RP COUNTERS RESOLUTION TO STOP WAR IN MINDANAO: KUALA LUMPUR--The Philippine
government will officially ask the Organization of Islamic Conference's
Committee of Six this afternoon to "delete" a paragraph from a draft OIC
resolution urging the government to "immediately halt its military
offensive against the Bangsamoro people."
The government will also explain to the committee why it cannot move the
elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to 2003.
The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) on the other hand will ask the
OIC to "demand" from the Philippine government "full compliance" with the
peace agreement both parties signed in 1996.
The MNLF will demand the passage of the law "that fully embodies" the
provisions in the 1996 Final Peace Agreement "on or before Nov. 30" aside
from asking the government to stop military operations in the areas covered
by autonomy.
The OIC brokered the peace negotiations that led to the signing of the
peace pact in Jakarta.
For its part, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has been
repeatedly saying it will present its plight before the OIC, has not
submitted a position paper, according to Indonesian Foreign Minister Dr.
Alwi Shibab. (Indonesia is the chair of the Committee of Six).
But Shibab said "we know exactly what they want."
A proposed OIC resolution urges "the Government of the Republic of the
Philippines to immediately halt military offensives against" the Bangsamoro
people.
The resolution, drafted during the OIC Senior Officials' Meeting in Jeddah
last month, will be submitted for approval during the plenary session of
the 27th Islamic Conference of the Foreign Ministers here.
In a four-page position paper, National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre,
head of the Philippine delegation to the Committee of Six meeting, said the
government viewed "with concern" Paragraph 15 of the draft resolution as it
was "inaccurate and a misrepresentation of the situation in Mindanao."
He said there was no military offensive against the Bangsamoro people.
"The Bangsamoro people are Muslim Filipinos and they are treated equally
like other Filipino citizens, their human rights respected and their
development and their welfare are our concern," he said.
"However, there is legitimate police/military action against the MILF
rebels and the extremist Abu Sayyaf for their illegal and terroristic acts
committed against the people (Muslims and Christians alike) in Southern
Philippines," Aguirre said.
He stressed that the "MILF rebels and the Abu Sayyaf do not represent the
Muslim Filipinos, nor the communist rebels, the Christian Filipinos."
The government is requesting that in lieu of the paragraph calling for a
stop to military offensives, the OIC should "urge and encourage the
remaining Bangsamoro rebels to talk peace with the government and embrace
the autonomy already provided for in the OIC-sponsored peace agreement
between the government and the MNLF."
Aside from the four-page position paper, Aguirre is submitting a four-page
paper titled "Why the Present Hostilities in Mindanao?"
It was prepared on May 30 after MNLF chair Nur Misuari lambasted the
government in the OIC Senior Officials' meeting in Jeddah for allegedly not
implementing the peace agreement.
Also included in the folder is a five-page paper titled "Point by Point
Rebuttal to Statements made by MILF chairman Salamat as published in a
Madina newspaper, AL-Resala, on 08 May 2000" and glossy covered monograph
on "The Implementation of the GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement 1996-2000."
The monograph contains an executive summary and photographs of development
projects.
A smaller booklet, which contains Misuari's controversial Jeddah speech and
his speech in October 1999, is being distributed to delegates and observers
of the 56-country Islamic body.
Misuari will present the booklet and a 25-page brief to the meeting of the
Committee of Six at 3 p.m. today at the Palace of the Golden Horses hotel.
Misuari has been asking the OIC to "ensure that the integrity of the peace
agreement be protected."
Indonesian Foreign Minister Shibab said the government and the MNLF would
be part of the meeting this afternoon so that the committee could listen to
both sides.
Shibab said that Indonesia, as chair of the committee, would listen to both
the government and the MNLF. "In the spirit of Asean solidarity, we will
try our best to accommodate . . . but we will not in any way jeopardize our
relations with the Philippine government," he said. Inquirer, 06/28/2000
NUR TO TAKE UP CUDGELS FOR MILF: KUALA LUMPUR--As "sole representative of
the Bangsamoro people," the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) will
take up the cudgels for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) before the
Organization of the Islamic Conference's Committee of Six meeting here this
afternoon.
The MNLF leadership under MNLF chair and ARMM Gov. Nur Misuari was expected
to meet late last night with representatives of the MILF here, to discuss a
common stand in today's committee meeting. The MILF broke away from the
MNLF in the 1970s.
Efforts had been worked out for the two Moro groups to meet before the
committee meeting. "I am willing to meet with them (MILF)," Misuari told
the INQUIRER yesterday noon. But he noted that no meeting had been arranged
as yet.
But at 7 last night, a source said Misuari and Ghazali Jaafar, MILF vice
chair for political affairs, would meet "at around 11 o'clock." The venue
of the talks was not disclosed.
The source said Misuari received yesterday a letter from MILF chair Hashim
Salamat.
The Committee of Six, which will tackle the "Bangsamoro problem" will
meet at the Palace of the Golden Horses at 3 p.m. today.
Inquirer, 06/28/2000
PROPOSAL FOR INTERIM PEACE PACT DISCLOSED: DAVAO CITY--The government peace
panel has formally proposed a five-point interim agreement to the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which includes a ceasefire, resumption of
peace talks in a foreign country and the forging of a peace pact by Dec. 15.
Eid Kabalu, acting MILF spokesperson, said the offer was handed to Ghazali
Jaafar, MILF vice chair for political affairs, by government peace panel
chair Edgardo Batenga in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
But Batenga said it was the other way around.
Batenga said the five-point proposal was actually the MILF's
counter-proposal to the government's offer for an interim agreement that
would extend the June 30 deadline set by President Estrada.
The President wanted the government and the rebel group to sign an accord
by that time.
The government has set two conditions for an interim agreement--the
dropping of the MILF bid for secession and a stop to its "terroristic
acts."
Kabalu said the MILF was still studying the government's proposal, which,
he added, called on the government and the rebel group to:
-- Discuss autonomy as a political solution to the Bangsamoro problem.
-- Stop all military operations to effectively enforce the agreement on
the General Cessation of Hostilities dated July 18, 1997, with foreign
observers in the peace talks helping to monitor the ceasefire accord.
-- Enforce the accord on safety and security guarantees, including the
dropping of all criminal cases against MILF leaders and commanders.
-- Convene the peace panels on July 29 and for them to meet as often as
necessary, preferably in a foreign country, to conclude a complete and
final agreement on or before Dec. 15, 2000.
The fifth point in the proposal urged the MILF to condemn all terroristic
activities "in the strongest terms."
Kabalu said a copy of the draft interim agreement was sent to him by fax
from the MILF leaders in Kuala Lumpur.
Jaafar is in the Malaysian capital with MILF information chief Mohaqher
Iqbal, lawyer Lanang Al and Moner Bajunaid, who acted as MILF peace panel
chair in the last round of talks on May 30-June 1.
Reacting to Batenga's statement that the five-point proposal was the
MILF's, Kabalu said: "We're not the one offering an interim agreement.
They (government peace panel) are trying to beat the June 30 deadline. We
are not bound by that deadline."
Batenga said back-channel talks between him and MILF peace panel chair
Abdulaziz Mimbantas were continuing. The two are expected to meet in a
city in Mindanao today.
Earlier, the MILF had sought a postponement of the June 28 meeting with the
government peace panel for July 29. It had said it needed time to consult
its members on the government's proposed political package for a
"meaningful autonomy as envisioned in House Bill 7883."
The bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives last year,
amends the law creating the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in order
to expand the areas of Moro autonomy, subject to a plebiscite.
