Suicide missions

As the National Security Council met for the second time under this administration last Friday, govern-ment troops were conducting a body count in Mindanao. Their tally: 41 Muslim separatists dead, with six fatalities on the government side. As the NSC finished its meeting at Malacañang, government troops were trying to dislodge members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front from the town hall of Kauswagan in Lanao del Norte. Around 400 MILF rebels had invaded the town Thursday, trapping three nuns at the Assump-tion Convent and triggering firefights with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The MILF, which is supposed to be conducting peace talks with the government, launched simultaneous attacks in Linamon and Bacolod towns in Lanao del Norte.

Government troops, apparently caught by surprise, had another problem: they were reportedly suffering from an acute lack of air support. Last Friday, an "unscheduled maintenance" kept all the C-130 cargo planes of the Philippine Air Force grounded. The PAF said the UH-1H or Huey helicopters and OV-10 Broncos were in Mindanao, but reports from the battlefront said the wounded could not be airlifted to hospitals.

With these simultaneous attacks, it's unlikely that a peace pact will be forged between the government and MILF by June 30, the deadline set by President Estrada. Even if such an agreement were forged, there are reports that a group is again breaking away from the MILF, as the MILF broke away from the Moro National Liberation Front. The AFP will have to brace for continuing separatist conflict in Mindanao.

Before the President gives up on the MILF and orders a renewed military offensive, however, he must make sure that his soldiers are properly equipped for battle. You can't fight determined guerrillas without air cover and sufficient firepower. It may be argued that the conflict in Mindanao is not a purely military problem, and no amount of firepower can wipe out an insurgency. Weapons, aircraft and other equipment, however, can save the lives of soldiers and give them a better chance of protecting the citizenry from terrorist attacks. We can't afford to keep sending our soldiers on suicide missions. The violence in Mindanao should prod national leaders to speed up the modernization of the Armed Forces.