2 killed in Mindanao rebel attack

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 22, 2010) – Two people were killed after Muslim rebels attacked a military convoy in the troubled region of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, officials said on Friday.

Officials said the attack triggered a 15-minute firefight Thursday night between army soldiers and rebels in the village of Salvo in Maguindanao’s Datu Saudi Ampatuan town and left one infantryman wounded.

“The attack occurred as troops were heading back to camp after attending the signing of a peace covenant among village leaders in the area. A village chieftain and another official who were behind the convoy were killed and one of our soldiers was also wounded in the attack perpetrated by Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels,” said Army Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Hao, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division.

He tagged MILF leader Mohiden Karialan as behind the attack. “At least 15 rebels were involved in the attack,” he said.

Hao identified those killed as Salik Guimba, village chieftain of Liab in Mamasapano town, and Nasser Mapangal, a village councilor.

But the MILF denied its commander was involved in the attack and spokesman Von Al Haq blamed Guimba’s political foes for the ambush. “The MILF has nothing to do with the attack and reports we gathered pointed to Guimba’s political enemies as behind the attack,” he said.

The motive of the attack was unknown, but it occurred ahead of village elections next week in the Philippines.

Elections in Mindanao are traditionally bloody with candidates and their followers attacking each other, especially in areas where politicians maintain private armed goons.

Monday’s elections are expected to be violent and the military have already deployed troops to guard polling areas and protect the voters.

The rebel group, which is fighting for decades for self-determination, has previously warned its members to stay away from elections, saying, it does not recognize the country’s political exercise.

The 12,000-strong MILF is currently negotiating peace with Manila in an effort to end bloody Muslim insurgency in the country’s restive, but mineral-rich southern region. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kidnappers free Filipino-Chinese matriarch in South RP

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Philippines arrests senior MILF leader ahead of peace talks

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 11, 2010) – Philippine authorities are holding a senior leader of Moro Islamic Liberation Front and accused him of terrorism ahead of peace talks between Manila and the Muslim rebel group fighting for separatism in the troubled region on Mindanao.

The MILF said it was protesting the arrest of Eduard Guerra and it also wrote Malaysia, which is brokering the peace talks, to say that the man had been tortured into admitting false charges of terrorism.

“We have filed a protest with the Philippine government and informed Malaysia about the arrest of Brother Eduard Guerra. He is a senior official of the MILF Central Committee and all the charges against him were false,” said Von Al Haq, a spokesman for the rebel group.

He said Guerra was arrested late last month at the Davao International Airport on his way to Switzerland to attend the United Nations Human Rights Council Meeting upon the invitation of an international nongovernment organization.

The MILF demanded the immediate release of Guerra who is being held at a military base in Manila. “Brother Eduard is has been tortured and is not allowed to see his lawyers or family members,” Al Haq said.

He said the MILF also passed a resolution condemning Guerra’s arrest. It was signed by Muhammad Ameen, chairman of the MILF Central Committee, and Ghazali Jaafar, MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs.

The resolution considers the arrest as a “direct blow to the early resumption of the negotiation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia” and described it as a blatant violation of the truce accord between Manila and the MILF.

Murad Ebrahim, the MILF chieftain, sent a letter to the Malaysian peace talks facilitator, Datuk Othman bin Abdulrazak, and raised the issue of the arrest and its serious implications to the early resumption of the peace negotiations.

Authorities accused Guerra as behind the series of bombings in Sarangani province and General Santos City in Mindanao.

There was no immediate statement from the police or military about the MILF accusations. Manila has opened peace talks with the MILF in an effort to end bloody fighting in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF deploys forces to rescue kidnapped Chinese matriarch in Mindanao

A Moro Islamic Liberation Front soldier stands guards at a village checkpoint in Maguindanao province in Mindanao. The MILF has ordered its forces to rescue kidnapped Filipino-Chinese matriarch Conchita Tan, seized October 8, 2010 in Cotabato City in Maguindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 10, 2010) – Philippine Muslim rebels have joined government efforts to rescue a Filipino-Chinese matriarch kidnapped in the troubled region of Mindanao, south of the country.

The order came from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s Central Committee.Rebel forces were also told to coordinate with Filipino authorities to avoid clashes with state soldiers also tracking down the 73-year old Conchita Tan.

Sammy Al Mansoor, who heads the military wing of the MILF, the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces, ordered rebel forces to exert all efforts to rescue Tan, who was kidnapped October 8 in Cotabato City in Maguindanao province after gunmen shot and killed two of her escorts.

