A police investigator examines debris believed from an 81mm mortar allegedly used in the Shariff Aguak bombing 23 June 2006 that killed 5 people. (Mark Navales) MAGUINDANAO (Mark Navales / 04 Jul) Philippine leader Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ordered the military to coordinate with the joint Coordinating Committee for the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and the Malaysian-led International Monitoring Team (IMT) to maintain peace and order in Maguindanao province in central Mindanao where Muslim rebels and paramilitary forces were fighting.
Arroyo instructed the military to work closely with government relief agencies and the local governments to address the plight of thousands of mostly Muslim evacuees and ensure their safe return to their homes.
Sporadic clashes continue in the town of Shariff Aguak on Tuesday. But government spokespersons said the fighting between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and militias was an isolated case and have not affected the current peace talks in Mindanao.
"The government is determined to pursue peace and development while taking all effective means to stop terrorism and bringing to justice those who have engaged in bombings and depredations," said Arroyo's spokesman Ignacio Bunye.
"We are resolved to forge peace, defeat terror and fight poverty through the full implementation of our development programs in the region with the active support and participation of all our strategic allies in the international community," he said.
Fighting erupted last week after rebels and militias clashed in Shariff Aguak town, scene of a deadly bomb attack on June 23 that killed 5 people and wounded 14 others. Local police and military claimed the bombing was the handiwork of the MILF, but the rebel group denied the accusation.
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