Inquirer, 06/26/2000
`ONE DOWN, 20 TO GO': Malacanang urged yesterday the Abu Sayyaf terrorists
to "take the ultimate step" and release the remaining 20 mostly foreign
hostages being held in the jungles of Jolo, Sulu for nine weeks now.
Malacanang viewed the release of Malaysian hostage Sulkurnain bin Hashim as
a "gesture of goodwill" by the Abu Sayyaf.
Zulkurnain was reportedly bitten by a scorpion and needed immediate medical
attention.
Asked about the remaining 20 hostages, among them eight more Malaysians,
Presidential Adviser Robert Aventajado, the government's chief negotiator
with the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers, said their release can now be expected.
He described the Malaysian's release as a "breakthrough" in the
negotiations.
A commercial ferry reportedly took Sulkurnain to Zamboanga City for the
handover to Aventajado.
Aventajado flew in from Manila yesterday just to receive Sulkurnain who was
already at presidential consultant Lee Peng Hui's residence in Barangay
Pasonanca, Zamboanga City.
Aventajado then turned over the 29-year-old Sulkurnain, a forest ranger, to
Malaysian authorities preparatory to his trip back to his home state of
Sabah in Malaysia.
Asked why the kidnappers chose to free Sulkurnain, Aventajado said he is
the "most religious in the group, so maybe, they took pity on him."
Observers said Sulkurnain's release caught Aventajado's team, most of whom
were in Manila during the weekend, by surprise.
Negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf had been in limbo, with the government
panel having formally met only once with leaders of the Abu Sayyaf
kidnappers, and that was last May 27.
Since then, communications with the kidnappers were mostly through
emissary, with no significant headway being attained.
Malaysian deputy chief of mission Badruddin Ab-Rahman said he did not know
anything about Sulkurnain's release, until Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan informed
him about it Saturday night.
Kuala Lumpur has repeatedly denied any involvement in the reported backdoor
talks with the Abu Sayyaf with a ransom
offer of $300,000 for each of the nine Malaysian hostages.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar also said no concessions were
made in exchange for the freedom of Zulkurnain. Phil. Star, 06/26/2000
MILF TO RAISE $15 M DURING OIC MEETING IN MALAYSIA: The secessionist Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will try to raise funds that may be
channeled to its war chest at this week's meeting of the Organization of
Islamic Conference (OIC) in Kuala Lumpur.
A prominent Muslim leader, who asked not to be identified, said the MILF
will ask between "$10 million to $15 million" from sympathetic OIC
member-states, which he did not identify.
The funds, the MILF claimed, would be used to help hundreds of thousands of
refugees displaced by the heightened Muslim insurgency in Mindanao,
according to the Muslim leader.
However, there is no guarantee that the money would not be used to buy
weapons.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu denied it. "We were not even given an observer
status, how can we get such a large amount?" he asked.
The government is worried that the MILF would take advantage of the
June 27-30 forum to step up its bid for an independent Islamic state in
Mindanao.
MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar and MILF chief
peace negotiator Ali Mimbantas are reportedly already in Kuala Lumpur for
the conference.
The MILF has been trying to obtain recognition from the OIC, which only
recognizes the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) headed by Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Nur Misuari as the sole representative of
Mindanao Muslims.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon said the Philippine delegation, to
be led by National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre, would try to explain
the government's side. Phil. Star, 06/26/2000
ONE KILLED, 36 HURT IN 6 GENSAN BLASTS: Six bomb blasts blamed on Muslim
separatist rebels rocked General Santos City yesterday, killing one person
and wounding 36 others.
Manila-based radio station dzBB said the explosions, detonated by remote
control, went off just minutes of each other in the downtown area. Three
blasts ripped through the market and one each outside a bank, a cinema and
a fishing industry office.
The explosions caused a power blackout, but electricity was restored after
several minutes.
No one claimed responsibility, although the radio station quoted military
intelligence reports as saying that bomb attacks would be staged in the
city by secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels from
June 20 to 27.
The blasts could derail peace negotiations between the government and the
MILF because President Estrada said he would only extend his June 30
deadline for the conclusion of the talks if the rebels drop their bid for
secession and stop their terrorist attacks.
Three bomb explosions in General Santos early last May killed one person.
The MILF claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were meant to
divert the attention of military forces attacking an MILF camp in Mindanao.
Last month, six bombs killed three people and wounded 70 others in the city.
The MILF denied any responsibility. Phil. Star, 06/25/2000
NOKOR ASSURES RP: NO ARMS FOR MILF: North Korea assured the Philippines
yesterday that it would block any arms shipment to the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) which is fighting for a separate Islamic state in
Mindanao.
This developed as the MILF denied reports that it was about to buy weapons
from North Korea, saying it has local suppliers to rely on.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon said he has received reports that
North Korea would assist the Philippines in its fight against the Muslim
rebels.
President Estrada earlier decided to push ahead with forging diplomatic
ties with communist North Korea. The bilateral ties will be formalized next
month and Siazon said unconfirmed reports of an arms shipment from
Pyongyang to Mindanao would not deter their plans.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu, for his part, denied reports that his group was
buying millions of pesos worth of guns and ammunition from abroad.
He noted that buying arms from abroad was never an option for the MILF
since such entails a "long, expensive and risky" process.
Kabalu said reports that an arms shipment for the MILF had slipped into the
country through the backdoor were "baseless" and fabricated to "confuse the
minds of the people."
He pointed out that the reports could never be true since MILF fighters
have the same arms as government soldiers.
Kabalu likewise denied allegations that the Muslim separatist rebels have
received financial support from Osama bin Laden, the Saudi billionaire who
has been accused of financing terrorists in various countries.
He said the recent report that the MILF had received $3 million from Bin
Laden was just part of the grand plot of the government to discredit the
group before the international Islamic community.
Immigration Commissioner Rufus Rodriguez said agents in the ports of
Zamboanga, Cotabato, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, Iligan, Surigao, Jolo,
Tawi-Tawi and this city will maintain a tight watch on arriving planes and
vessels.
He added that he also assigned a team of immigration agents to coordinate
with the military in monitoring the activities of foreigners working for
three non-government organizations (NGOs) in Mindanao which have been
suspected of providing aid to the rebels.
Ramsey Yousef and Omar Khalifa allegedly established the NGOs in the 1980s,
two international terrorists who have been convicted and jailed for the
1995 bombing of the World Trade Center in the United States.
Phil. Star, 06/24/2000
PROPOSAL FOR INTERIM PEACE PACT DISCLOSED: DAVAO CITY--The government peace
panel has formally proposed a five-point interim agreement to the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which includes a ceasefire, resumption of
peace talks in a foreign country and the forging of a peace pact by
Dec. 15.
Eid Kabalu, acting MILF spokesperson, said the offer was handed to Ghazali
Jaafar, MILF vice chair for political affairs, by government peace panel
chair Edgardo Batenga in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
But Batenga said it was the other way around.
Batenga said the five-point proposal was actually the MILF's counter-
proposal to the government's offer for an interim agreement that would
extend the June 30 deadline set by President Estrada.
The President wanted the government and the rebel group to sign an accord
by that time.
The government has set two conditions for an interim agreement--the
dropping of the MILF bid for secession and a stop to its "terroristic acts."
Kabalu said the MILF was still studying the government's proposal, which,
he added, called on the government and the rebel group to:
-- Discuss autonomy as a political solution to the Bangsamoro problem.
-- Stop all military operations to effectively enforce the agreement on the
General Cessation of Hostilities dated July 18, 1997, with foreign
observers in the peace talks helping to monitor the ceasefire accord.
-- Enforce the accord on safety and security guarantees, including the
dropping of all criminal cases against MILF leaders and commanders.
