FACING THE MEDIA. Military police officials field questions from members of the Davao City media during a recent edition of the PNP/AFP Press Corps’ weekly media conference at the headquarters of Task Force Davao. JIM TAN NUEVO

The communist New People’s Army (NPA) owned up the raid on a town hall in Davao Oriental, but fingered the military in a grenade blast in Nabunturan, Compostela Valley province that killed 3 people and wounded 12 others last week.

“Red fighters of the 3rd Pulang Bagani Company of the Merardo Arce Command-New People’s Army disarmed the Philippine National Police Provincial Mobile Group (PMG) municipal station in Banaybanay, Davao Oriental and seized 18 firearms, including eight M16 Armalite rifles and more than 4,000 rounds of ammunition. Five (5) PNP personnel surrendered while three (3) others fled. After their surrender, they were treated as hor’s de combat in accordance with International Humanitarian Law,” said in a statement Rigoberto Sanchez, spokesman, of the NPA Merardo Arce Command in Southern Mindanao.

“The widespread and intensive tactical offensives are hitting Gloria Arroyo’s armed forces almost at will, with successive strikes to its head and blows to its body. In spite of the Eastern Mindanao Command’s troop build-up in the region, they remain out-witted and out-maneuvered by the people’s guerrilla army.

As the AFP/PNP encroach on the territories of the People’s Democratic Government in the countryside, conduct all-out repression against the peasants and lumads and serve as mercenary protectors of imperialist and local big business, they face deadly consequences of their fascist aggression. The NPA will inflict mounting casualties, seize more arms and accelerate the building of more NPA platoons. In the last three (3) months alone, units of the Merardo Arce Command already seized high-powered rifles that fully armed two (2) new NPA platoons.

The series of tactical offensives are meant to punish the Arroyo regime for its despicable crimes of large-scale corruption, imperialist plunder and fascist atrocities on the people. The objective of her US-directed Oplan Bantay Laya II all-out war is obviously exposed as mission impossible.”

The grenade blast in Compostela Valley showed how desperate is the military in tagging the rebels as behind the attack.

Sanchez said the “AFP’s level of desperation has increased a notch higher. By making a baseless allegation against the New People’s Army in regard to the grenade throwing incident in Nabunturan, Compostela Valley which caused the death of three civilians and wounded several others, the AFP is merely exposing its frustrations owing to its failures and defeats in the field.”

“The revolutionary forces condemn this criminal attack against civilians. We are verifying reports that intelligence operatives of the AFP are behind this. Reeling from the devastation suffered by the newly deployed 3rd Special Forces Battalion after the successful partisan operation in the same town days before the grenade blast, they now wish to counter by attacking innocent people and pinning the blame on the NPA. They did this many times in the past, the latest of which was the murder of Datu Dominador Diarog in Sitio Kahusayan, Brgy. Manuel Guianga in Davao City, perpetrated by the armed group of Apollo Quiboloy, the Task Force Davao and the 73rd Infantry Battalion but which they blamed on the NPA.

Another proof of the AFP’s desperation is its tale about the supposed death of one NPA guerrila and retrieval of one (1) M-14 rifle in Brgy. Mayaon, Montevista, Compostela Valley. There is no tinge of truth to this. The enemy is just manufacturing stories to divert attention from the successive and successful tactical offensives by the NPA,” said Sanchez.

By ROGER M. BALANZA

It could have been manna from heaven in the form of seemingly inexhaustible free lunch packs in Styrofoam that fell on poor Dabawenyos grappling with stiff cost of rice and other basic commodities.

Or it could have been a result of poor arithmetic. But lay workers who helped distribute to poor residents some 3,000 free lunch packs on Sunday at the San Pedro Cathedral swear the hand of God was at play in what they say was a miracle on the day of the feast of St. Peter, Davao City’s chief patron saint.

At the end of the 4-hour distribution of the free lunch packs—courtesy of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte that became part of the San Pedro parish’ fiesta “blow-out” to its indigent parishioners—Vicky Anghag said she and lay workers were shocked to find there were about 500 more packs left despite their estimate of more than 3,000 people who lined up for the treat.

Anghag, a secretary of San Pedro Cathedral parish priest Auxiliary Bishop George Rimando, could not hide her joy to tell about the miracle when she met with councilor Conrado Baluran at the Davao City Council. Anghag was at the council yesterday to furnish city councilors with a copy of Bishop Rimando’s letter thanking Mayor Duterte for his generosity in sharing the free food with indigent parishioners.

