MILF nagmatigas, hindi isusuko ang mga lider na sabig sa atake sa Mindanao

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Setyembre 19, 2009) - Nagmatigas ang Moro Islamic Liberation Front kahapon na hindi nito isusuko ang mga lider na isinabit ng militar at pulisya sa madugong atake sa Mindanao nuong nakaraang taon.

Unang hiningi ng pamahalaang Arroyo sa MILF na isuko sina Abdurahman Macapaar, Ameril Kato and Sulayman Pangalian na siyang itinuturong nasa likod ng paglusob sa Lanat at Sarangani, gayun rin sa North Cotabato at Maguindanao nuong nakaraang taon.

Maraming nasawi sa naturang atake at sinunog pa ng mga rebelde ang ilang kabahayan sa mga lalawigan.

Mismong si MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim ang nagsabing hindi nito isusuko ang mga lider dahil iimbestigahan pa ang mga ito ng shariah court.

Ito rin ang unang sinabi sa Abante ni Mohagher Iqbal, chief MILF peace negotiator, at Eid Kabalu, spokesman ng nasabing grupo. Itinanggi na noon ng mga lider ang kanilang pagkakasangkot sa atake na naganap matapos na mabasura ang Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain nuong Agosto. (Mindanao Examiner)

Troops capture MILF rebel base, mansion of wanted commander in Mindanao

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 9, 2009) – Philippine troops have captured a remote rebel base of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and a mansion allegedly owned by a senior leader wanted for a string of attacks in Mindanao.

The Army’s 6th Infantry Division said troops from two battalions swooped down on the rebel base on Friday and seized Ameril Kato’s three-storey mansion which is still unfinished, but estimated to be worth at least P10 million in Maguindanao’s Talitay town.

“The unfinished mansion is worth 10 million pesos. Conclusion: the leaders of the MILF live in lavish and extravagant way while their followers and their families remain poor as they are with no adequate food and medicines to sustain their living,” Lt. Col. Jonathan Ponce, a regional army spokesman, said in a statement.

He said the mansion has a basement and sits on more than 1,200-square meter land that was guarded by MILF rebels.

But the MILF denied the military claims and said the rebel group has no fixed bases and that Kato never owned any mansion nor living lavishly or extravagant.

“That is clearly a military propaganda. We are revolutionaries. Kato is a revolutionary leader and he never owned any mansion or any of our other leaders,” said Eid Kabalu, a senior MILF leader.

Security forces were tracking down Kato and two other MILF leaders, Abdurahman Macapaar and Sulayman Panglian who were blamed by the military and police for the string of attacks in Mindanao since last year after the seven-year old peace talks between the rebels and the government collapsed. (Mindanao Examiner)

Two soldiers wounded in fresh MILF fighting in Mindanao

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5 killed in clashes between rebels and troops in Mindanao

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Dec. 17, 2008) – Two government soldiers and three MILF rebels were killed in fierce fighting in the southern Philippines, officials said on Wednesday.

Officials said five rebels and a soldier were also wounded in the fighting Tuesday in the village of Bansayan in the town of Piagapo in Lanao del Sur, one of six provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.

But troops recovered no bodies of the slain rebels, although an army spokeswoman Lt. Steffani Cacho, quoting intelligence reports, insisted that three MILF fighters were killed and five more wounded in the clash.

“Our troops continue the hunt for the lawless MILF group responsible for the crimes committed against the people of Lanao, especially Bravo and Pangalian,” Cacho told the Mindanao Examiner.

She said the rebels belonged to a rogue faction of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, blamed for a series of deadly attacks in August in Lanao del Sur and other areas in the autonomous region, a known stronghold of the MILF.

Cacho was referring to MILF leaders Abdullah Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, and Sulayman Pangalian who, along with Ameril Kato, another rebel commander, launched attacks in Lanao, Maguindanao and Sarangani provinces after the failed signing of the Muslim homeland deal, which would have created the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

Because of the attacks, President Gloria Arroyo disbanded the government peace panel negotiating with rebels and demanded the MILF to surrender the three commanders.