Tan owns a hardware store in Cotabato and was heading home with her husband when gunmen attacked them. Tan’s husband was not hurt in the attack.

Von Al Haq, a spokesman for the MILF, said the rescue mission is a unilateral effort of the MILF because of an existing accord with the government.

The MILF forged an agreement with Manila in 2004 that paved the way for rebel forces through the ad-hoc joint action group to help government hunt down terrorists and criminal elements in areas where the rebel group is actively operating.

“The Chief of Staff of Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces directed all commanders on the ground to rescue the kidnap victim and block all possible entries and exits (in Maguindanao), and shoot-to-kill the kidnappers if they fight back,” Al Haq said.

He said Tan is being held by a kidnapping syndicate headed by Mayangkang Saguile, a notorious bandit operating in Maguindanao province. “We have information that Mayangkang Saguile is holding the victim and we have pinpointed their hideout in Maguindanao,” he said.

The MILF in August also helped in the release of a kidnapped Chinese-Filipino trader Nestor Tay after three days in captivity in North Cotabato province. Tay, owner of the New Asian Marketing, was freed in Midsayap town.

The release of Tay came a day after Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels joined the search for the kidnapped trader. “Tay was freed because of the pressure exerted by the MILF to the kidnappers,” Al Haq said, adding, rebel forces had been mobilized in coordination with the ad-hoc joint action group to search and pressure the kidnappers to free Tay without ransom.

Gunmen abducted Tay in Cotabato City after barging inside his store and disarmed a security guard before dragging him away to a waiting van outside.

Kidnappings-for-ransom is not uncommon in Cotabato and dozens of wealthy traders had been kidnapped in the past and freed after their family paid ransoms to their captors.

The MILF, which is fighting for decades for self-determination, is currently negotiating peace with the Aquino government in an effort to put an end to bloody clashes in Mindanao, which had been ruled in the past by sultans. (Mindanao Examiner)

Barangay, SK polls muling ibinasura ng MILF

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 5, 2010) – Mahigpit na pinagbawalan kahapon ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front ang mga miyembro sa paglahok o pakikisawsaw sa darating ng Barangay at SK elections sa bansa.

Ang kautusan ay inilabas ng MILF Central Committee at nakasaad dito ang mahigpit na kautusang nilagdaan mismo ni Muhammad Ameen, ang Secretary ng MILF Central Committee, at Ghazali Jaafar, ang vice chairman rebeldeng grupo.

“You are hereby directed to abide by the provisions of this Memorandum banning all political and military officers in all levels to participate in the forthcoming October 2010 Barangay Elections…Any violator of this Memorandum will be dealt with accordingly under the MILF judicial system,” ayon pa sa kautusan.

Maging ang pangangampanya at pagsama sa mga political rally ay ipinagbabawal rin ng MILF sa mga miyembro nito.

”It is said that this so-called democratic system of choosing leaders is not only divisive, acrimonious and creates animosities and intrigues, but it also failed miserably to produce the best qualified people to run their affairs, and the consequence is a corrupt and strife-torn society in place, ayon pa sa MILF.

Hindi ito ang unang pagkakataon na ipinagbawal ng MILF sa mga miyembro nito na lumahok sa Barangay at SK election. Hindi naniniwala ang MILF sa halalan ng pamahalaan sa paniniwalang hindi nito sakop ang mga Muslim sa bansa. Ang MILF ay matagal na nakikibaka para sa sariling karapatan sa Mindanao, na dating nasa ilalim ng mga sultan. (Mindanao Examiner)

Robin Padilla, itinakwil ng mga Muslim!

Mga babaeng miyembro ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front sa isang pagtitipon sa Mindanao. Dismayado ang maraming mga Muslim sa balitang pagtalikod ni action star Robin Padilla sa kanyang relihiyon matapos na ikasal kay Mariel Rodriguez sa isang Ibaloi ritual (Igorot) sa Baguio City kamakailan. (Kuha ng Mindanao Examiner)

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 17, 2010) – Dismayado at gulat, galit at pagkasuklam ang nararandaman ng maraming Muslim sa biglaang pagtalikod ni Robin Padilla sa kanyang Islamic faith dahil lamang sa pagpapakasal kay Mariel Rodriguez sa Baguio City.

Si Robin ay isang Balik-Islam at isinuko na nito noon ang buong buhay sa pagpapalaganap ng kanyang relihiyon matapos na makulong ng mahabang panahon sa kasong illegal possession of firearms.

