14 KILLED IN NEW CLASHES IN LANAO: ILIGAN CITY — At least 14 soldiers and
rebels were killed in a series of firefights between government troops and
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas in Lanao del Sur last week.
In Sarangani province, a pregnant woman and her husband were wounded after
suspected MILF rebels fired automatic weapons and lobbed grenades at a
residential area in Maitum town.
Col. Samuel Bagasin, commander of the Army's 402nd Infantry Brigade, said
the clashes occurred after MILF rebels attacked a detachment of the 26th
Infantry Battalion in Barangay Inudaran, Kausagan town in Lanao del Norte.
Two soldiers and eight rebels were wounded in the fighting, he said.
Bagasin said four more rebels were killed in fighting between Army troops
and MILF guerrillas in the boundary of Kauswagan–Munai and Pooma-Piagapo
towns in Lanao del Norte the other day.
Bagasin said the MILF had violated the ceasefire their leaders declared
when the rebels raided the Army detachment and engaged government troops in
a series of firefights.
Troops in Central Mindanao are on alert for possible attacks on the
civilian population by armed groups that intend to sow terror in the
region, he added.
Earlier, MILF Commander Bravo said over radio that they will retake Camp
John Hack in Barangay Dilabayan in Kauswagan town, which Army troops
captured in last year's all-out military offensive against the rebels.
However, MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said yesterday the military offensive in
Kauswagan the other day triggered the fighting.
MILF guerrillas had instructions to remain in their barracks, but they had
to protect themselves from the military onslaught, he added. Phil. Star,
04/23/2001
MALAYSIA ALSO OFFERS TO HOST MILF TALKS: Malaysia, too, is ready to host
talks between the Philippine government and the separatist Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) to end a secessionist rebellion in Mindanao.
But Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said in Kuala Lumpur
yesterday that any assistance from Malaysia would not include granting
political asylum to the rebels.
Syed Hamid made the announcement a day after Indonesian President
Abdurrahman Wahid expressed willingness to mediate the talks and give MILF
chairman Hashim Salamat asylum.
Indonesia, under former President Suharto, had hosted the Philippine
government's 1996 talks with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF),
ending that group's 30-year secessionist rebellion.
Malaysia also hosted preliminary talks in Kuala Lumpur last month on a
general ceasefire that is supposed to pave the way for the resumption of
the peace talks with the MILF. The talks were stalled under the Estrada
administration last year.
Both Malaysia and Indonesia are members of the Organization of Islamic
Conference's (OIC) Committee of Seven which brokered the 1996 accord with
the MNLF.
Apparently alluding to the ongoing political disorder in various parts of
Indonesia, Syed Hamid also said Malaysia would be willing to provide more
help provided "our investors feel secure about the security situation."
Wahid on Thursday offered Manado in eastern Indonesia as site for the talks
and said he would be glad to preside. He also offered Pantar Barat, an
island in the Bay of Jakarta, as a place for Salamat, who might wish to get
out of the Philippines.
Wahid's supposed offer of asylum to Salamat raised diplomatic eyebrows in
Manila yesterday and government officials explained there was no malice in
Indonesia's asylum offer.
Presidential assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza, chairman of the
government panel to the peace talks with the MILF, said Indonesia didn't
mean any harm in making the asylum offer.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), for its part, officially thanked
Wahid for his offer of help but sought a clarification on Wahid's offer to
"mediate" and the proposed asylum.
"We are grateful for President's Wahid's willingness to help although it is
an unusual and unique way of being a good neighbor," said Foreign
Undersecretary Lauro Baja Jr.
However, Baja said the Philippines needs clarification on the offer,
especially the part of the asylum, since asylum is usually granted to those
who are political fugitives.
At the same time, presidential adviser on the peace process Eduardo Ermita
said Wahid's offer will be taken up by the Cabinet Cluster E on national
security and political developments, chaired by Vice President and Foreign
Secretary Teofisto Guingona Jr.