Mayor Duterte is a regular contributor to the June 29 feast of St. Peter, chipping in free food that the parish treats parishioners. In Sunday’s food distribution, Baluran and councilors Diosdado Mahipus and Edgar Ibuyan joined lay workers in giving out the free lunch packs from 11am to 3pm. In the Masses for the day, officiating priests thanked Mayor Duterte and wished him speedy recovery from a recent gall bladder operation.

Baluran said Anghag and the lay workers were sure God played a miracle in what appears to a modern-day version of the Holy Bible’s Old Testament’s Book of Israel on how God fed with “manna from Heaven” the children of Israel fleeing persecution in Egypt who followed Moses into the wilderness. Tired and hungry the Israelites asked for food from Moses, whose prayer to God for food came in the form of “manna” that fell from the sky.

The Bible never tells us exactly what manna was and where it came from, but there are many Old Testament passages which describe its physical qualities and conditions associated with its appearance.

But Virgie and the other lay workers are sure about the manna that came down Sunday at the San Pedro parish ground during the distribution of free lunch packs to poor, hungry parishioners: more packs that added to the 3,000 lunch packs in a mysterious riddle that could only be described as a miracle.

Talks about the “manna in styrofoam packs” spread at the parish in the afternoon of Sunday as Virgie and lay workers finished with the tiring work came found more packs left after more than three thousand people line up for the fiesta treat.

A ceasefire may clear the path to peace talks between the Philippine government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), but the political aspects of the conflict for peace to reign in troubled Mindanao.

Without these political aspects resolved, there will be no end to the fighting, said Muhammad Ameen, chairperson of the MILF Secretariat, in a report posted at the MILF website luwaran.com.

“Ceasefire today, fighting tomorrow, again ceasefire the next day after, and then fighting. There is going to be an endless cycle of fighting, temporary truce, suffering, peace-making, ” said Ameen.

This developed as the multi-sectoral Mindanao Coalition for Peace issued a manifesto in Marawi City last month, urging the government and MILF to halt the fighting that has displaced thousands of Mindanawons.

Ameen acknowledged the manifesto of the coalition of Muslims, Christians and Lumads may contribute to peace, Ameen appealed to members of the non-government organizations (NGOs), civil society groups, people’s organizations, and religious groups in the Philippines especially those based and operating in Mindanao to give greater attention and efforts to help address the political aspect of the so-called Moro Problem rather than by giving greater emphasis on issues related to the ceasefire.

“The ceasefire is just a support mechanism to allow the peace talks to move forward undisturbed and succeed, but it is not an end by itself, although it is a very important aspect of peace-making in this region,” he explained, adding that it saves lives and properties and gives the two Parties, government and MILF, the needed space, respite, serenity, and concentration in the negotiating table.

However, he said that while the MILF welcomes the efforts of these groups to help maintain the ceasefire between the Philippine government and the MILF, the failure to settle the political aspect of the problem through a “negotiated political solution” would result in unending fighting, displacement, and loss of properties and precious lives in Mindanao.

He urged them not only to help maintain the ceasefire but more importantly to exert efforts to identify which of the Parties, government or MILF, is not serious in the talks and not complying with decisions arrived by the Parties and find ways and means to make them comply.

He said the MILF wants a principled and real problem-solving negotiation with the Philippine government, not the one that is anchored on counter-insurgency approach.

He cited the case of the GRP-MNLF Final Peace Agreement in 1996, which was not carried faithfully by the government when it undertook the necessary changes in the organic charter of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Even after more than years of signing, the MNLF is still complaining about the non-implementation of the peace pact by the government.

In one forum in Davao City last year, one speaker who is directly involved in the peace process was overheard to have said: “Iba ang pipirmahan, iba ang isasa-batas, at iba ang i-implement” (one set of document is signed, another version will be passed into law, and another form to be implemented on the ground).

MANIFESTO OF THE

MINDANAO ALLIANCE FOR PEACE

The Mindanao Alliance for Peace (MAP), a broad alliance of civil society organizations, people’s organization and individual peace advocates in Mindanao, strongly believes that a negotiated political settlement is still the best way of resolving the age-old conflict in Mindanao .

To cast a little glance on how much the government spends on war campaign, the article, “ Mindanao : Land Raped and Plundered” gives us the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

With this premises, the alliance issues the following manifesto:

We also call on the Philippine government to postponed the election in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) set on August 11, 2008. This undoubtedly poses as a hindrance in the peace talks. For even if a comprehensive peace agreement may be signed soon, the implementation of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) will take effect until the terms of the elected ARMM official shall have been finished. Clearly, holding the ARMM election is a sign that the government is not sincere in its peace negotiations with the MILF.