Ngunit nabigla ang maraming Muslim sa Mindanao matapos na mabalitaanang tinalikuran nito ang Islam matapos na ikasal kamakailan kay Mariel ng isang “mambunong” o katutubong pari ng mga Ibaloi o Nabaloi, isang indigenous tribe sa hilagang Luzon at sa Cordillera region at kabilang sa mga hanay ng Igorot.

Kasama ni Robin ang ilang kaanak nito, gayun rin si Ali, ang kanyang bunsong anak sa unang asawa na si Liezel Sicangco.

Sa pangalan pa lang ng anak ni Robin ay Muslim rin ang dinala nito at gayun rin si Queenie na ilang ulit nagtungo sa Mindanao para sa ibat-ibang humanitarian mission na pinakinabangan ng maraming mga Muslim.

Malimit pa umanong naka-turong si Queeni sa tuwing nasa Mindanao dahil sa kanilang relihiyon. Bukod kina Ali at Queenie ay may dalawa pang anak si Robin at Liezel na sina Kylie at ZhenZhen.

Nabatid pang gumamit sina Robin at Mariel ng mga bahag na tradisyon naman ng mga Igorot. Mistulang ibinasura na rin ng action star ang lagging gamit nitong skull cap at shawl na tradisyonal naman sa mga Muslim. May lahing Igorot ang angkan ni Robin dahil ang ina nitong si Eva Cariño ay isang Igorot.

Ayon naman sa ulat ng ABS-CBN ay benindisyunan ng Ibaloi priest sina Robin at Mariel. “Pinainom ng tapuy o rice wine bilang simbolo ng kanilang pagmamahalan. At sumayaw pa raw ng tayao, isang katutubong sayaw para ipaalam sa publiko na sila'y kasal na.”

“Nagkatay din daw ng baboy. Ipinahid sa pisngi ang dugo para ipakita na sila'y legal na kasal sa kulturang Igorot,” ani sa ulat.

Nagtagal umano ng isa't kalahating oras ang kasalan at matapos nito ay muling ikinasal ang dalawa sa isang pastor sa loob ng bahay sa Baguio.

Binatikos naman ng isang religious leader na nagpakilalang si Imam Abdul Malik ang biglaang pagtalikod ni Robin sa kanyang paniniwala kay Allah at sa relihiyong Islam at mas matindi umano ang pagkatay ng baboy at pagpahid ng dugo nito sa mukha ng action star na isa umanong “haram” o mahigpit na ipinagbabawal sa mga Muslim.

Bawal kasi sa Islam ang anumang may kinalaman sa baboy dahil marumi ang tingin ng mga Muslim sa nasabing hayup base na rin sa turo ng Quoran, ang holy book ng mga ito.

“That is blasphemy. Robin has indirectly relinquished his Islamic faith when he accepted the fact that the animal was sacrificed and its blood wiped on his face as part of the Ibaloi ritual. That is haram, that is forbidden,” ani ng Imam sa panayam ng Mindanao Examiner.

Idinagdag pa nitong: “He shall be punished (by Allah) in the afterlife. Robin is deemed incommunicado.”

Maging ang rebeldeng Moro Islamic Liberation Front ay nagulat at nadismaya rin sa balita at sinabing mahina ang pananalig ni Robin sa kanyang relihiyon at paniniwala.

“It is like a test on our faith. Isang malaking pagsubok iyan kay Robin pero nabigo siya, bigong-bigo at automatic ay nawala na sa kanya ang isang pagiging Muslim. Islam is sacred and what he did is haram,” wika naman ni Von-Al Haq, ang spokesman ng MILF. (Mindanao Examiner)

Bagong armas ng militar, dumating sa Mindanao

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 16, 2010) – Dumating na sa Mindanao ang isang armada ng mga makabagong armas na diumano’y galing sa Australia bilang suporta nito sa militar sa magulong rehiyon.

Hindi naman nagbigay ng pahayag ang pamunuan ng militar ukol sa armada, ngunit ayon naman sa Moro Islamic Liberation Front ay dumating umano ang mga ito sakay ng Taras Oceanic Douglas kamakailan. Kabilang umano sa mga dumating na armas ay mga amphibian tanks at high-speed boats na mayroong global positioning system.

Umabot umano sa 21 amphibian tanks at 21 airboats ang ibinaba ng nasabing barko. Ang airboats ay kalimitang gamit sa mga marshlands sa ibang bansa at sa central Mindanao na kung saan naroon ang malalaking kampo ng MILF ay napapalibutan naman ng Liguasan marsh.