Manila has put up a P10 million bounties each for the capture of Macapaar, Kato and Pangalian. Arroyo said the government would only return to the peace talks if the MILF surrenders the three rebel commanders. But the MILF rejected the demand and said it would resume talks if Arroyo honors the ancestral domain deal. (Mindanao Examiner)

Troops Foil Bombings Of Bus Depot In Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 29, 2008) – Philippine troops disarmed three homemade bombs left at a bus depot in North Cotabato province in the restive region of Mindanao, south of the country, the army said Wednesday.

The improvised explosives were assembled from two 81mm and a 60mm mortar bombs and connected to blasting caps and batteries and left at the depot in Kabacan town, said Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman of the 6th Infantry Division.

Ando said the bombs, concealed inside cardboard box, were discovered by civilians who informed authorities about it. No group claimed responsibility for the foiled attack, but Ando blamed rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as behind the foiled bombing.

“We suspect lawless MILF groups as behind this foiled attack because there is an ongoing operation against them,” Ando told the Mindanao Examiner.

Ando was referring to Ameril Kato, Abdullah Macapaar and Sulayman Pangalian, who led a series of deadly attacks against civilian targets in August after the failed signing of the Muslim territorial deal with the MILF.

Manila suspended peace talks with the rebel group because of the attacks that killed and wounded dozens of people in North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Sarangani provinces.

Police and military authorities previously blamed the spate of bus depot bombings to the Al-Khobar gang. (Mindanao Examiner)

6 Soldiers Killed In Mindanao Fighting

MAGUINDANAO CITY, Philippine (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 22, 2008) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels killed at least six government soldiers and wounded nine more in fierce fighting in the southern Philippines.

The MILF said rebel forces attacked government troops in the village of Muslim in Maguindanao's Guindulongan town on Tuesday. "Four army soldiers were killed and three others wounded when a group of MILF mujahideen staged an ambush," it said.

Fighting also erupted in Poona Piagapo town in Lanao del Sur province on Tuesday that left two soldiers dead and six others wounded. One rebel was reportedly killed in the fighting.

Security forces were pursuing rebels under Ameril Kato, Abdullah Macapaar and Sulayman Pangalian who blamed for the series of deadly attacks in Mindanao.

Macapaar on Monday surfaced and warned of more hostilities in Mindanao until the Arroyo government honors its commitment to the MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination the past three decades.

Macapaar was referring to the aborted signing August 5 of the territorial deal between Manila and the MILF after the Supreme Court ruled the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) was unconstitutional.

The deal would have granted more than four million Muslims their own homeland across more 700 villages in Mindanao.

"We want to have peace in Mindanao. It is good that the MOA-AD was not signed because now we want independence for the Bangsamoro people in Mindanao. We are willing to risk our lives until we achieve peace and Islamic justice in Mindanao," Macapaar said.

He accused President Arroyo of reneging on the peace agreement. He warned that rebels will resort to aggression until Manila cedes control of Mindanao to the Bangsamoro people, which refer to the Muslim inhabitants of Mindanao.

The military criticized Macapaar for his statement and the killings of civilians by his group were against the teachings of Islam.

"More than anything else, the statements given by Macapaar, justifying their ruthless attack against unarmed and hapless civilians, the pillaging of their properties and the burning of their houses in Lanao del Norte manifest the psychological conditioning that they underwent. To remove their guilt, he and his followers have dehumanized their victims," said Col. Daniel Lucero, commander of the Army's Civil-Relations Group.

Army Captain Mohdee Pulalon, a former Muslim rebel, also accused Macapaar of murdering innocent civilians. "His statements, justifying these killings and terrorist acts as a divine calling are blasphemous. Killing of innocent people is against Islam," he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Fighting Flares Up In Muslim Mindanao

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 21, 2008) – Philippine Muslim rebels clashed Tuesday with government forces in the restive region of Mindanao, where sporadic fighting had killed and wounded hundred of people in recent months.

One soldier was reportedly wounded in a series of fighting that erupted in the town of Mamasapano in Maguindanao, one of six provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

There were no immediate reports of MILF casualties, but thousands of troops were pursuing rebels under Ameril Kato, Abdullah Macapaar and Sulayman Pangalian, blamed for leading deadly attacks in August on civilian targets in North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Sarangani provinces which eventually spread to other areas in Mindanao.

The clashes broke out a day after Macapaar surfaced from hiding and vowed to continue hostilities until the Arroyo government honor its commitment to the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination the past three decades.