-- Convene the peace panels on July 29 and for them to meet as often as
necessary, preferably in a foreign country, to conclude a complete and
final agreement on or before Dec. 15, 2000.
The fifth point in the proposal urged the MILF to condemn all terroristic
activities "in the strongest terms."
Kabalu said a copy of the draft interim agreement was sent to him by fax
from the MILF leaders in Kuala Lumpur.
Jaafar is in the Malaysian capital with MILF information chief Mohaqher
Iqbal, lawyer Lanang Al and Moner Bajunaid, who acted as MILF peace panel
chair in the last round of talks on May 30-June 1.
Reacting to Batenga's statement that the five-point proposal was the
MILF's, Kabalu said: "We're not the one offering an interim agreement. They
(government peace panel) are trying to beat the June 30 deadline. We are
not bound by that deadline."
Batenga said back-channel talks between him and MILF peace panel chair
Abdulaziz Mimbantas were continuing. The two are expected to meet in a city
in Mindanao today.
Earlier, the MILF had sought a postponement of the June 28 meeting with the
government peace panel for July 29. It had said it needed time to consult
its members on the government's proposed political package for a
"meaningful autonomy as envisioned in House Bill 7883."
The bill, which was passed by the House of Representatives last year,
amends the law creating the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in order
to expand the areas of Moro autonomy, subject to a plebiscite.
Inquirer, 06/26/2000
`ONE DOWN, 20 TO GO': Malacanang urged yesterday the Abu Sayyaf terrorists
to "take the ultimate step" and release the remaining 20 mostly foreign
hostages being held in the jungles of Jolo, Sulu for nine weeks now.
Malacanang viewed the release of Malaysian hostage Sulkurnain bin Hashim as
a "gesture of goodwill" by the Abu Sayyaf.
Zulkurnain was reportedly bitten by a scorpion and needed immediate medical
attention.
Asked about the remaining 20 hostages, among them eight more Malaysians,
Presidential Adviser Robert Aventajado, the government's chief negotiator
with the Abu Sayyaf kidnappers, said their release can now be expected.
He described the Malaysian's release as a "breakthrough" in the
negotiations.
A commercial ferry reportedly took Sulkurnain to Zamboanga City for the
handover to Aventajado.
Aventajado flew in from Manila yesterday just to receive Sulkurnain who
was already at presidential consultant Lee Peng Hui's residence in Barangay
Pasonanca, Zamboanga City.
Aventajado then turned over the 29-year-old Sulkurnain, a forest ranger, to
Malaysian authorities preparatory to his trip back to his home state of
Sabah in Malaysia.
Asked why the kidnappers chose to free Sulkurnain, Aventajado said he is
the "most religious in the group, so maybe, they took pity on him."
Observers said Sulkurnain's release caught Aventajado's team, most of whom
were in Manila during the weekend, by surprise.
Negotiations with the Abu Sayyaf had been in limbo, with the government
panel having formally met only once with leaders of the Abu Sayyaf
kidnappers, and that was last May 27.
Since then, communications with the kidnappers were mostly through
emissary, with no significant headway being attained.
Malaysian deputy chief of mission Badruddin Ab-Rahman said he did not know
anything about Sulkurnain's release, until Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan informed
him about it Saturday night.
Kuala Lumpur has repeatedly denied any involvement in the reported backdoor
talks with the Abu Sayyaf with a ransom
offer of $300,000 for each of the nine Malaysian hostages.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar also said no concessions were
made in exchange for the freedom of Zulkurnain. Phil. Star, 06/26/2000
MILF TO RAISE $15 M DURING OIC MEETING IN MALAYSIA: The secessionist Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will try to raise funds that may be
channeled to its war chest at this week's meeting of the Organization of
Islamic Conference (OIC) in Kuala Lumpur.
A prominent Muslim leader, who asked not to be identified, said the MILF
will ask between "$10 million to $15 million" from sympathetic OIC
member-states, which he did not identify.
The funds, the MILF claimed, would be used to help hundreds of thousands of
refugees displaced by the heightened Muslim insurgency in Mindanao,
according to the Muslim leader.
However, there is no guarantee that the money would not be used to buy
weapons.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu denied it. "We were not even given an observer
status, how can we get such a large amount?" he asked.
The government is worried that the MILF would take advantage of the June
27-30 forum to step up its bid for an independent Islamic state in
Mindanao.
MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar and MILF chief
peace negotiator Ali Mimbantas are reportedly already in Kuala Lumpur for
the conference.
The MILF has been trying to obtain recognition from the OIC, which only
recognizes the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) headed by Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Nur Misuari as the sole representative of
Mindanao Muslims.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon said the Philippine delegation,
to be led by National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre, would try to
explain the government's side. Phil. Star, 06/26/2000
ONE KILLED, 36 HURT IN 6 GENSAN BLASTS: Six bomb blasts blamed on Muslim
separatist rebels rocked General Santos City yesterday, killing one person
and wounding 36 others.
Manila-based radio station dzBB said the explosions, detonated by remote
control, went off just minutes of each other in the downtown area. Three
blasts ripped through the market and one each outside a bank, a cinema
and a fishing industry office.
The explosions caused a power blackout, but electricity was restored after
several minutes.
No one claimed responsibility, although the radio station quoted military
intelligence reports as saying that bomb attacks would be staged in the
city by secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels from June
20 to 27.
The blasts could derail peace negotiations between the government and the
MILF because President Estrada said he would only extend his June 30
deadline for the conclusion of the talks if the rebels drop their bid for
secession and stop their terrorist attacks.
Three bomb explosions in General Santos early last May killed one person.
The MILF claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were meant to
divert the attention of military forces attacking an MILF camp in Mindanao.
Last month, six bombs killed three people and wounded 70 others in the
city. The MILF denied any responsibility. Phil. Star, 06/25/2000
OIC TO RP: NO MILF RECOGNITION: Visiting Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk
Serisyed Hamid Alvar assured President Estrada yesterday that the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) had not been invited to attend this month's
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) ministerial meeting in Kuala
Lumpur.
Alvar, who was accompanied during the courtesy call by Foreign Affairs
Secretary Domingo Siazon, emphasized that it was only the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) which had been asked to attend the annual meet as an
observer.
Alvar assured the Estrada administration that the OIC would not support the
MILF in its bid for recognition by the group of Islamic countries.
He assured his hosts that the Philippines would be a guest in the June 29
meeting, and that Philippine officials would be attending the discussions
with the Committee of Six.
The subject of this year's meeting is the position of Muslim minorities in
non--Muslim countries.
However, Alvar said it might not be possible for the Philippines to attend
other phases of the meeting because they are exclusively for OIC members.
Manila is lobbying to gain access to the opening and closing ceremonies of
the plenary session to guard against any black propaganda against the
Estrada administration. Phil. Star, 06/16/2000
JUNE 30 DEADLINE FOR MILF STAYS – ESTRADA: President Estrada yesterday said
the June 30 deadline "stays" for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to meet
two conditions for a ceasefire in Mindanao: drop all secessionist bids and
stop terroristic and criminal activities.
Mr. Estrada told Catholic Church leaders Wednesday he would give them six
months to "resolve the third condition"--that the guerrillas lay down their
arms.
In a press briefing yesterday, Press Secretary Ricardo Puno said the rebels'
compliance this month with the first two conditions would determine whether
they deserved the government's trust.
If they did not meet the two conditions, the government would not honor the
agreement to defer the third condition for six months, according to Puno.
Puno said that the six-month period was "not a deadline . . . it is merely a
time-reference period (so that) you and I know if things are moving in the
right direction."
MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu said yesterday the rebels would only respond to
the conditions if these would be coursed through "official channels" or
through the government negotiating panel.
He said the MILF would forge a peace agreement with the government only if
the latter would show its sincerity in dealing with the roots of the crisis
in Mindanao.
Puno said the conditions "must be time-bound" and not "open-ended" since
the President needed to see whether the talks were producing results.
Leaders of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines clarified they
did not volunteer to convince the rebels to surrender their arms.
"We did not appeal to President Estrada to give us time to work out the
third condition," Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, CBCP president, said
in a press statement.
"What we said was that the issue of a surrender of arms should be part of
the negotiations for peace," Quevedo said.
He said that "it was President Estrada who then responded he would 'give six
months for that,' referring to the ongoing peace negotiations" between the
government and the MILF.
Quevedo said the point the bishops were trying to make was that the issue of
the MILF surrendering its arms "should be part of the normal peace
negotiations."
Puno said the June 30 deadline was issued "in the context of the open-armed
conflict in Mindanao," adding that the conflict now appeared to be on the
wane.
He said even the bishops seemed to think the first two conditions were
reasonable because "many of the Muslim communities are not for cessation or
independence."
Puno said the bishops also agreed that the MILF should eventually surrender
its arms "because there is no way that you can have another armed group" in
Mindanao.
In Cotabato City, a priest present during Wednesday's meeting, said
President Estrada dropped the third condition altogether after listening to
Quevedo's presentation on the problems in Mindanao.
Fr. Eliseo Mercado Jr., chair of the Independent Fact-Finding Committee
mediating between the government and the MILF peace panels, said that
Quevedo initially summarized the problems of Mindanao during a private
meeting at the President's residence.
The President replied with his three conditions.
"But the President showed his flexibility" when the bishops explained that
while the first two conditions can be worked out by the peace panels, the
third condition could be difficult to achieve as it is tantamount to a call
for surrender. Inquirer, 06/16/2000
PAPAL NUNCIO CALLS FOR PEACE IN MINDANAO: Papal Nuncio Archbishop Antonio
Franco prayed yesterday for peace in Mindanao and called on the
international community to support the Filipino people's aspiration to
achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the South.
As the official representative of the Vatican, Franco echoed the prayers and
appeals of Pope John Paul II in calling for peace in conflict-stricken parts
of the world, especially in predominantly Christian countries like the
Philippines.
The archbishop's prayer for peace comes as the ongoing fighting between
government forces and Muslim rebels in Mindanao, highlighted by a drawn-out
hostage-taking, has gotten the attention of the rest of the world.
Archbishop Franco spoke as the dean of the diplomatic corps in the
Philippines during the vin d' honneur reception hosted by President Estrada
on the occasion of the country's 102nd Independence Day anniversary
yesterday.
In response to the Papal Nuncio, President Estrada reassured the
international community that the Philippine government remains committed to
pursue the ways of peace.
The Papal Nuncio, in his speech, noted that the Philippines "has become a
focus of attention in the world due to the tension and conflict being
experienced in the island of Mindanao." He specifically expressed concern
for the victims of violent incidents in the South. Phil. Star, 06/13/2000
ESTRADA, BISHOPS SET MEET ON CEASEFIRE: COTABATO CITY--Mindanao bishops and
Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal will reiterate their calls for a
ceasefire in a meeting with President Estrada at 3 p.m. Wednesday in
Malacanang, a source said.
According to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the bishops
will be accompanied by representatives of the Bishops-Businessmen's
Conference BBC).
Among the officials who will be present are Defense Secretary Orlando
Mercado, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes and Finance Secretary Jose
Pardo, the source said.
Among the business executives who will attend are BBC co-chair Jose
Concepcion, Ernesto Aboitiz and Vicky Garchitorena, another source said in
Manila.
It was not clear why the meeting, which was originally set for next week,
was advanced. Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo said Tuesday in Manila
that the bishops would present to Mr. Estrada a five-point agenda to achieve
peace in the troubled areas in Mindanao.
In Pikit, North Cotabato, two Army battalions backed by a dozen Simba
armored vehicles and two MG-520 attack helicopters are preparing to attack
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's Camp Rajamuda at the boundary of North
Cotabato and Maguindanao.
Despite the impending military offensive, MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu said
the scheduled meeting of the technical working groups of the government and
MILF peace panels would push through today at the Estosan Garden Hotel here.
The six talking points submitted by the MILF panel will be discussed at the
two-day meeting. A report of the working groups will be submitted to the two
panels at a meeting on June 28.
In Manila, Col. Jaime Canatoy, chief of the Armed Forces' Civil Relations
Service, said the military would continue offensive operations against all
remaining camps of the MILF except on its headquarters, Camp Abubakar in
Maguindanao.
Canatoy made this declaration despite previous Malacanang pronouncements
that the military was no longer on the offensive in Mindanao, having secured
its objectives like the clearing of the Narciso Ramos Highway. Inquirer,
06/14/2000
DISEASES PLAGUE MINDANAO REFUGEES: PARANG, Maguindanao - Diseases plague the
evacuation centers in Parang, Maguindanao, bringing more miseries to the
victims of the armed conflict.
Dr. Majal Hamad, regional secretary of the Department of Health of the
Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), said that 1,226 individuals in
12 evacuation centers are suffering from respiratory illnesses and 900 more
refugees are afflicted with diarrhea.
Hamad also reported some 500 cases of conjunctivitis or sore eyes and 213
cases of skin diseases, including a severe type of skin disorder
characterized by swollen nodes. He said the number of people affected by the
illnesses continues to rise every day posing a hazard to the more than
30,000 other displaced families in the province.
Health Secretary Alberto Romualdez Jr. visited yesterday the different
evacuation centers in Parang. According to the field health personnel, the
rise in diseases among evacuees is due to the poor maintenance of sanitary
facilities and overcrowding which leads to low body resistance and high
susceptibility to diseases.
Cotabato City health personnel said with almost depleted medical supplies, a
huge population of evacuees and no end to the conflict in sight, health
workers are expecting the worse.
Romualdez said that in consultation with the people, "we believe we should
prepare for a long conflict we hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
Mla. Bulletin, 06/12/2000
NUR RULES OUT MILF ALLIANCE: Former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
chairman Nur Misuari ruled out any alliance with the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF), citing a difference in principles.
Misuari pointed that while the MNLF is only after "genuine autonomy for the
Bangsamoro people," the MILF is fighting for a separate Islamic state in the
South.
The MNLF signed a peace agreement with the government in September 1996. The
MILF, on the other hand, continues to wage a war for a separate Islamic
state.
While he had already shunned the use of force as a means to resolve the
Mindanao problem, Misuari revealed that the MILF is still sending feelers
for him to meet with rebel leaders and discuss a possible alliance.
He said a high-level MILF delegation is seeking an audience with him when he
goes to Malaysia this month to attend a ministerial meeting of the
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
Misuari said that the only solution to the 22-year-old Muslim rebellion in
Mindanao is the immediate implementation of the 1976 Tripoli Agreement.
Misuari had criticized the government for having second thoughts on whether
or not to grant full autonomy to Muslims.
He said he was just exercising his "democratic freedom" when he made such
remarks.
Sen. Loren Legarda said that the country's Medium-Term Public Investment
Program (MTPIP) shows "the national government's continuing neglect of
Muslim Mindanao."
Legarda, chairwoman of the Senate committee on economic affairs, said that
the 1999 - 2002 MTPIP prepared by the National Economic Development
Authority shows that ARMM and Central Mindanao are getting the smallest and
second smallest share, respectively, of government development plans.