And, as we will all be victims when war erupts in ourt midst, we call on every Bangsamoro people and on every peace-loving individual, for that matter, to unite with us in letting our voices be heard that we want PEACE now for we have been suffering the brunt od war for so long.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is keeping its hands off the coming elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The Philippines’ largest Islamic separatist rebel group has ordered its forces to stay out of the elections. The campaign period has started for next month’s polls in the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao in Southern Philippines.

The MILF order for rebels to shun the elections came ahead of a press statement from MILF chairman Ebrahim Murad urging Malacanang to reset the ARMM elections.  Murad said  ARMM  has not responded to needs of the Bangsamoro people and and frowned at the coming elections a stumbling block to the ongoing peace talks between the MILF and the government.

“ARMM did not and cannot cater to the basic needs of the Bangsamoro people and instead has worsened their already depressed condition and added confusion to the populace,” Murad said.

The statement, jointly signed by former MNLF leader Muslimin Sema urged President Gloria Arroyo to postpone or scrap the polls.

The polls are a grave obstacle to the ongoing peace negotiations between Manila and the MILF, including the MNLF tripartite talks, said Murad and Sema in the statement. The ARMM was established after the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) then headed by Nur Misuari signed a peace agreement with the Philippine government in 1992 after a 30-year battle for independence for Muslim Mindanao.

“We have not issued any statement urging the Philippine government to scrap or postpone the ARMM elections. The MILF has ordered all its members and supporters to refrain from participating in the ARMM polls and other Philippine elections,” Eid Kabalu told media in another statement.

Unresolved issues on ancestral domain have stalled peace talks between the government and the MILF, as both sides seek an end to more than three decades of Muslim rebellion in the Southern Philippines.

]]> http://durianpost.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/milf-not-meddling-in-armm-polls/feed/ durianpost http://durianpost.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/pinol-blames-government-for-revived-milf/ http://durianpost.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/pinol-blames-government-for-revived-milf/#comments Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:50:52 +0000 durianpost http://durianpost.wordpress.com/?p=581

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would have been nothing but history after the fall of Buliok Complex in 2003, according to North Cotabato Vice Governor Manny Pinol.

But the Philippine Government allowed the  MILF to regroup and rebuild its forces, by allowing their return to their biggest base in Western Mindanao, said  Pinol. former governor who now chairs the North Cotabato Provincial Board.

The government waged an all-out war against the MILF in 2003, and captured the secessionist group’s main camp Buliok Complex in Luguasan Marsh, part of which is located in Pinol’s province, after nearly a month of fighting.

Pinol said the government’s peace efforts, after the fall of Buliok, allowed the MILF to  rebuild its forces. After it had been reduced to an insignificant force in the 2003 all-out war, the government also committed a big error in turning over captured Buliok Complex to the MILF as part of confidence-building efforts and the peace  talks, he said.

Pinol said that while he is not against peace negotiations with MILF, the government should have used its strength as a tactical advantage. “My position is that in every negotiation, one must show his superiority in terms of strength,” he said.

Sadly, Pinol said, instead of taking advantage of the fall of Buliok Complex, the government allowed MILF fighters to return to the MILF base, the biggest in Mindanao.

With Buliok in MILF hands again, the secessionist was able to regroup and rebuild its forces, said the vice governor.

I thought back in 2003 after the fall of Buliok that never again will I hear guns firing to kill Filipinos. But it did not happen that way. The MILF rebels agains are wrecking havoc in our province, said Pinol.

]]> http://durianpost.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/pinol-blames-government-for-revived-milf/feed/ durianpost http://durianpost.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/esperon-milf-grp-pact-on-ancestral-domain-underway/ http://durianpost.wordpress.com/2008/07/04/esperon-milf-grp-pact-on-ancestral-domain-underway/#comments Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:25:37 +0000 durianpost http://durianpost.wordpress.com/?p=580

Hermogenes Esperon, presidential adviser on the peace process and former Armed Forces chief, expressed optimism that a memorandum of agreement on the issue of ancestral domain will be signed by September between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Esperon made the pronouncement in a briefing with Mindanao stakeholders, including the media, Thursday at the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) office here.

Esperon banked his optimism on the recent movements of the stalled peace process between the two warring parties where the government has presented to the MILF through the Malaysian peace process facilitators, its draft of the counter proposal on the ancestral domain agreement last June 23.

The first proposal was rejected by the MILF, which disagreed with the government’s classification of areas that should be part of the MILF’s ancestral domain.

The MILF a week after June 23 submitted its reply to the government’s draft of the proposed ancestral domain agreement.

