MILF ceasefire on; two rebels killed

Two suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels were killed in a clash with Army troopers even as the 10-day unilateral ceasefire declared by the MILF took effect yesterday.

Reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo said two unidentified MILF rebels were slain in the clash and soldiers recovered a grenade launcher with four rounds and an M-79 rocket launcher.

The troops from the 57th Infantry Battalion were on combat patrol in Barangay Pandan, South Upi at 9 a.m. when they chanced upon some 50 rebels and the clash ensued. The rebels withdrew after a 45-minute gun battle.

Maj. Gen. Generoso Senga, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, said the rebels encountered by his men are believed to be the same ones who ambushed a group of farmers and militiamen in South Upi Saturday.

Killed in the ambush were militiamen Pedro Gunsi, Celso Dalimbang, Valentine Buaya and Lorenzo Lanticsi and farmer Antonio Marzonia, who had been headed for Sitio Balugo in South Upi to harvest corn.

MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghazali Jaafar said that the rebels’ suspension of military offensives (SOMO) does not cover calibrated defensive actions taken by MILF fighters attacked by government forces or any of its allied armed groups. Jaafar’s statements were posted on the rebel group’s website, luwaran.com.

Jaafar said the ceasefire will be extended if the government fully implements the March 28 joint communiqué signed at the GRP-MILF exploratory talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from March 27 to 28.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the rebels are still hopeful President Arroyo will reciprocate for the sake of peace in Mindanao. "I hope our sacrifice will produce better results," he said.

The MILF’s SOMO was signed by MILF vice chairman for military affairs Al-Haj Murad Ebrahim, concurrent chief of staff of the BIAF. Murad is also the MILF’s chief peace negotiator.

Apprehensions

Murad said the MILF will "religiously adhere" to its truce, but said they are apprehensive that "third parties" whom he refused to identify, could sabotage the MILF’s 10-day SOMA to embarrass the rebels’ central committee and project the image it is no longer in control of its forces.

Kabalu said that despite the ongoing military operations in the provinces of Cotabato, Lanao and Maguindanao, their fighters’ guns will be silenced until June 12 and will only be fired if the rebel fighters are attacked.

"Whether they respond to it or not, this declaration is unilateral. It is not binding on them," Kabalu said.

The 12,500-strong MILF has been fighting for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao. It has been weakened by deaths, massive surrenders of its guerrillas and the recent capture of the camp of Abdurahman Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, the most wanted MILF leader in Lanao del Norte.

Macapaar’s camp in Barangay Nunungan, Poona-Piagapo, Lanao del Norte was captured by the Army’s 4th Infantry Division Task Force Diamond IV last Saturday.

Jaafar said the SOMA does not include other armed groups in Mindanao fighting the government such as the Abu Sayyaf, kidnap-for-ransom groups, terrorist groups operating in Mindanao and the remnants of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) loyal to former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) governor Nur Misuari, who continue to fight government troops.

Jaafar defined government or allied forces as the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units (Cafgus), Civilian Volunteers’ Organization (CVO) and vigilante groups such as the Ilagas, Tadtads and other so-called fanatic groups.

In Iligan City, loss of contact with their commanders and hunger pushed MILF rebels Casan Macasre Maugan alias Commander Runner, Malik Mala and Abdel Nasser Panarang Mangarun alias Teks to surrender to 26th Infantry Battalion commander Maj. Ronald Villanueva on May 27, belated reports said. They also turned over three Garand rifles.

They were all reportedly under the command of Commander Yahyah Lucsadato, Division Commander of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) 5th Field division.

In another report from Fort Bonifacio, seven MILF rebels were captured in two separate incidents in Maguindanao Saturday. Four of the seven rebels were children, one was a septuagenarian.

Captured by the 47th Infantry Battalion’s Bravo Company were Mama Sangko, 50; Mangkong Umbas, 70; Dante Ambo, 13; Manzor Nasser, 13; Saddam Ambo, 11; and a wounded Hantoy Kawtin, 11. All of them were residents of Barangay Poblacion, Datu Paglas.

Recovered from the rebels were three M-16 rifles, one of which was equipped with an M-203 grenade launcher, one M-14, two rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers with seven live rounds of ammunition, five propellant RPG charges and personal effects.