Hinihinalang bahagi ang armada sa tulong na ibinigay ng Australia sa pamahalaan, ayon sa MILF, at aabot umano ang halaga ng nito sa AU$3 milyon kada taon.

Nabatid pa sa MILF na dinala ang mga bagong gamit pandigma sa kampo ng 6th Infantry Division sa Maguindanao province, na sentro naman ng puwersa ng MILF, na nakikibaka upang makamtam ang karapatan ng mga Muslim sa Mindanao.

Bukod sa MILF ay patuloy pa rin ang pakikibaka ng New People’s Army para sa sarili nitong estado katulad ng bansang Tsina. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF ready for peace talks, names negotiators

MILF chieftain Murad Ebrahim and his deputy Mohagher Iqbal. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 13, 2010) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said it is ready to resume peace talks with Manila.

The announcement came with the MILF retaining Mohagher Iqbal, a senior rebel leader, as the head of its peace panel. The MILF also named lawyer Datu Michael Mastura, Maulana Alonto, Abdullah Camlian, Professor Abhoud Swed Linga, Datu Antonio Kinoc, as members of the peace panel.

Two prominent members, lawyers Lanang Ali and Musib Buat, were replaced due to health concerns. Both lawyers underwent heart bypasses and are deemed unfit for long travel, hectic schedules, and strenuous, prolonged, and tiring negotiations, said Mohammad Ameen, chairman of the MILF Secretariat.

Camlian, the MILF said, was a former chairman of the MILF technical committee, and at times served as alternate member of the peace panel during negotiations with the Arroyo government.

Camlian is a native of Zamboanga City and Basilan and belongs to the Sama-Bangingi-Tausug tribe. Kinoc on the other hand is a member of the indigenous B’laan tribe from Sultan Kudarat province and had served in the past in the MILF technical working group and the front’s technical committee, while Lingga is the chairman of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies.

The MILF said it also formed a board of consultants, but their names were not made public, although two of its members are women – one represents indigenous tribes and the other an Islamic theologian.

Peace talks between the Manila and the MILF, which is fighting for decades for self-determination, was temporarily suspended in June after President Gloria Arroyo, who ended her term, stepped down without new agreements that would put an end to decades of bloody fighting in the restive region of Mindanao.

But new Filipino leader Benigno Aquino III said he would resume the negotiations after the holy month of Ramadan.

The MILF chieftain, Murad Ebrahim, said the rebel group is ready to resume the peace negotiations, but stressed that Manila should honor all previous agreements signed by both sides. “The two parties have to continue from where we stopped, and following the stipulations agreed by both parties as provided for in the Declaration of Continuity for Peace Negotiation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed in Malaysia on June 3, 2010,” Ebrahim said.

He said if the Philippine leader is sincere in pursuing the peace talks with the MILF, Aquino can resolve the Moro problem in Mindanao within his 6 years in office.

“The greatest challenge to the peace process is whether this time the President has the political will to surmount all obstacles and oppositions including well-entrenched spoilers once the peace talks start or when an agreement will be signed. Running parallel is whether the peace process is truly a problem-solving endeavor or just an exercise to manage the conflict, as what previous presidents, deliberately or otherwise, did. We wish to tell you that whether in negotiation or in the normal course of our Islamic revolutionary struggle, the political aspirations of our people remain the same and constant – we want genuine governance for our people. We want our people to decide for themselves.”

“It is our hope that the Moro question and armed conflict in Mindanao will be settled in our lifetime, otherwise, this struggle of our people for freedom and right to self-determination will drag on for generation after generation. To ensure this, we are preparing the young generations to carry on the great task of liberating our people from the yoke of oppression and thralldom,” Ebrahim said.

MILF chief peace negotiator, Mohagher Iqbal said Manila previously offered the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao instead of what was previously agreed upon in the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 and the negotiations nearly collapsed seven years later after both sides failed to sign any agreement on the most contentious issue — ancestral domain – which refers to the rebel demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland.

The failed agreement triggered deadly rebel attacks in 2007 in Mindanao after the Supreme Court stopped the formal signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

Politicians and lawmakers, many of them wealthy landowners in Mindanao, opposed the ancestral domain deal and filed their petitions to the High Court and asked Manila to make public the rest of the agreement. They claimed the accord was made without public consultations.

The MILF said it will not renegotiate the ancestral domain agreement. "It is already a done deal; we have already initialed the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain. We will not revisit or renegotiate the agreement," Iqbal said.