The MILF also had no comment on Wahid's offer and instead expressed
optimism it would outdo the communist National Democratic Front (NDF) and
forge a peace accord with the government in one year's time. Phil. Star,
04/21/2001
RP WELCOMES WAHID ASYLUM OFFER TO MORO LEADER
Inquirer News Service, April 21, 2001
THE PHILIPPINE government is not upset by Indonesian President Abdurrahman
Wahid's offer of asylum to a senior Filipino Moro rebel leader.
Malacañang officials said yesterday they welcomed the offer of Wahid for Moro
Islamic Liberation Front leader Hashim Salamat to live on the tiny
Indonesian island of Pantar Barat.
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said the Palace was open to studying the
matter. "We have to process the offer and have perhaps the Cabinet cluster
study it and make the corresponding recommendation to the President," Reyes
told the INQUIRER.
Reyes said they viewed the proposal as a "sign of concern and goodwill on the
part of Mr. Wahid, so that's welcome."
"We believe President Wahid only made the offer to show his solidarity with
a fellow Asean country," said presidential adviser on the peace process
Eduardo Ermita, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian
Nations.
On Thursday, Wahid had offered to host and mediate in peace talks between the
Philippine government and the MILF, which has been fighting for a separate
state in the southern Philippines.
The Indonesian leader had said his government was making available Pantar
Barat, an island in the bay of Jakarta, to Salamat "should he choose to go
away from the Philippines."
"Maybe he believes they could help in the negotiations, that's why he made
the offer," Ermita said of Wahid’s invitation. He noted that in 1986
Indonesia brokered a peace pact between Manila and the larger Moro National
Liberation Front, which gave up its rebellion for a limited Muslim autonomy
in the south.
The 12,500-strong MILF splintered from the MNLF in 1978 and was not included
in the accord. It has been fighting for an independent Islamic state for the
past two decades.
The Philippine government and the MILF at a secret meeting in Malaysia last
month agreed to resume peace talks by June. They have issued unilateral
ceasefires.
However, Ermita said no venue has yet been set for the talks. "Right now the
venue is still to be discussed," he said. Earlier, Malacañang said the talks
would likely be held in a "shifting venue" between Manila, Jakarta and Kuala
Lumpur. Ermita said Wahid may be eyeing a repeat of Indonesia's role in
facilitating the peace talks between the government and the MNLF.
"It is just a genuine concern to help the Philippines resolve its insurgency
problem," he told the INQUIRER in a telephone interview.
PALACE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING JAKARTA OFFER TO HOST TALKS
INQ7.net, April 20, 2001
MALACAÑANG is seriously considering Indonesia’s offer to exclusively host the
upcoming peace talks between the government and the secessionist Moro Islamic
Liberation Front, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Eduardo Ermita
said.
Ermita told dzBB radio Malacañang may act favorably on the offer of
Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid for the GRP-MILF peace talks to be
held in Jakarta since they know the country is sincere in helping bring about
lasting peace in Mindanao.
Indonesia, Ermita said, has long been a helpful partner in the pursuit of
peace having hosted the government’s previous negotiations with the Nur
Misuari-led Moro National Liberation Front.
But Ermita said the final decision would still come from President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo who had indicated a preference for a "shifting venue" for
the talks that could run between Jakarta, Manila, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
RP NOT UPSET ABOUT INDONESIAN ASYLUM OFFER FOR REBEL LEADER
By AFP,Inquirer April 20, 2001
THE GOVERNMENT is not upset by Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid's
asylum offer to a senior Filipino Muslim rebel leader, a senior official
said Friday.
"We believe President Wahid only made the offer to show his solidarity with
a fellow ASEAN country," the presidential adviser on the peace process
Eduardo Ermita said, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN).
On Thursday, Wahid offered to host, and mediate in, peace talks between
Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is fighting for a
separate state in the southern Philippines.
The Indonesian leader also said his government had made available Pantar
Barat, an island in the bay of Jakarta, for MILF leader Hashim Salamat to
live "should he choose to go away from the Philippines."