Macapaar was referring to the aborted signing August 5 of the territorial deal between Manila and the MILF after the Supreme Court ruled the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) was unconstitutional.

The deal would have granted more than four million Muslims their own homeland across more 700 villages in Mindanao.

“We want to have peace in Mindanao. It is good that the MOA-AD was not signed because now we want independence for the Bangsamoro people in Mindanao. We are willing to risk our lives until we achieve peace and Islamic justice in Mindanao,” Macapaar said in a clandestine interview by ABS-CBN television.

He accused President Arroyo of reneging on the peace agreement. He warned that rebels will resort to aggression until Manila cedes control of Mindanao to the Bangsamoro people.

Bangsamoro refers to Muslim inhabitants of Mindanao.

Manila has put up a P10 million bounties each for the capture of Macapaar, Kato and Pangalian and Arroyo demanded the MILF to surrender the trio. She also pulled out from the peace talks with the MILF and disbanded the government team negotiating with rebels and scrapped the MOA-AD. (Mindanao Examiner)

YouTube Video of MILF's Ameril Kato Only A Defense Mechanism, Says Psychologist

MANILA, Philippines - The video of Moro Islamic Liberation Front leader Ameril Kato caught the interest of the Filipinos out of curiosity. The video showed Kato's mocking of the government offer of P10 million bountry for his capture.

Apple Raguine, a psychologist, said the video of Kato posted on YouTube is a defense mechanism. “The video shows Kato’s defense mechanism through displacement aggression. He wanted to express his insecurities for being restricted and being paranoid thinking that everybody wanted to get him due to the money placed on his arrest.”

Kato, as a fugitive, wants to get the attention of the people not minding on disclosing his whereabouts.

This kind of behavior can be traced back to his previous action of occupying the North Cotabato villages that resulted to the death of civilians and the burning of their houses.

“Normally this kind of behavior is a result of a psychological problem that started during their childhood days. Their aggression once disrupted normally diverted to other things,” Raguine added.

This is true with what had happened in Mindanao, due to the desperation of Kato in the failed MOA signing, he displayed his displaced aggression to the innocent civilians since he could directly confront the government just to get the attention of the people and the government.

Kato’s behavior as shown in the video projects his negative attitude that poses danger to the people of Mindanao. His seeking of attention might lead to another act of arson and charges of multiple murders once his arrest will be lifted.

The Philippine Army on its part is calling on the people of Mindanao to collectively support the government’s effort of bringing Kato in court to give his victims the justice that they have been crying for.

Philippines Doubles Bounties For 2 Wanted MILF Leaders

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 5, 2008) – The Philippines on Friday doubled its rewards for the capture of two notorious leaders of the rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is negotiating peace with Manila.

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said they have raised the bounties to P20 million for the capture of Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar, who led hundreds of rebels in a series of deadly attacks in Mindanao last month.

Manila last week offered P10 million rewards for the capture of the two rebel leaders and President Gloria Arroyo ordered police and military forces to pursue the duo, blamed for the brutal killings of dozens of innocent civilians in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte provinces.

The MILF said the bounties put up by the Philippine government would only complicate the tensed situation and the peace talks in Mindanao.

Arroyo earlier dissolved the government panel negotiating peace with the MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for a separate state in the troubled region.

She also scrapped a territorial deal initially signed by government and rebel peace negotiators after the Supreme Court stopped the formal signing of the accord that would have granted Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao.

“The bounties offered by the Philippine government for the capture of Kato and Macapaar will only make things worse in Mindanao. It will not help resolve the problems in Mindanao, not even the peace process,” Eid Kabalu, a senior rebel leader, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Manila repeatedly demanded the MILF to peacefully surrender Kato and Macapaar.

The MILF said it will not yield the two rebel leaders, saying, it would investigate their involvements in the attacks, which occurred after the aborted signing of the ancestral domain deal.

Mohagher Iqbal, the chief MILF peace negotiator, blamed hawkish factions in the Arroyo government and politicians opposed to the homeland deal for the failed peace talks. “We have nothing to blame but the Philippine government if war breaks out in Mindanao,” he said.