An influential OIC panel has vowed to grant the MILF observer status when it
meets in Kuala Lumpur this month, an MILF spokesman claimed.
Eid Kabalu said member-countries of the OIC's committee of six would discuss
the measure on June 29.
The MILF is seeking observer status at the OIC meeting, but the seat has
already been taken by the former separatist MNLF, which signed a peace
treaty with the government in 1996.
Kabalu said the committee of six -- composed of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia,
Libya, Somalia, Senegal and Bangladesh -- had assured Ghazali Jaafar, the
MILF vice chairman for political affairs, of the passage of the measure.
Jaafar left Mindanao at the height of the conflict "to seek political aid"
from OIC. Phil. Star, 06/11/2000
OIC ASSURES RP: NO TO SECESSION: Pres. Estrada said yesterday he has secured
the commitment of two vital members of the Organization of Islamic
Conference (OIC) not to support the secessionist struggle of Muslim rebel
groups in Mindanao.
The President said the commitments were given by Malaysian Prime Minister
Dr. Mohammad Mahathir and Indonesian President Abdurahman Wahid whom he met
separately in Tokyo where they attended funeral rites for Japanese Prime
Minister Keizo Obuchi.
Indonesia heads the OIC Committee of Six which is scheduled to meet later
this month in Kuala Lumpur.
Mr. Estrada revealed that Wahid has informed him that leaders of the Muslim
rebel groups have been wooing his support for their struggle for an
independent Islamic state in Mindanao.
On the other hand, Mahathir asked Mr. Estrada to simply tell him "what to do
and what not to do" about the insurgency problem in Mindanao.
Mr. Estrada declined to name the rebel leaders who approached Wahid.
Press Secretary Ricardo Puno said in a radio interview that Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) chairman Hashim Salamat and his deputy for military
affairs Al Haj Murad were reported to have visited Indonesia apparently to
solicit Wahid's support for their movement.
Puno admitted, however, that the report was not verified.
The assurance by the Malaysian and Indonesian leaders came on the heels of
the controversial appeal by Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov.
Nur Misuari for OIC support for the secessionist movement in the South.
Phil. Star, 06/11/2000
ARMY SAYS 10 MILF CAMPS HAVE FALLEN: DAVAO CITY--Ten Moro rebel camps down,
36 more to go?
Another Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camp in Maguindanao fell to
government troops Saturday, bringing to 10 the number of camps captured by
the military from the MILF since March, a military spokesperson said.
The MILF had claimed having 46 camps in Mindanao and Palawan, including 13
"major" ones.
The military raised the Philippine flag at 3:30 p.m. inside Camp Mohammad Al
Fateh, according to Maj. Julieto Ando, 6th Infantry Division spokesperson.
In Manila, however, Press Secretary Ricardo Puno Jr. said the government was
no longer undertaking any major military offensive in Mindanao and that
reports of conflict there related only to "defensive operations."
Puno said "active" military operations had been stopped since the clearing
of the Narciso Ramos Highway and the capture of satellite rebel camps
outside the MILF's main base, Camp Abubakar.
After yesterday's daylong battle that left one rebel dead and one soldier
wounded, Camp Mohammad Al Fateh, reportedly a major camp of the MILF's 102nd
Brigade, of its 1st Field Division, which is based in Barangay Calean in
Buluan, fell to government forces.
The military has destroyed the rebel bases to "correct" what it said was a
mistake committed when the former government peace panel chair, Orlando
Soriano, signed a document "acknowledging" these camps as MILF territory.
But Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesperson, laughed off the military claim that the
camp had been captured. "We had long abandoned Darapanan . . . at the
height of the fighting in Matanog. Only a few rebels were left there," he
said.
Fr. Eliseo Mercado Jr., chair of the Independent Fact-Finding Committee
(IFFC) mediating the conflict between the government and the MILF, said that
"in all the MILF camps taken by the AFP, the MILF forces were nowhere to be
found."
"They either retreated to the surrounding areas and established their new
camps or simply stayed around the AFP currently occupying their camps,
waiting for the AFP to vacate those camps for their eventual return," he
said.
Lanao del Norte Gov. Abdullah Dimaporo said in a televised interview by the
Manila Overseas Press Club that while MILF camps could be easily destroyed,
the rebels could set up camp elsewhere.
Mercado noted that "there has been no major engagement between the AFP and
the MILF forces since the battle of the Narciso Ramos Highway."
"The MILF is not engaging the AFP in a major battle. The AFP's takeover of
the camps is usually preceded by massive air and ground bombardment, truly
pulverizing the village or the so-called camp. The OV-10 Bronco carries
500-pound or 1,000-pound bombs to be dropped on the village," he said.
Inquirer, 06/12/2000
RP REJECTS OIC CALL TO CEASE OFFENSIVE: The government will reject a call by
the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to stop a military offensive
against the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao,
National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre said yesterday.
This developed as the military pressed on with its campaign in Mindanao,
capturing the rebels' 70-hectare Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat town in
Maguindanao.
Aguirre said only Philippine authorities "have the absolute prerogative to
make a decision" on when to stop the military offensive.
A draft communiqué of a meeting of OIC foreign ministers in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia from June 27 to June 30 incorporated a paragraph calling on the
Philippine government to stop the offensives against the MILF.
It also seeks to ask Manila to postpone the 2003 elections in the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
"The Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) urges the Philippine
government to halt immediately its military offensive against the Bangsamoro
people and reach a peaceful solution to the problem in Mindanao," the draft
communiqué said.
OIC senior officials during a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia approved the
document last month.
It is to be presented for approval to the OIC foreign ministers who will
issue a final communiqué at the end of their meeting, said a source who
requested anonymity.
Aguirre said yesterday that any OIC statement would only be "persuasive." He
also noted that the document was still a draft.
Aguirre was interviewed from Qatar, while on a diplomatic mission to OIC
member countries to explain the government's side ahead of the Kuala Lumpur
meeting.
He said that the MILF's chief military strategist, Mohamad Murad, had been
seeking OIC help in their fight against the government, claiming the Armed
Forces of the Philippines was resorting to "ethnic cleansing" against
Muslims in Mindanao.
While Islamic states are poised to call for a stop in the hostilities in
Mindanao, the OIC said it still "recognizes the Moro National Liberation
Front (MNLF) as the sole legitimate representative of the Muslims in
southern Philippines."
The MILF is seeking observer status at the OIC meeting, but the seat has
already been taken by the former separatist MNLF, which signed a peace
treaty with the government in September 1996.
The Philippine government is seeking to be invited as a guest during the
meeting. Phil. Star, 06/09/2000
AFP: 3 MORE MILF CAMPS HAVE FALLEN: Three more camps of the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday fell to government forces backed by
armored vehicles, an Army spokesperson said.
The Associated Press quoted Maj. Julieto Ando, spokesperson for the Army's
6th Infantry Division, as saying that the Philippine flag was raised over
Camp Darapanan and the adjacent Camp Sampaguita in Maguindanao by midday.
The third camp, Limbalod in North Cotabato, was captured later in the day,
officials said.
The three camps are about 10 kilometers from Camp Abubakar, the headquarters
of the MILF.
Soldiers last week overran the MILF's second biggest camp and military
training center, Camp Bushra, in Lanao del Sur.
The capture of Darapanan, Sampaguita and Limbalod camps came as three
congressmen lashed out at the spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines whom they accused of being a "war freak" for boasting that the
military was ready to crush the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in
Mindanao.
Representatives Ernesto Herrera, Heherson Alvarez and Rodolfo Aguinaldo said
the blatant shooting from the mouth by the AFP spokesperson, Col. Rafael
Romero, could trigger the start not just of a new rebellion in Mindanao but
also within the AFP.