"Maybe he believes they could help in the negotiations, that's why they made
the offer," Ermita said in a radio interview Friday.
MURAD HEADS MILF PANEL IN PEACE GAB (COTABATO CITY) Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF) vice chairman for military affairs Al Haj Murad will lead the
rebel group’s negotiating panel to the resumed peace talks with the
government.
This was confirmed yesterday by MILF legal counsel Lanang Ali in an
interview.
In Malacañang, meanwhile, presidential adviser on the peace process Eduardo
Ermita, admitted the government is worried about the lack of a mechanism to
monitor the surrender of rebel firearms in the event of a political
settlement.
In an interview, Ermita cited the case of former Moro National Liberation
Front (MNLF) Basilan commander and now congressman Abdulgani "Gerry"
Salapuddin. Ermita pointed out that Salapuddin, who abandoned the
secessionist movement in 1984 with 1,200 followers turned over only 100
firearms.
"In the same manner, how will you ensure na yung mga MNLF who already
supposedly found peace with the government ay wala nang firearms, eh, ganyan
iyan, tinatago nila iyan. So there is no such thing that they have no
firearms" Ermita said. He said most rebels sell their firearms and use the
money to set up small businesses.
"So let us not use the word surrender of firearms; maybe there could be
certain arrangements on how the firearms of the other side can be disposed of
in exchange for certain items pertaining to socio-economic reforms political
reforms," he pointed out. "But at this particular time, I think it is
premature to talk of surrender of firearms."
Panel members
Ali said aside from him and Murad, other members of the MILF panel are lawyer
Michael Mastura, former MILF technical committee member Allan Flores and Dr.
Acmad Dumucao Alonto Jr.
Earlier, rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said that the MILF’s Central Committee
had approved the nominees to the five-man negotiating panel, during its
meeting last April 8 and 9.
Kabalu, however, had refused to reveal the names of the panel members but
confirmed Ali as a negotiator. Mastura is the former congressman for the
first district of Maguindanao Province and Cotabato City.
Flores, a lawyer from Iligan City, was a member of the Technical Committee
of the erstwhile MILF negotiating panel in its talks with the government
during the administration of former president Joseph Estrada.
Alonto is a doctor of agriculture connected with the Mindanao State
University (MSU) in Marawi City. Ali said they are only waiting for the
Central Committee’s written confirmation but had already been verbally
informed of the go signal.
Panel members said they would immediately notify their government counterpart
as soon as they get the written authority from the central committee. The
first task of the panel, after their confirmation, Ali said, would be to
organize its technical committees and secretariat. Manila Times, 4/18/01
MILF NAMES PEACE TALKS NEGOTIATORS
Inquirer, Apr. 18 2001
COTABATO CITY -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front yesterday announced its
"nominees" to its peace panel to be led by no less than its military chief
Al Haj Murad.
MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu said the other members of the group’s peace
panel were the front’s legal counsel Lanang Ali, former Maguindanao Rep.
Michael Mastura, lawyer Allan Flores of Iligan City and educator Dr. Ahmad
Domocao Alonto of Marawi City.
Kabalu said except for Murad, the four still have to "formally accept their
nominations because they are non-organic members of the MILF."
But Kabalu admitted that the nomination seems final as no replacements had
been named. Murad led the MILF in the March 23 Kuala Lumpur meeting with
government representatives, which ended with the signing of an interim
agreement for the resumption of the talks.
Kabalu said with Murad as MILF panel chair, the government is assured that
he will be speaking in behalf of the Moro group "because he is carrying the
most powerful sector of the MILF, the armed wing of the movement."
Kabalu said although Murad’s stand remains to be "hardline" toward
independence, the MILF is optimistic an agreement would be forged.
War veteran
"That depends, of course, on the sincerity of the government to finally
resolve the Mindanao problem," he said.
A veteran of the Mindanao war, the 54-year-old Murad holds the rank of an
MILF general and is considered by MILF commanders as a "war tactician."