Manila said Arroyo was not aware of the provisions of the ancestral domain deal initially signed by the peace negotiators on July 27 in Malaysia, which is brokering the peace talks.

But Iqbal said the President knew about the ancestral domain deal long before it was initially signed in Kuala Lumpur because the issue had been tackled many times since last year by the Cluster E.

“The President knew everything about the ancestral domain agreement and other important developments as far as the peace talks were concerned. President Arroyo had been informed about anything that has something to do with the peace process,” Iqbal said.

"They also wanted us to sign the peace agreement, but we declined because there are more important things to talk about as far as the Mindanao problems are concerned."

"The memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain had been tackled many times since last year with the Cluster E and as a matter of fact they rushed the signing of the ancestral domain deal because President Arroyo wanted it included in her state of the nation address in July 28," Iqbal said.

Cluster E refers to the cabinet Cluster for Political and Security Affairs that routinely advised Arroyo on national security matters. Its members included the National Security Council, National Defense, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Finance secretaries.

Arroyo, in her state of the nation address, said: “A comprehensive peace has eluded us for half a century. But last night, differences on the tough issue of ancestral domain were resolved. Yes, there are political dynamics among the people of Mindanao. Let us sort them out with the utmost sobriety, patience and restraint. I ask Congress to act on the legislative and political reforms that will lead to a just and lasting peace during our term of office.”

Iqbal said the ancestral domain deal is considered final. “It has been initialed already and the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain deal, as what we have repeatedly said in the past, is a done deal. We will not negotiate anymore what has been already agreed by the peace panels,” he said, adding, the peace talks are now in “purgatory.”

Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001, but since then nothing significant had been signed except for the ancestral domain agreement. But the homeland deal sparked a series of protests from politicians and residents who were opposed to the inclusion of their areas to the agreement that will make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

Arroyo has shifted in the basic premise of the government's peace effort after the MILF attacks.

“Expect President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to personally push her administration’s new paradigm on ending the decades-old Mindanao conflict and the communist insurgency by focusing on negotiations with the armed groups genuinely interested in peace, in a common cause with the affected communities and other stakeholders,” said Press Secretary Jesus Dureza.

He said the government will hold a series of consultative meetings starting middle of this month with various stakeholders in Mindanao to explore initiatives and mechanisms that would truly realize lasting peace and stability in the region.

Dureza previously headed the government team negotiating with the MILF, but was removed after he illegally inserted a provision in one of the agreement with the rebel group.

Arroyo's allies in Congress have earlier proposed to amend the Constitution to change the system of government from presidential to parliamentary or federalism.

But militant groups accused Arroyo of using the peace talks with the MILF to change the Constitution and use this to prolong her to stay into power.

Under the presidential form of government, Arroyo is allowed only one six-year term. In the charter change proposal suggested by her political allies who dominate Congress, she can be elected as prime minister should Congress dissolve the Senate and change the system of government to parliamentary and eventually prolong her into power beyond 2010.

Arroyo deposed President Joseph Estrada in a people power revolution in 2001, but corruption scandals in her government and allegations of poll fraud in 2004 has made her extremely unpopular. (Mindanao Examiner)

War In The Making: Arroyo Dissolves Peace Panel; MILF Pursues Armed Struggle In Mindanao

Philippine leader Gloria Arroyo talks with Muslim job-seekers on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 at the Philippine Trade and Training Center in Pasay City. Arroyo on Wednesday also dissolved the government panel negotiating peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. (Photo by Rey Baniquet / Text by the Mindanao Examiner)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / September 3, 2008) – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front vowed to continue its armed struggle after Manila on Wednesday dissolved its peace panel negotiating with the Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group.

The government’s announcement came two weeks after MILF commanders Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar led hundreds of rebels in separate attacks on the provinces in Mindanao. Dozens of people were brutally killed in the raid.

“If the peace talks with the Philippine government fail, then we have no recourse but to continue our armed struggle,” Mohagher Iqbal, the chief MILF peace negotiator, told the Mindanao Examiner. 

President Gloria Arroyo, who opened peace talks with the rebels in 2001, has already scrapped a territorial deal with the MILF after the Supreme Court stopped its formal signing last month in Malaysia because many of its provisions were unconstitutional.