They reminded Romero that the loyalty of some 5,000 MNLF integrees in the
AFP would always be to the Muslim cause, not to the Philippine flag.
Ando said there were no immediate reports of casualties on either side,
adding there was little resistance from the rebels.
He said troops discovered a complex of trenches and bunkers in the camps,
which are being cleared of possible booby traps.
Eid Kabalu, a spokesperson for the MILF, said only a few rebels had remained
at the two camps after others were sent as reinforcements to MILF forces
positioned along a highway linking Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.
At least 184 government soldiers and militiamen have been killed and more
than 680 wounded in clashes since January, the most serious fighting in
Mindanao since the height of the MNLF rebellion in the 1970s.
In Davao City, the Mindanao Peace Advocates Conference (MPAC) yesterday said
everybody would lose if the military picked up a fight with the MILF and the
MNLF.
MPAC convenor Rey Magno Teves said that while the AFP may win against the
Moro rebels, the social and economic cost of the war would be too much for
the government and the people to bear.
He warned that the country's economy would further shrink while residents in
the war zones would suffer even more.
Teves urged lawmakers and other government officials to reserve harsh
comments on Misuari until after they had verified Misuari's statements.
He said declaring war against the MNLF would put to waste 15 years of peace
negotiations conducted by past administrations and the MNLF that resulted in
the signing of the historic peace agreement in Jakarta.
Press Secretary Ricardo Puno Jr. maintained that the government's peace
agreement with the MNLF was "officially established by law and by the
Jakarta agreement" in 1996. Inquirer, 06/09/2000
MALACANANG SAYS MISUARI STICKING TO AUTONOMY: Malacanang expressed
confidence yesterday that Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov.
Nur Misuari remains committed to the policy of autonomy despite his ranting
at a recent meeting of the influential Organization of Islamic Conference
(OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Misuari, however, will still have to sit down with government officials
regarding his alleged attempt to undermine peace negotiations between the
government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Press Secretary Ricardo Puno Jr. said Misuari has a lot of explaining to do
regarding his statements before the OIC.
On the other hand, Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora was optimistic that
the OIC will not grant Misuari's request for OIC membership.
A Malacanang statement refuted point by point the allegations raised by
Misuari in a speech at the OIC meeting.
President Estrada dispatched National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre to
Jeddah to talk with Misuari regarding the ARMM governor's charges that the
Philippine government has failed to comply with certain provisions of the
1996 peace agreement forged between the government and the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) headed by Misuari himself.
Malacanang obtained a copy of Misuari's speech.
Misuari claimed the government was not giving enough development funds to
the ARMM.
Zamora argued, however, that the government has poured at least P18 billion
to Mindanao from 1995 to 1999, exclusive of the P14 billion released for the
operations of the ARMM and the Southern Philippine Council for Peace and
Development headed by Misuari in a concurrent capacity.
Zamora pointed out that the government has the right to demand from Misuari
an accounting of how he used the ARMM budget over the years. For this year
alone, P4 billion was allocated in the national budget for the ARMM.
Zamora cited a list of infrastructure projects undertaken by the government
in Mindanao in compliance with its commitments under the peace accord.
Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for Middle East Affairs Shulan Primavera
also expressed confidence that the OIC will junk Misuari's bid.
"His words and actions are not in congruity with his position as ARMM
governor. He cannot say that autonomy is not working because it has not yet
started. The autonomy as envisioned by the peace agreement has not yet come
into being. So it would be premature to say that," Primavera clarified.
Phil. Star, 06/07/2000
ERAP TO SEEK MORE US MILITARY AID: Pres. Estrada will be seeking more
military aid from Washington when he visits the United States in July to
help him fight a fresh upsurge of Moro separatist rebellion in the South,
the Agence France Presse, quoting Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora,
reported yesterday.
"The important things are helicopters, we need them for our insurgency
programs," Zamora told radio station dzRH in an interview.
Sources in Washington disclosed on Monday that Mr. Estrada and US President
Bill Clinton would be signing a multimillion-dollar deal aimed at
modernizing the Philippines' defense capability during Mr. Estrada's US
visit, scheduled for July 26 to 28.
The deal would involve the transfer of US patrol helicopters and ships to
the Armed Forces of the Philippines to address the country's domestic
security and territorial problems.
Cabinet officials revealed last week that the military had spent about a
billion pesos over the past month and suffered losses of 141 dead and more
than 500 wounded this year in the campaign against the separatist Moro
Islamic Liberation Front.
The United States and the Philippines have a 49-year-old Mutual Defense
Treaty. Washington last year agreed to provide Manila at least $46 million
worth of surplus military equipment.
In Cagayan de Oro City, a women's rights advocacy group said the arms deal
expected to be signed with Washington shows the Estrada administration's
"true colors" which is "truly anti-people."
The group claimed the military hardware were hand-me-downs under the
Clinton's Excess Defense Articles (EDA) program.
Under the EDA, it said, the Pentagon gives away outdated technology that it
does not want to recycle.
"Thus far the Clinton administration has sold, or granted license to sell,
over $800 million in arms to our country in which more than one-third of the
people have difficulty meeting basic nutritional needs," the Women
Coalition for Peace said in a statement yesterday.
The group has brought together women's NGO workers, professionals and
grassroots leaders in support of the ceasefire movement in Mindanao.
The group said its own research revealed that from 1993 to 1998, the US had
given the Philippines 3,638 M-14 rifles; 16,488 Colt M-1911 pistols; 10
M-240 machine guns; 22,500 Colt M-16A1 automatic rifles; and two refurbished
Lockheed Martin C130B transport planes--all for free under the EDA program.
An undetermined number of Vietnam War-era OV10 Broncos were also part of the
EDA deal. At least four of these planes were used in the bombardment of MILF
camps, the group said.
Quoting the San Francisco-based Mother Jones magazine, the coalition said
that in 1993 the US government negotiated an $18.2 million deal between
Textron Marine and Land Systems, a division of Textron Inc., and the
Philippine government. Inquirer, 06/07/2000
WAR DRIVES MORO REBS INTO ARMS OF OIC: The Government's all-out war policy
has driven the Moro Islamic Liberation Front out of its camps or
"territories" and into the arms of the 56-member Organization of Islamic
Conference, a group that the MILF initially shunned.
Beyond the battlefields and the negotiating table, the MILF will move into a
new forum that will render meaningless President Estrada's June 30 deadline
for a peace agreement.
It is a forum over which the Estrada administration has no control.
The government and MILF peace panels will meet on June 28. But according to
Prof. Michael Mastura, former Maguindanao representative, the more important
meeting now is the OIC conference in Kuala Lumpur on June 29.
It will be the first time for the MILF, a breakaway group of the Moro
National Liberation Front, to present its plight before the OIC in a plenary
session.
A number of MILF officials now in the OIC countries will attend the session.
One of these officials will conduct the presentation.
"The government didn't want to internationalize the MILF issue, but it
pushed the MILF to (do so)," said Fr. Eliseo Mercado Jr., chair of the
Independent Fact-Finding Committee that mediates between the government and
MILF panels.
"The (government's) war machine has been unleashed, and it cannot be
re-leashed. It has its own momentum already, with or without the peace
panel, with or without the President. It's unstoppable. Even the MILF has
realized this. That's why it has moved to the international scene," Mercado
said.
He added that the government "had the chance to contain (the MILF issue)
when the peace talks resumed on May 30, but blew it."
"The MILF will inevitably abandon the camp strategy (and) disband into
small groups," Mercado warned.
"It will be less manageable. There will be no central command monitoring.
