AFP hits MILF camp, recruitment in Iligan

MANILA, Philippines - While talking peace with the government, the Moro Islamic Liberation (MILF) has put up a training camp in a remote village in Iligan City in violation of the ceasefire agreement, the military said yesterday.

The Army’s 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade commander Col. Gilbert Gapay confirmed the existence of an MILF training camp in Sitio Limonsodan, Barangay Waterfalls of Rogongon, Iligan City.

The Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said yesterday its ceasefire committee had received reports from Gapay confirming the illegal MILF training camp and is undertaking measures to dismantle the facility.

Government troops discovered the MILF training facility following the complaint of the Higaonon tribe led by Deodado Abugan Sr.

Abugan asked for military help to address the presence of armed men roaming around in their communities.

“The local populace made an official complaint and requested the intervention of the military to address the presence of armed elements in their area conducting recruitment and training and when verified, we found out that there is an MILF training facility in the area,” Gapay said.

Abugan initially filed the complaint before the Iligan City council, which then endorsed it to the military.

Gapay forwarded the complaint to the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) on Wednesday, pointing out the training camp is in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

“I endorsed the complaint because it’s a violation of the ceasefire provisions,” Gapay said.

The complaint also revealed the continued recruitment and the conduct of military training exercises by the MILF.

Gapay made public the pictures taken of the training camp, reporting the facility was not among the several MILF camps recognized under the peace agreement.

The training camp can only be reached via Cagayan de Oro City, then through Bukidnon on the Palacat route, not directly from Iligan City.

The camp was maintained by the MILF’s 103rd Base Command under Abdul Sango Amoran of the 305th Guerrilla Unit.

The complaint alleged the MILF’s 305th Guerrilla Unit had promised five hectares of land to each recruit once the Bangsamoro Basic Law is passed.

Recruits were reportedly asked to pay P800 before they can undergo training with the MILF unit.

Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc said the guerrilla unit appeared to be promising recruits land that actually belonged to them.

“The land is part of the ancestral domain of the Higaonon tribe. The law protects their rights over the land,” Cabunoc said in Filipino.

“If you promise that land to another tribe, it will cause a conflict,” he added

Cabunoc said the ceasefire panel would determine if the group led by Amoran is really connected with the MILF.

Based on Gapay’s complaint, Cabunoc said a Joint Site Verification Mission was created with members of the joint ceasefire committee, the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), and the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT), along with local officials and tribal elders joining the inspection.

Gapay said his men have taken pictures of the area to support the complaint and requested the CCCH for immediate dismantling of the facility.

Gapay pointed out the camp is outside of the MILF territory in Lanao de Sur. The MILF has Camps Bushra and Bilal in Butig in Lanao del Sur.

Gapay said they learned two batches of recruits composed of 80 and 72 people have completed their military training at the camp.

He said those who were recruited and underwent training supervised by the MILF were mostly non-Muslim indigenous people including the Higaonons, the tribesmen residing in the area.

“There were also Christians who took part in the training,” Gapay said.

He said the camp facilities are complete, though recruits use wooden rifles during their military training.

Government ceasefire committee head secretariat Maj. Carlos Sol confirmed they have received reports of government forces regarding the training camp and were implementing measures to address the violation.

Sol also clarified the training camp was not that of the MILF’s 105th Base Command, the rebel unit involved in the killing of 44 policemen in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25. – Alexis Romero, Roel Pareño, Gerry Lee Gorit, Jose Rodel Clapano