MILF rebel Malinao Ragia Buayan was captured at 6:30 a.m. on the same day at Sitio Mangadeg, Barangya Katil, Datu Paglas, Maguindanao. A 5.56 mm handgun was seized from him.

The captured MILF rebels are undergoing tactical interrogation at the headquarters of the 47th Infantry Battalion

GMA thrashes ceasefire

The President, meanwhile, thrashed the SOMO declared by the MILF because the rebel group has failed to meet any of the three conditions she set for the resumption of peace talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

But she did not totally shut the door on the government’s peace negotiations with the MILF as she reiterated her demand that the Muslim secessionists comply with the conditions she had spelled out long before the MILF declared a SOMO.

"The MILF will have to convince the people of its sincerity. The declaration of temporary truce does not necessarily signal a sincere desire for peace," she said.

"The people would rather see this problem (of violence in Mindanao) solved than live in an atmosphere characterized by a fragile and uncertain peace," the President said.

Based on a policy statement issued by the President yesterday, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes and AFP chief Gen. Narciso Abaya said government forces would continue their "punitive actions" against the perpetrators of recent bombing attacks and raids of civilian towns and police and military detachments in various parts of Mindanao.

"The Armed Forces will not fire upon MILF groups that come out in the open and peaceably return to the fold (of the law)," the President said. "But groups that remain underground and which have committed acts of terrorism will be interdicted and subjected to punitive actions because these remain a threat to the safety of civilian communities."

In what may be an effort to highlight the government’s hard-line stance on the MILF truce offer, Mrs. Arroyo paid tribute to the soldiers killed in action and those seriously wounded in the military’s offensive against terrorists in Mindanao.

The President, assisted by Abaya, handed checks for P20,000 to each of the widows, orphans, parents and other relatives of the 36 soldiers who were killed, as well as to the wounded soldiers.

The funds were taken from the Alay sa Kawal Foundation Inc. headed by former ambassador Alberto Pedrosa, as well as from donations from Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) president Ephraim Genuino.

Peace and order

The ceasefire took effect just hours before the President left for South Korea and Japan on a five-day tour to lure investment and calm the fears of foreign business about the security situation in the Philippines.

In a pre-departure statement released by Malacañang, the President said the MILF truce "may be a ploy to allow reconsolidation of troops and resources, to strengthen links with terrorists, to beef up plans of attack upon civilians."

Before government troops reciprocate any truce laid down by the MILF, the President said, the MILF must "reveal where its forces are located. Tell us the intentions of these forces and show that they are not mixed with criminals or terrorists."

The MILF also denies links to the likes of Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist network or the Southeast Asian militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI).

Kabalu earlier denied a New York Times report that camps in an area controlled by the MILF had been used in recent months as training centers for the JI.

"They are fabricating linkages to pin us down as a terrorist group, but we are a legitimate revolutionary organization and we will survive this propaganda," Kabalu said.

Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye brushed aside the MILF SOMO as action intended for the consumption of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

"They want to smell good before the OIC," Bunye said. "If you recall, the timing of the MILF (truce) declaration coincided with the ongoing meeting of the OIC in Teheran, Iran."

Bunye said in an interview with dwIZ radio that "as far as the government is concerned, the ceasefire declared by the MILF is nothing but a pabalat-bunga (token gesture), pakitang tao (just for show) only and, perhaps, it is just their strategy to reduce the pressure on the MILF."

In a statement, Bunye also said that the issue of declaring the MILF as a terrorist organization has taken a backseat.

"The higher issue which the government would like to resolve at this time is whether the MILF would be interested to sign a final peace agreement which would put an end to the decades-old conflict," he said.

Reyes said, "we are still looking for evidence of sincerity on the part of the MILF because they are offering unilateral ceasefire and we don’t see that on the ground... They continue to attack out detachments and they continue to commit terroristic activities."

He said that the proposed terrorist tag for the MILF is still under review by the government, but added there is no deadline issued by the President on this particular issue.

Manila and the MILF have tried repeatedly to end 30 years of violence that has killed at least 120,000 people in Mindanao. — Roel Pareño, Mike Frialde, Bong Fabe, Marichu Villanueva, John Unson, Lino dela Cruz, Reuters, AFP