It will be a nightmare. Thanks to my namesake, Defense Secretary Orlando
Mercado, and Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Angelo Reyes for creating such
a beautiful military strategy that has led us into a nightmare," he said.
Inquirer, 06/07/2000
GOV'T LOSING BILLIONS IN MINDANAO, SAYS SOLON: The war in Mindanao has
affected government tax collection in the area and President Estrada is
"very disturbed" about it, a pro-administration lawmaker said Monday.
Rep. Danilo Suarez, chair of the House ways and means committee, said he did
not have the exact figures but that authorities estimate the losses to have
gone up to billions.
He said he met with the President on Friday and discussed the situation,
which he said worried the President very much.
He said he proposed to call for a tax amnesty to Mindanao businessmen, which
he said could net the government from P8 to P20 billion.
Suarez said one of the factors cited by revenue officials for the huge drop
in collections were the revolutionary taxes imposed by the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front and the New People's Army.
However, he downplayed fears that revenue collections would fall
dramatically saying that revenues were "still on target" and that figures
were "still over the level as of the end of May." Inquirer, 06/07/2000
BLASTS ROCK NAIA, ILIGAN BUS DEPOT: After a two-week lull,another bomb
exploded yesterday in Metro Manila, this time at the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport's passenger terminal, causing damage but no injuries
or flight disruptions.
But a blast in a bus terminal in Iligan City killed a vagrant and injured
two others.
Several hours earlier, a grenade exploded outside the Mt. Carmel Cathedral
in Jolo, capital town of Sulu.
The new wave of explosions prompted a congressman to note that the bombings
of the SM Megamall and Glorietta Mall in Metro Manila last month had not
been solved with the arrest of 26 suspected members of the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF).
"The separate bombings at the Naia and Iligan City indicate that the
Philippine National Police is far from resolving the bombing spree," Rep.
Joker Arroyo said in a statement.
Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado urged the public to remain calm but stay
alert, saying it was too early to draw a connection between the bombing and
a Moro separatist insurgency in Mindanao.
The explosion at the 10-meter embankment between the arrival ramp curbside
and the greeters' lounge extension left a crater one foot deep and two feet
wide, and flattened shrubs and trees.
Airport officials said a "big firecracker" caused the explosion at 7:10 a.m.
"It is like an improvised big firecracker. Initially, we have not found any
traces of shrapnel, electrical wiring, battery or trigger mechanism," Naia
General Manager Antonio said yesterday afternoon.
He said they had found traces of an aluminum canister that could have been
used as a container for the explosive powder.
Gana dismissed the involvement of the MILF in the bombing.
Supt. Marcelo Ele Jr., head of the PNP Aviation Security Group, said the
bomb, which he described as a "big pyrotechnic," was not similar to any that
had exploded in Metro Manila.
But a bomb expert said the improvised explosive device used at the Naia was
similar to the bombs that went off in the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City on
May 21 and the Glorietta Mall in Makati City on May 17.
"Damage was big but you can't find any fragments of the explosive device,"
said the bomb expert, who was among the security officials who immediately
inspected the damage caused by the bomb at Naia.
Investigators said they were looking for two male suspects who apparently
drove off in a Ford Fierra and jumped a red light shortly after the
explosion.
Arroyo expressed apprehension that the bombers had expanded the list of
targets.
"Is there a pattern and a message? After transportation, what next? Schools?
The bombers pick their targets," he said.
In Iligan City, a man was killed when a bomb exploded in a bus terminal at 3
a.m. yesterday.
Two other bombs were found in the city but were disarmed by policemen
Saturday evening. The bombs were classified as "pipe bombs." Inquirer,
06/05/2000
GOV'T TROOPS PRESS ATTACK ON MILF; 11 REBS SLAIN: Eleven Moro Islamic
Liberation Front rebels were killed as security forces pressed an offensive
to capture another guerrilla base in Mindanao, military officials said
yesterday.
The new fatalities, which occurred in clashes on Friday, raised the death
toll in the offensive to capture Camp Usman in Maguindanao province near
Cotabato City to 43 over the past three days.
Military officials said that on Thursday, 32 rebels and one soldier were
killed during fighting outside the camp in Limbalod village.
Col. Hermogenes Esperon, an Army brigade commander, said the offensive would
continue until government forces could "dismantle the shadow government"
established in villages within the enclave by the MILF.
The Army yesterday shelled the camp with 105-mm howitzers, with rebels
firing back using mortar rounds.
About 1,000 more soldiers had arrived on Friday to reinforce the 2,500
soldiers already deployed to capture the camp, Esperon said.
The newly deployed troops were tasked with preventing rebels from nearby
Camp Rajah Muda from sending reinforcements to Camp Usman, the officer
added.
Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Angelo Reyes yesterday said the AFP will
continue its offensive operations to clear all remaining MILF camps.
When asked whether these include Camp Abubakar, Reyes said: "No
self-respecting republic will allow military camps of other armed forces to
stay or subsist. There should be no inch of territory that can be said to
not belong to the country.
"All camps should be disallowed," he declared. Inquirer, 06/04/2000
EVACUEES HAVE NO HOMES: COTABATO CITY--Without a ceasefire, President
Estrada's declaration of abandoned villages in Mindanao as "zones of
peace" will not convince evacuees to return to their homes.
The "best and simplest medicine" for many of the sick evacuees is "a
ceasefire," according to local doctors.
Many of the evacuees don't have homes to return to.
In Lanao del Sur alone, at least 242 houses were burned down even before the
start of the military campaign to take Camp Bushra, the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front's second-biggest base and main training ground.
In Matanog town, Maguindanao, one of the designated zones of peace, the
entire stretch of the Narciso Ramos Highway is dotted with abandoned houses,
many of them destroyed by bombs.
"Who will go back to their homes when there is no ceasefire?" said Fr.
Eliseo Mercado Jr., chair of the Independent Fact-Finding Committee
monitoring the implementation of a 1997 general ceasefire agreement.
"A peace negotiation without a ceasefire is bound to fail," he added.
Many evacuees in Parang, Maguindanao wept when they learned that President
Estrada had ruled out a ceasefire.
Eleven schools have been turned into evacuation centers in Parang,
Maguindanao to house 17,200 people, said Pomben Karon Kader, assistant
secretary of the ARMM Department of Social Welfare and Development.
An estimated 119,000 have been displaced by the war in Maguindanao alone,
she said.
Kader said the food supply for the evacuees was fast dwindling. Each family
is supposed to receive five kilos and three cans of sardines per day.
The military has set up a food blockade to ensure that food does not reach
the rebels.
Kader said her office received only 100 sacks of rice from Vice President
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Inquirer, 06/04/2000
21 AREAS DECLARED `ZONES OF PEACE': Pres. Estrada yesterday urged the people
displaced by the war in Mindanao to return to 20 towns and one city after
government forces had successfully established control over them.
He declared the areas as "zones of peace" even as fresh fighting between
government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) flared.
The President identified the zones of peace as the towns of Buldon, Barira,
Datu Sinsuat, Datu Piang, Matanog, Parang and Talayan in Maguindanao;
Alameda, Aleosan, Carmen, Kabacan, Magpet, Matalam, Midsayap and Pikit in
North Cotabato.
Esparanza, Isulan, Lambayong and Sen. Benigno Aquino in Sultan Kudarat; Tupi
in South Cotabato and Cotabato City.
The fighting between the government and the MILF has displaced some 300,000
people.
Defense Sec. Orlando Mercado said last night that his office had recommended
to the President to declare these areas zones of peace "in view of our
successful military operations."
