Malacañang insists MILF owned seized explosives cache

Malacañang insisted yesterday the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is the owner of the cache of explosives and bomb-making materials seized by the military in a rebel camp in Maguindanao last week.

Despite the repeated denials made by the MILF which claimed the military "planted" the explosives, President Arroyo said the rebels should explain why such a huge amount of explosives were seized from them.

Among the confiscated explosives were 450 kilos of high grade C-4 which Mrs. Arroyo said was more than the entire inventory of the Armed Forces.

Military officials said it was enough to blow up a 10-story building, or to manufacture more than 700 explosive devices.

"Pag nahuli, anu-anong excuse ang ginagawa (If they are caught, they come up with so many excuses) but as you can see the C-4 explosives were recovered from their territory," Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said yesterday.

Troops from the Army’s 6th Infantry Division found the bomb-making facility following a fierce encounter with MILF rebels in Barangay Tayan in Kabuntalan town last June 22.

Government troops also stumbled on other camouflaged bomb-making and weapons facilities in the area.

Maj. Gen. Generoso Senga, 6th ID commander, said they also found "mysterious" sketches detailing plans and outlines of public terminals, moviehouses and cockpits of towns in Central Mindanao.

This gave rise to suspicions that the MILF had plans to carry out more bomb attacks.

The military said the explosives were identical to the fragments of explosives recovered in areas recently bombed by suspected MILF rebels.

Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Roy Kyamko believed that the stocks were also intended to re-supply the MILF guerrillas on the ground after taking advantage of their self-imposed 20-day ceasefire since June 2.

The discovery of the explosives cache, estimated to be worth at least P5 million, came after MILF chairman Hashim Salamat denounced terrorism and expressed his willingness to lead the peace talks with the government.

Mrs. Arroyo, however, called on the MILF leadership to stop their fighters from carrying out bombings if they want peace talks to proceed.

She said the peace process would be set back if the MILF is unable to satisfactorily explain the presence of huge explosives seized in its area.

Mrs. Arroyo stressed the first move to initiate peace should come from the rebel side, while reiterating her policy of "calibrated reciprocation" in the Mindanao peace process.

She also rejected the demand to drop the arrest warrants against the top MILF leaders and said "the law is not a bargaining chip across the (negotiating) table."

Bunye also said the issue of dropping the arrest warrants "would have to be tackled at a later stage" of the peace negotiations.

He also reiterated the government’s efforts to resume the peace talks but it should be done simultaneously with the peace and order campaign.

In a statement, Mrs. Arroyo said the government will not slacken its war against terrorism even as it pursues peace with the MILF.

"Our will for peace is only matched by our will to fight terrorism," Mrs. Arroyo said.

"In fact, there is a need to step up our efforts to fight terrorism even as we talk peace because the terrorists might sabotage and derail the peace process," she said.