Murad is a former engineering student at the catholic-run Notre Dame
University in Cotabato City. He was one of the pioneering recruits that
trained in foreign countries.
Mastura, a noted historian, is a former congressional representative of the
second district of Maguindanao. Flores, a private prosecutor based in Iligan
City, was a member of the MILF’s technical committee during the peace talks
under the Estrada administration. Dr. Alonto, who holds a doctorate degree
on agriculture, is former president of the Mindanao State University system.
Kabalu said the "nominees" were selected from "more than a dozen" names in a
list. He said the nominees, although coming from different fields, have one
thing in common: "They all want to have peace in Mindanao."
Kabalu said Murad is still in Kuala Lumpur, tackling a proposal by the
Malaysian government for the MILF to reunite with the mainstream Moro
National Liberation Front chaired by Gov. Nur Misuari of the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The MILF, chaired by Salamat Hashim, was organized in 1978 when it broke
away with the MNLF. In 1996, the MNLF entered into a peace agreement with
the government.
GOV'OPEN TO SHIFTING VENUE IN GRP-MILF PEACE TALKS: GLORIA
April 12, 2001
By INQ7.net
THE GOVERNMENT is open to the possibility of a "shifting venue" when the
peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) formally starts
according to a Malacañang statement.
It quoted the President as saying, after a 30-minute meeting with some 15
envoys of countries belonging to the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)
on Tuesday, that the venue of the talks would "probably be in Malaysia."
Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid, however, expressed the willingness
of Indonesia to host the GRP-MILF peace talks. "Perhaps, a shifting venue
between the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia would symbolize the unity of
Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) for peace and development,"
Ms Macapagal said.
She added that informal contacts between the government and the MILF are
continuing in order to thresh out issues, including the choice of venue
leading to the resumption of the formal peace talks.
The President, together with Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
Eduardo Ermita, updated the OIC assembly on the forthcoming GRP-MILF peace
talks and the other peace and development initiatives of the government.
"The talks will be based mainly on autonomy, and joint development of the
former war-torn areas. There will be no return of camps to the MILF for
Last March 24, Ermita and MILF Vice Chairman for Military Affairs Al Hadj
Murad signed in Kuala Lumpur the General Framework for the Resumption of the
Peace Talks.
Highlights of the accord are as follows:
The MILF shall suspend all offensive military operations against the
government, to reciprocate the government’s own SOMO;
The MILF shall organize its own peace panel and the composition of which
will be announced to the public shortly;
Both sides shall honor, respect and implement all past agreements and other
supplementary agreements signed by the two parties, with the details of
implementation to be discussed by two panels. There will be refinements to
these accords in view of the present realities on the ground; and,
Both sides agree to hold the first formal meeting of the panels at a mutually
agreed venue within three months.
Aside from bolstering the country's national security at the politico-
diplomatic level, the President said the accord would lend greater human
security to the affected communities because the GRP and the MILF are both
committed to joint development efforts.
The President asked the OIC and its member-countries to invest more in
Mindanao to complement the government's efforts to rehabilitate the areas
severely affected by the armed conflict.
She said the government is finalizing a mini-Marshall Plan that will develop
the region over the long term.
"We invite all the other OIC member states to invest in Mindanao as the peace
and development process shifts into high gear. Thank you once again for all
the support you have been giving all these years and I hope that now that we
are reaching a new stage of peace and development, the support would
continue to be forthcoming and would even be greater," she said.
Present during the meeting were the ambassadors of Brunei Darussalam, Qatar
Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Iran, Egypt, Libya, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey,
Iraq, Pakistan, Kuwait, Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates.
UNARMED MILF MEN RETURN TO CAMPS: PAGALUNGAN, Maguindanao — Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) rebels have started returning to two of their
enclaves, not with their guns but with tools to replant their farms.
Dozens of rebels and their families flocked back to their homes in Camps
Limbalod and Rajah Muda here to rebuild their war-ravaged communities with
the help of government troopers.