He clarified that these zones of peace were not de facto areas of ceasefire,
but towns which government forces had taken and established effective
control following fierce fighting with the MILF.
The President, basking in the victories of the Army, has rejected rebel
demands for a ceasefire, saying a truce would only allow the 15,000-strong
MILF to rebuild their forces.
Mr. Estrada urged the guerrillas to accept the government's offer of a peace
agreement by the end of June or face further onslaught. Inquirer, 06/03/2000
RP SENDS TEAM TO BLOCK MILF BID IN OIC: Pres. Estrada yesterday sent a
six-member delegation to Saudi Arabia in an apparent bid to counter efforts
by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to convince the 56-member
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to support an MILF proposal of a
UN-sponsored referendum on the creation of an Islamic state in Mindanao.
The delegation is part of the government's "talk and shoot" policy toward
the MILF, which has paved the way for yet another battle beyond the fields
of war and the negotiating table in Mindanao and into the diplomatic world.
National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre, leader of the delegation, said
his team would hold "consultations" with key member-states of the OIC in
preparation for the 27th Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia on June 29.
Aguirre said the consultations were intended to "lead to a greater
understanding and appreciation by the Muslim world of the situation in
Mindanao."
He said his team would proceed to Kuala Lumpur to brief the OIC Ministerial
Committee of Six on the status of peace efforts with Moro rebels.
Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado yesterday admitted that the Aguirre
mission was aimed at countering the alleged "propaganda" and
"disinformation" spread by the MILF.
Earlier, MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu admitted that they were courting the
OIC to provide them with "moral support" and to put "political pressure"
on the Estrada administration.
But Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. yesterday doubted whether the MILF
would gain the support of the OIC.
In his statement, Aguirre said his delegation would inform the committee
about the Estrada administration's "total approach," including
"meaningful political and socioeconomic programs," to the Moro insurgency.
Inquirer, 06/03/2000
OIC HEAD SKIPS VISIT TO MANILA: The top official of the influential
Organization of Islamic Conference decided to skip visiting Manila yesterday
after Malacanang rejected an OIC offer to help negotiate for the release of
21 mostly foreign hostages held by Abu Sayyaf extremists in Mindanao.
OIC secretary general Ezzedine Laraki was supposed to meet with President
Estrada, Foreign Affairs Secretary Domingo Siazon and other officials to
help break the impasse.
But the government thumbed down direct talks with the extremists. "We said
not at this time because it might complicate matters," Siazon said.
"It is not for them to come in and join the negotiating team. That clearly
is not one of their purposes here," Press Secretary Ricardo Puno said,
explaining Laraki's visit before it was aborted.
Siazon revealed that the European Union had tapped the OIC to intervene in
the negotiations but then abandoned the idea after learning about the Abu
Sayyaf's secessionist demand.
Despite the hostage-taking of their nationals, France, Germany and the
European Union in general have reassured Malacanang of their commitment to
fund development projects in Mindanao, Zamora disclosed.
The reassurance came a day after government economic advisers revealed that
the heightened Muslim insurgency has forced donor countries to suspend aid
until the situation in Mindanao finally cools down. Phil. Star, 06/02/2000
MINDANAO IMPACT – GOV'T EXPECTS LOWER GROWTH: Even the usually bullish
Economic Coordinating Council had no other choice but to rule out the higher
end of the government's economic growth targets this year due to the
ill-effects of the prolonged Mindanao crisis and the recent depreciation of
the peso.
"We are standing pat on 4 percent but we are no longer thinking of 5 percent
for the GDP (gross domestic product). The lower end are the more realistic
figures," said Finance Secretary Jose T. Pardo, vice chair of the ECC.
GDP and gross national product, the two leading indicators of a country's
economic growth, should improve by a range of 4.5 to 5.5 percent and 4 to 5
percent, respectively.
Pardo said that even for GNP, the ECC has realized the lower end was more
attainable.
A lower-than-projected GDP and GNP growth levels in the first quarter had
prompted the economic managers to rule out the higher end of the targets
this year.
The economy only managed to post a GDP and GNP growth of 3.4 percent and
3.45 percent, respectively, in the first three months of the year.
The prolonged fighting in Mindanao is bound to affect even the economic
performance in the second quarter. Economic Planning Secretary Felipe
Medalla said the 3.9 to 4 percent GDP target in the second quarter might not
be realized.
Medalla explained that the lower-than-expected growth in the first quarter
was due to the lower output of agriculture and the services sector. The
latter, he said, was affected by problems in the financial services sector.
Pardo earlier said the three of the four scenarios the finance department
had identified would compel a downward adjustment in the government's growth
targets this year.
Pardo had identified four scenarios to determine if the growth targets the
government had committed to would be sustainable.
The four scenarios were: the Mindanao conflict would be resolved quickly and
in a peaceful manner; it would be resolved quickly but through an armed
confrontation; the conflict takes longer to resolve but peacefully, and the
conflict drags on before it is resolved through an armed confrontation.
From the second to the fourth scenarios, the government would have to bring
down its targets already.
Even before the Mindanao crisis worsened, the Asian Development Bank had
lowered its growth projection for the Philippines to 3.8 percent from 4.5
percent. Inquirer, 06/02/2000
MILF TO CONSIDER OFFER OF AUTONOMY: COTABATO CITY--The Moro Islamic
Liberation Front has agreed to consider a government offer of "meaningful
autonomy" after three days of peace negotiations.
"We do not discount the possibility of a reconciliation but we are not
saying that we are accepting autonomy," MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu said.
In a joint communiqué issued yesterday at the Estosan Garden Hotel here, the
negotiating parties said the government panel chaired by retired general
Edgardo Batenga presented its "proposal for a meaningful autonomy as
embodied in House Bill 7883."
The presentation was accompanied by the request that the MILF panel submit
its comments by June 7 "in view of the June 30 deadline set by President
Estrada and the need to amend the ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao) organic act."
The MILF panel led by acting chair Moner Bajunaid received the proposal, but
said it would be subject to further discussion.
"The two panels agreed that the MILF comments be submitted to the
(government panel) on June 21 to allow consultations on the matter," the
communique said.
According to Batenga, whatever was reached at the three-day meeting was "a
product of many days of back-channeling."
The technical working groups (TWGs) of the two panels will meet on June
14-15 in this city "to establish points of consensus on the clustered
agenda items and submit the draft of their final position papers on June 28
to the peace panels for consideration," the communiqué said.
The two panels will meet again on June 28 to discuss the "substance and
details" of the government's proposal and the final draft of the TWGs'
position papers.
But the two panels ended the talks with no ceasefire declared. In fact,
while the panels shuttled between the Maguindanao and Lanao rooms of the
Estosan Garden Hotel from Tuesday to Thursday to talk peace, their armed
forces were shooting at each other in the battlefields of Lanao and
Maguindanao provinces and neighboring North Cotabato.
In Manila, Press Secretary Ricardo Puno Jr. said the President wanted the
MILF panel to make its "reservations" known now and get the talks over and
done with on or before the June 30 deadline.
The MILF had earlier asked that the deadline be extended. It said it had yet
to consult its people on substantive issues, especially on the issue of
autonomy.
Puno also said Malacanang was sticking to its decision not to call for a
40-day ceasefire with the MILF, as requested by a multisectoral group which
includes former President Corazon Aquino and Manila Archbishop Jaime
Cardinal Sin.
He said the President's intention was that if the government was to talk
peace with the MILF once more, it should do so from a "position of
strength."
Batenga said he had proposed that the negotiators meet again by next
Wednesday, but the MILF sought a delay until June 28 to allow consultations
among rebel leaders. Inquirer, 06/02/2000
