Government negotiators told: Stop being MILF spokespersons

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City, Philippines  – The government should negotiate with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) from a position of strength and stop being the group’s spokesperson, a retired military official said.

Retired Gen. Emmanuel Teodosio, whose unit was among the ground military forces instrumental in the capture of the main enclave of the MILF at Camp Abubakar in 2000, said the government is appeasing the MILF and offering excuses on its behalf despite the group’s involvement in the Mamasapano clash.

“They say one should speak softly and carry a big stick. I would rather say speak louder and carry a bigger stick,” Teodosio said.

“(The government) should show more resolve and determination. We should not offer excuses for them, that the incident happened because they (Special Action Force) did not coordinate,” he added.

The MILF has blamed the SAF for the incident, saying the firefight should not have happened if the police commandos coordinated their actions in the area. The group said its base commanders acted in “self-defense.”

While he does not see the need to wage another all-out war against the MILF, the retired Marine commander believes government negotiators should adopt a different approach.

“If not to start with another peace talk on a different framework, they should be sensitive enough to the sentiment of the Filipinos spawned by the Mamasapano incident. They must also stop being spokespersons for the MILF,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of his Philippine Military Academy Class 1972 that attended Saturday’s annual PMA alumni homecoming here, Teodosio said previous military and police campaigns that contained the Muslim secessionist movement – from the Moro National Liberation (MNLF) to the MILF in Mindanao – are slowly going down the drain.

“Our Muslim brothers have been persecuted for so many years by the Christians so now you deserve what you get because you entered their area without coordination. We have not risen above that feeling,” he said.  – With Rainier Ronda, Paolo Romero