"Now I know that they (government soldiers) are the ones who can help us
without asking for anything in return," said an MILF rebel who asked to be
identified only as Kalim.
Kalim was referring to the soldiers of the Army's 602nd Brigade, the same
unit which liberated 16 MILF camps here and in North Cotabato during the
military offensive last year.
MILF members from Camp Rajah Muda, a 5,000-hectare area at the border of
this town and Pikit, North Cotabato, have also laid down their arms to
plant palay and corn.
Rajah Muda residents lauded the cessation of hostilities between the
government and the MILF and forsook their former lives under the gun.
Many of them even threatened to leave the area again if the government
allows MILF rebels to roam with their guns.
More rebels started streaming back to Camp Rajah Muda after Presidential
Assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza launched a "peace caravan" that
distributed farm inputs to the rebels.
Dureza said he will conduct further dialogues with rebel-farmers next week
to determine their other needs.
Military units all over Central Mindanao are also gearing to launch civic
assistance projects to bolster the government's peace initiative but were
being delayed by isolated rebel attacks. Phil. Star, 04/05/2001
SALAMAT WON'T BE ALLOWED TO BRING ESCORTS INTO ABUBAKAR: Rebel leader
Hashim Salamat will not be allowed to enter his former command base at Camp
Abubakar with armed bodyguards.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) started observing a unilateral
ceasefire yesterday after a series of last-minute skirmishes left one rebel
dead. Renato Corona, President Arroyo's chief of staff, said yesterday the
matter of Salamat's armed bodyguards would have to be settled on the
negotiating table.
Corona said that except for government troops, armed groups are banned from
entering Camp Abubakar and other former MILF redoubts that were captured
during last year's all-out military offensive against the separatist
rebels.
Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan, Armed forces spokesman, said yesterday President
Arroyo has strict instructions that MILF rebels entering Abubakar and other
former camps must not carry firearms. But Rep. Agapito "Butz" Aquino of
Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) said in an official statement
yesterday Mrs.Arroyo had unconditionally allowed the MILF rebels to retake
their former strongholds "under the guise of returning communities" to the
rebels.
Aquino said thousands of soldiers died in the bloody campaign to capture
Abubakar and the other former rebel redoubts and that their sacrifices have
come to nothing following the Arroyo administration's action.
But Jesus Crispin Remulla, spokesman for the LDP-Puwersa ng Masa coalition,
said what's worse is that the Arroyo administration has agreed to finance
the rehabilitation of the former rebel areas.
On the other hand, National Security Adviser Roilo Golez said yesterday
news of Salamat's return to Abubakar with 200 heavily-armed men could be
part of a disinformation campaign to derail the planned peace talks between
the government and the MILF.
Golez said the disinformation could have been disseminated by "sectors
within the MILF" or "political groups" identified with the Estrada
administration.
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said yesterday about 2,000 troops,
equivalent to a brigade, are stationed in Camp Abubakar.
In Cotabato City, Maj. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army's 6th Infantry
Division, warned yesterday that the MILF could provoke another shooting war
if they try to enter Abubakar with guns.
In Davao City, Jesus Dureza, presidential assistant on Mindanao, said
yesterday Salamat has no plan to go back to Camp Abubakar with 200
heavily-armed bodyguards
"I made verifications from sources close to Salamat," he said. "And I was
informed that there was no such plan by the chairman." Dureza said the
government has maintained its firm stand that armed rebels will not be
allowed to return to Abubakar and their other former strongholds.
Phil. Star, 04/04/2001
MACAPAGAL APPEALS FOR TRUST IN GOV'T.IN TALKS WITH MILF
Inquirer News Service, 3 april
PRESIDENT Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday urged the people of Mindanao to trust
the government in its peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
"I appeal to the people of Mindanao," the President said in a press briefing
at the Palace. "Peace is not a one-way street. Everyone must be imbued with
a sense of justice, tolerance and understanding in a region of such
diversity as our beloved island of Mindanao."