Peace negotiators in July initially signed the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain that would have granted some four million Muslims their own homeland in more than 700 villages across Mindanao, whose 21 million populations are mostly Christians and indigenous tribes.

The homeland deal sparked a series of protests from politicians and residents who were opposed to the inclusion of their areas to the agreement that will make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.

Rebel forces launched the attacks after the failed signing of the controversial ancestral domain agreement. 

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said the government’s decision to dissolve the peace panel, headed by Rodolfo Garcia, will pave the way for a fresh start to the peace process in the restive region.

Manila repeatedly demanded the MILF to surrender Kato and Macapaar after authorities filed criminal charges against them for the attacks. But the rebel group flatly rejected the demand, saying, it is investigating the duo for their involvement in the deadly attacks.

Fighting erupted in many areas in Lanao del Norte and Maguindanao provinces where security forces mounted a massive operation aimed at capturing the two rogue MILF leaders.

The continuing hostilities, the MILF said, are already threatening the peace talks and that the fighting could spread to other areas in Mindanao if the government will not stop attacking rebel forces in the guise of pursuing Kato and Macapaar.

“Our struggle for self-determination will not falter. All that is happening is Allah’s will and the struggle of the Bangsamoro people for self-determination is also the struggle of the MILF,” Iqbal said.

Arroyo has shifted in the basic premise of the government's peace effort after hundreds of rebels under Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar led a series of attacks in the provinces in Mindanao that killed dozens of civilians.

Iqbal said the peace talks are now in “purgatory”.

 

Presidential peace adviser Hermogenes Esperon said the government will longer sign the ancestral domain deal, which the MILF insisted is already a done deal after peace negotiators initially signed the accord in July.

Manila also demanded the rebels to lay down their weapons before peace talks can resume. This was also rejected by the MILF. 

Iqbal said Manila should provide official statement to Malaysia and the MILF the scrapping of the territorial deal and the termination of government peace panel or whether Arroyo would still continue the peace talks with the MILF or not. 

“Without these official communication, the MILF cannot decide whether to continue the peace with the Arroyo government or not,” he said.

Last year, peace talks were also stalled after Manila reneged on the ancestral domain deal. Malaysia, which is brokering the peace talks, has pulled out its truce observers deployed in Mindanao after blaming the Arroyo government of stalling the seven-year old negotiations.

Manila said previously that it would pursue a proposal by Senator Aquilino Pimentel to put up a federal government and divide the Philippines into eleven states.

Pimentel proposed four federal states in Luzon, three in the Visayas and three more in Mindanao. He said the establishment of a federal system, as embodied under Joint Resolution 10 which he introduced, will not only overhaul the political structure of government, but also bring about a dramatic change in the system of apportioning the wealth of the nation between the central government and the local government units.

"Since the central government will be left with less power, it will need fewer funds. And therefore, its share of the national wealth or resource shall be reduced correspondingly,” he said, adding, the sharing of revenues will be 80 percent for the Federal states and 20 percent for the Central government. 

Pimentel said federalization of the country would enhance national cohesion and unity because the proposed 11 component states will enjoy full autonomy.

Arroyo's allies in Congress have earlier proposed to amend the Constitution to change the system of government from presidential to parliamentary or federalism.

But militant groups and political activists have repeatedly accused Arroyo of using the peace talks with the MILF to amend the Constitution and eventually prolong her to stay into power.

Under the presidential form of government, Arroyo is allowed only one six-year term. In the charter change proposal suggested by her political allies who dominate Congress, she can be elected as prime minister should Congress dissolve the Senate and change the system of government to parliamentary and eventually prolong her into power beyond 2010.

Arroyo deposed President Joseph Estrada in a people power revolution in 2001, but corruption scandals in her government and allegations of poll fraud in 2004 has made her extremely unpopular.  (Mindanao Examiner)

 

Photo: Ameril Kato And Abdurahman Macapaar And The Children Of War In Mindanao

Children help their parents in harvesting rice Friday, August 29, 2008 in Talayan town in southern Philippines’ Maguindanao province, where military forces are pursuing hundreds of rogue Moro rebels under Ameril Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar who led a series of attacks in the provinces. Authorities have distributed wanted posters of the two rebel leaders. (Mindanao Examiner Photo / Mark Navales)

Duruang AFP-MILF Natigil Na!

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