, some one million persons were displaced/ rendered homeless by Estrada's war policy starting in April 2000. Due to crackdowns on the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), 200,000 more people were dislocated. That number increased in 2003 with additional 750,000 evacuees. From 2000 to 2004, therefore, 2,000,000 people became 'internal refugees,' losing both homes and livelihood in Mindanao," Ramos said.
Citing the 2005 Philippine Human Development Report records, Ramos that that "all-out war and ASG atrocities caused Mindanao investment growth to plunge from plus 17 percent to minus 5 percent in 2000-2001, resulting in its negative growth." "Considering both explicit and implicit economic losses, OPAPP reported that from 1975 to 2002, losses in Mindanao ranged from P5 to P10 billion annually, which totals an astronomical P135 to P270 billion for 27 years," Ramos concluded.
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