She added: "Peace will be served the collective welfare. Bear with us. Trust
us. We have nothing but your security and well-being in mind." Ms Macapagal
also issued the assurance that the Armed Forces had "expressed its full
support to our efforts toward peace."
"Our soldiers are not war-mongers and detractors of peace," she said. "Our
soldiers are professionals, peace-loving and patriotic Filipinos."
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, while also calling for "mutual trust"
between the government and MILF negotiating panels, said former MILF camps
would be closely watched to ensure that the infrastructure projects there
would not be turned into military bunkers.
"That is not going to happen again. The President has given specific
instructions that we should not allow those things to happen," Reyes told
the Inquirer in reference to National Irrigation Administration projects
that the MILF had turned into fortified bunkers.
Reyes also stressed that there would be no return of camps to the MILF
"because there are no camps and there will be no camps."
"The camps have been overrun (by government troops), and what we are talking
about are development efforts. We have to stop talking about camps because
no camps will be returned," he said.
Last year, government forces overran all 46 MILF camps, including Camp
Abubakar, its general headquarters. Ms Macapagal has pointed out that these
areas were communities, not military installations.
At Camp Aguinaldo, AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Jose Calimlim said the
government would not pull out its troops from the former MILF camps.
He said this decision was reached in a command conference that Ms Macapagal
presided over yesterday. Calimlim, however, said civilians were free to
return to these areas.
Eduardo Ermita, the President’s adviser on the peace process, said MILF
soldiers and their families had returned to their former camps, minus a
"military component."
"They are there, but not in the manner they were before," he told the
Inquirer. Ermita said the government had no plans to seize their firearms
"at the moment."
In the long haul, what we want is for them to voluntarily lay down their
firearms and involve themselves in development efforts," he said. Sen.
Rodolfo Biazon urged the government to allow only legitimate residents to
return to Camp Abubakar.
"If the government intends to return the area to (the people there), it must
return it to the lawful and legal claimants," Biazon said at a news
conference.
Otherwise, he said, this might "authorize the presence of armed groups in
the camp complex." With reports from Carlito Pablo and Christine Avendaño
MILF DROPS BID FOR INDEPENDENT STATE – GMA: Leaders of the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) have softened their demand for an independent
Islamic state in Mindanao.
President Arroyo said in an official statement yesterday her impression is
that the rebels are "no longer fighting for an independent state" after the
secret meeting between retired Lt. Gen. Eduardo Ermita and MILF leaders in
Kuala Lumpur last week. MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the rebels will stop
offensive operations starting tomorrow ahead of peace negotiations with the
government.
As Kabalu was speaking, government troops clashed with MILF guerrillas
following a rebel attack on a military outpost in Maguindanao last
Saturday. Phil. Star, 04/02/2001
MILF NO LONGER SEPARATIST--GMA
PDI Mindanao Bureau, Inquirer News Service, April 2, 2001
PRESIDENT Macapagal-Arroyo said she had the "impression" that the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front was no longer fighting for a separate Muslim state
in Mindanao.
"The way they talked to us in Kuala Lumpur, they are willing to talk to us
in the context of our territorial integrity," a Malacañang statement quoted
the President as having said Saturday in an interview with an Indian
journalist, Saeed Naqvi.
Starting tomorrow, MILF fighters have been ordered to silence their guns
ahead of peace negotiations with the government.
"The suspension of military action will begin at 1 a.m. tomorrow and will
probably (last) until we can conclude a peace accord with the Macapagal
administration," MILF spokesperson Eid Kabalu said.
In a message aired over Cotabato City-based radio station dxMS, Kabalu
quoted MILF chair Salamat Hashim as saying that "under the present
government leadership, there appears to be a greater chance of forging a
peace accord that will bring peace in Mindanao, hopefully."
Ms Macapagal last week announced that the MILF had agreed to the formal
resumption of talks with the government following a secret meeting with a
senior security adviser in Malaysia.
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes gave assurance that the President was
committed to keeping the country’s territorial integrity.