“It is possible we could sign something in September. It depends on how fast we are moving,” Esperon said.

The issues on freedom, jurisdiction and control over resources, and on institution and organizational structure of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity are the three contentious issues of the ancestral domain agreement, which were raised in the draft presented by the government to the MILF.

Esperon said the MILF, in its reply, has well received the proposed agreement on jurisdiction and control over resources.

However the contentious issue on governance, which is the institution and organizational structure of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, remains, Esperon said.

A provision in the said proposed draft of government on the issue of governance states that both parties will agree on the “principle of consultation free of any imposition and open new formula to respond to the aspiration of Bangsa Moro for freedom”.

The MILF in its reply to the proposed draft however wants to change the word “freedom” to self-determination, Esperon said.

He further clarified that all the contentious issues will be tackled under the legal framework such as a constitutional process.

“These proposed agreements will be subjected to a discussion with our legal group and later for approval of the president,” Esperon said.

The MILF in its reply also accepted the proposal to subject the upcoming ancestral domain agreement to a constitutional process, Esperon said.

With these developments, Esperon said “there are things we need to prepare next week and give some pronouncements if we can get the approval of the president,” he added.

Although the stalled peace talks has seemingly moved on through back channelling, Esperon did not categorically say when a formal peace talk can resume and more particularly when the two parties arrive on a final general peace agreement.

He however said that the latest development signals that the peace talks will formally resume in the coming days. Although negotiation through back channelling is effective and fast, Esperon is amenable that a formal talk should be applied to minimize the hostilities apparently born out of the MILF’s restiveness following the stalled peace talks.

Esperon downplayed the ongoing hostilities on the ground between government troops and MILF troops with the back channelling efforts that are happening between both parties.

He said the government is following certain guidelines to arrest the hostilities while efforts to go back to the negotiating table are ongoing.

Similar guidelines and mechanisms were followed by government, while it worked for a peace pact with the Moro National Liberation Front, Esperon said.

Meanwhile, Esperon said the International Monitoring Team (IMT) will expire on August 31, this year.

Esperon said the GRP-MILF peace process could continue without the IMT.

Although he said that it would be difficult without the IMT, however there is the joint committee on ceasefire of hostilities (CCH) who is also capable of looking into the violations of ceasefire agreement between the two parties.

He said the CCH has a very strong mechanism and can settle the hostilities from further escalation.

Although the government is currently making some interventions to keep the IMT after some of the countries like Malaysia threatened not to extend its services, government can count on the strength of the CCH, Esperon said.

Rexall Kaalim, team leader of the Mindanao People’s Caucus –Bantay Ceasefire for his part said the resumption of formal peace talks aside from the back channeling efforts is important as the panels could readily impose sanctions on any of the two parties which is in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Kaalim said that based on their observation, most of the provocative hostilities, which means armed movements of assaults are initiated by the MILF.

He however said the MILF has admitted of violating the ceasefire agreement out of their restiveness on the stalled peace process.

He said the people particularly the MILF want the talks to formally resume eliminating the feeling of impatience particularly on the part of the secessionist group.

Kaalim, on the other hand, joined Esperon in saying that peace talks could resume without the IMT for its function can be very well addressed by the CCH.

“Although there is some kind of difficulty in the absence of the IMT since a ceasefire is very important for the talks to continue, I cannot also discount the capabilities of the joint CCH,” Kaalim said.

Kaalim further said that he believes the absence of the IMT will further dilly dally the peace process.

The central leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has called on its members throughout Mindanao and Sulu to prepare for a long struggle for freedom and right of self determination of the Bangsamoro people.

In his book, “Guidelines to Bangsamoro Mujahid”, the late Salamat Hashim described the MILF as an Islamic revolutionary movement. The book remains to this day the ideological guide of the MILF and its members.

It took barely less than three days for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to make its counter-proposal to the Philippine government’s three-point issues related to strand governance of the ancestral domain, which it, after three months and 23 days of legal study, submitted to the Malaysian government for trandsmittal to the MILF.

The MILF peace panel officially received the copy of the government counter-proposal last June 25 and immediately the MILF immediately set to work and came out with its counter-proposal, which it submitted to the Malaysian government last June 28.

1. In Article IV of the General Framework of Agreement of Intent Between the GRP and the MILF on August 27, 1998, it states: “The Parties recognize that there will be lasting peace in Mindanao when there is mutual trust, justice, freedom, and tolerance for the identity, culture, way of life and aspirations of all peoples in Mindanao;”

He said if the government really wants to sign the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain, it can do it now, but it cannot choose one, then the government is not really interested in peace-making. luwaran.com