AFP pullout
But he said the government might pull out 2,000 soldiers from former MILF
camps in the interest of peace.
Ms Macapagal assured the public that in the accord that Eduardo Ermita
presidential adviser on the peace process, signed with the MILF, the
government did not give up its hold on Camp Abubakar when it agreed to
develop the area along with the MILF.
The military captured Abubakar, the main camp of the MILF, and other rebel
bases last year after then President Joseph Estrada declared an all-out war
against the MILF.
Ms Macapagal said military officials in the peace talks would not enter
into any deal disadvantageous to the government.
"I am confident that whatever it is they do in the peace negotiations, they
will not swing to the other side of the pendulum," she said over radio dzRH.
The President has come under fire for reportedly giving away Abubakar and
two other camps when the government agreed to allow MILF members and their
families to return to their homes.
Opposition
In Cebu City, opposition senatorial candidates lashed out at the
administration for the secret talks with the MILF.
Former Sen. Santanina Rasul expressed fears that the accord could result in
the government renouncing its claim over Sabah. Senatorial candidate Ricardo
"Dong" Puno suggested that the Senate investigate the accord. For his part
reelectionist Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile said the talks were meant to return
Abubakar to the MILF.
"Probably they want to couch the agreement in such a manner using the term
‘community’ in the resurrection of the military camps with the total consent
of the government," said Enrile, a defense secretary of the Marcos regime.
He said returning the camps to the rebels would have a telling effect on the
soldiers, whose comrades sacrificed their lives for the recovery of the
territory long held by the MILF.
Appeasing rebs
The Department of National Defense did not escape Enrile’s criticism. He
noted that the DND was trying to "appease" rebel forces and was "sacrificing"
the Constitution in the process.
But Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said the government was not returning
Abubakar to the MILF. He said the government could now assert its
territorial integrity because it had shown the MILF its might when it
captured the supposedly impregnable camp.
"The government under (President Macapagal) is very firm about our
territorial integrity. No one should challenge the sovereignty of our
republic. So we are not returning any camp," he said. He said that for the
cause of peace, the government was addressing the root causes of the Moro
insurgency.
Reyes said this was why the military was supportive of developing the camps
together with the MILF.
"The reason for this is that we cannot all be at war forever," he said. "At
the end of the day, there must be a political solution and socioeconomic
reforms."
Reyes said the military was even willing to withdraw 2,000 soldiers from the
camps. "Our soldiers at Camp Abubakar cannot stay there indefinitely. If we
develop the area to be home not only for the MILF but for everyone in
Mindanao . . . then we can recall our soldiers there and they can go
somewhere else," he said.
Best time to talk
Reyes said this was the best time for the government to negotiate with the
MILF because it was doing so from a position of strength. "Their (military)
force has been greatly weakened. Now is the best time to talk to them," he
said.
Asked whether the capture of MILF camps had instilled fear among the MILF
fighters, Reyes replied, "Yes. They are now convinced that their acts of
challenging government authority will not work. It is better to support the
government than to fight it."
US OFFERS GRANT FOR VICTIMS OF MINDANAO CONFLICT
Inquirer News Service, April 2, 2001
THE US is set to give emergency aid to thousands of civilians displaced by
the Muslim separatist conflict in Mindanao, the US embassy said Monday.
The US Agency for International Development and a private group, Action
against Hunger, are to provide $422,625 to help 29,000 people displaced by
the fighting in the island of Mindanao, an embassy statement said.
Manila and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front are to hold talks
within three months after declaring unilateral ceasefires.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's deposed predecessor Joseph Estrada had
waged a bloody offensive against the rebel group last year that displaced
600,000 people by government count. About half have yet to return to their
homes.
GOV'T. NOT RETURNING ANY CAMPS TO MILF, GLORIA REITERATES
April 2, 2001, INQ7.net
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo today reiterated that the government is
not returning any of the camps it captured from the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front (MILF).
In a press briefing today, Ms Macapagal said that this issue was never
raised during the exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur between representatives
of the government and the MILF. "It was never discussed directly or
peripherally, it was never laid down as a condition for the accord or
suspension of military operations," she said.
The President also said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is in full
support of the peace process. "Our soldiers are not warmongers or detractors
of peace, (they are) peace-loving patriotic Filipinos," Ms Macapagal said.
She called on Mindanaoans to give peace a chance, as she noted that the
Kuala Lumpur accord "cements the groundwork for the developmental process."
The process is already in motion with the launch of Interact Mindanao headed
by the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Eduardo Ermita, who also
led the Malaysian talks.
"Peace is not a one-way street," Ms Macapagal said as she asked Mindanaoans
to "bear with us, trust us. We have nothing but your security and welfare
in mind."
Last week, the President said that the former MILF camps captured by the
Philippine military such as Abubakar will henceforth be known as Muslim
communities, although she stressed there will be no pullout of troops in
the area.
ARMY SHELLS MILF POSITIONS IN RENEWED FLARE-UP
Inquirer News Service, April 1, 2001
(ZAMBOANGA CITY) - Philippine troops shelled encampments of Muslim
insurgents in the southern Philippines in response to an attack on an army
outpost as sporadic clashes erupted ahead of peace talks, the military said
Sunday.
Troops fired rounds of mortars towards Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
rebel positions in the town of Barira in Maguindano province late Saturday,
regional army spokesman Colonel Fredesvindo Covarrubias said.
He said the military offensive was to prevent the MILF rebels from storming
vital government projects in the area after attacking an army outpost on the
same day.
Soldiers also engaged MILF guerrillas in a fierce gunbattle in the nearby
province of Basilan also in the south after an ambush on patrolling soldiers
in the coastal town of Tuburan on Friday.
There were no immediate reports of casualties on both sides.
Two MILF hideouts in the area fell into government hands after the clash the
military said. The renewed flare-up came in the middle of a truce earlier
declared by both sides ahead of a possible resumption of talks later this
month.
"The rebels continue attacking military positions in central Mindanao and in
other areas in the south despite a truce agreement between the government
and the MILF," Covarrubias said.
Mindanao is the Philippines' main southern island where the MILF has been
waging a 23-year insurgency for the establishment of an independent Islamic
state.
MILF TO SILENCE GUNS BY TUEDAY - KABALU
Inquirer News Service, April 1, 2001
(ZAMBOANGA CITY) - Philippine Muslim separatist guerrillas have been ordered
to silence their guns starting Tuesday ahead of peace negotiations with
Manila, a rebel spokesman said Sunday.
"The suspension of military action will begin on April 3 and will probably
(last) until we can conclude a peace accord with the Arroyo administration"
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) spokesman Eid Kabalu told reporters in
a teleconference from his base in the south.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last week announced the MILF has agreed to
the formal resumption of talks with Manila following a secret meeting with a
senior security adviser in Malaysia.
The date and venue of the talks have yet to be finalized, although officials
earlier said it could be held in Kuala Lumpur and begin anytime in April.
"The truce will be effective until further notice," he stressed, adding that
the truce ordered was signed by the MILF military chief Mohammad Murad and
was made known to its field commanders.
Kabalu's statement came as sporadic clashes broke out in the south between
government troops and the MILF, following a rebel attack on an army outpost
in Maguindanao province on Saturday.
Troops fired rounds of mortars towards MILF positions in Maguindano's Barira
town to prevent the revels from storming vital government projects and
installations in the area, military southern command spokesman Colonel
Fredesvindo Covarrubias said.
Soldiers also engaged MILF guerrillas in a fierce gun battle in the nearby
province of Basilan after an ambush on patrolling soldiers in the coastal
town of Tuburan on Friday.
There were no immediate reports of casualties on both sides.
Two MILF hideouts in the area fell into government hands after the clash
the military said. The renewed flare-up came in the middle of a truce
earlier declared by both sides ahead of a possible resumption of talks
later this month.