But despite the ancestral domain deal, there is still a need to amend the Constitution to allow plebiscite on areas under the ancestral domain that would make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity and give Muslims their own homeland.

Ancestral domain is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can reach a political settlement with the Philippine government.

It covers the whole of the Muslim autonomous region – Sulu, Tawi-Tawi-, Basilan, Maguindanao and Lanao, including Marawi City. And some areas in Zamboanga Peninsula, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces in Mindanao where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes. And also Palawan Island, off Mindanao.

Last year, Tawi-Tawi Representative Nur Jaafar filed House Bill 4963 and Arroyo, now a member of the Philippine Congress, also filed a similar bill, proposing to divide the Muslim autonomous region into two – the South Western Autonomous Region and the Central Mindanao Autonomous Region – and that a plebiscite will be held in every village in the provinces of Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and the cities of Isabela, Pagadian, Dipolog, Dapitan and Zamboanga. And also in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sarangani and the cities of Cotabato, Marawi, Iligan, Kidapawan, General Santos, Koronadal and Tacurong. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF Chieftain Murad Ebrahim Issues Ramadhan Message.

Al-Hj Murad Ebrahim. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

2 Moro rebels arrested in Zamboanga City

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Kidnapped Chinese-Filipino trader freed in Mindanao

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Moro rebels accuse Philippine military of violating fragile truce in troubled South

Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief Murad Ibrahim gestures as he speaks during a press conference in the southern Philippines with members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines headed by Alistair McIndoe and MILF Peace Negotiating Panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Mark Navales)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 11, 2010) – Muslim rebels negotiating peace with Manila accused the Philippine military of violating a fragile truce after attack planes bombed areas controlled by Moro Islamic Liberation Front forces.

“Military planes bombed our areas, although there were no reports of casualties, but the attacks violated the cease-fire agreement between the MILF and the Philippine government. We have filed a protest in connection with the airstrikes which occurred in Datu Piang (town in Maguindanao province) this week,” a rebel spokesman, Von Al-Haq, said on Wednesday.

The attack he said, as two MILF groups clashed over control of a rice field in the farming village of Alunganan. “The military took advantage of the fighting between two groups of MILF commanders – Adzmie and Abunawas – and bombed the village and it was only by luck that no civilian was killed in the airstrike,” Al-Haq said.

But the Army’s 6th Infantry Division denied the MILF accusations and said the planes fired only white phosphorous as a warning for the protagonists to stop fighting.

“Our military planes fired white phosphorous rounds in between the warring factions to mark their positions and show that we are serious in our efforts in stopping their conflicts. However, those rounds were smokes and not bombs. After we fired the white phosphorous rounds, the sporadic firefight stopped,” said Lieutenant Colonel Benjamin Hao, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division.

He said sporadic fighting between the two rebel groups forced more than 1,200 families to flee their homes for fear they would be trapped in the villages or held as shield by MILF forces. “The operation conducted was a preventive move by the military to protect civilians and families displaced by the conflict between the warring MILF groups in the field,” Hao said.

He said at least 4 rebels from were reported killed in the sporadic fighting between the two rebel commanders. Hao said the military also filed a protest against the MILF for violating the truce with the government cease-fire committees.

The MILF said it suspended the two commanders involved in the fighting and ordered rebel forces to stay inside their camps while it investigates the clashes.

Peace talks between the Manila and the MILF which is fighting for decades for self-determination, was temporarily suspended in June after President Gloria Arroyo, who ended her term, stepped down without new agreements that would put an end to decades of bloody fighting in the restive region of Mindanao.

But new Filipino leader Benigno Aquino III said he would resume the negotiations after the holy month of Ramadan.

The MILF chieftain, Murad Ebrahim, said the rebel group is ready to resume the peace negotiations, but stressed that Manila should honor all previous agreements signed by both sides. “The two parties have to continue from where we stopped, and following the stipulations agreed by both parties as provided for in the Declaration of Continuity for Peace Negotiation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed in Malaysia on June 3, 2010,” Ebrahim said.

He said if the Philippine leader is sincere in pursuing the peace talks with the MILF, Aquino can resolve the Moro problem in Mindanao within his 6 years in office.

“The greatest challenge to the peace process is whether this time the President has the political will to surmount all obstacles and oppositions including well-entrenched spoilers once the peace talks start or when an agreement will be signed. Running parallel is whether the peace process is truly a problem-solving endeavor or just an exercise to manage the conflict, as what previous presidents, deliberately or otherwise, did. We wish to tell you that whether in negotiation or in the normal course of our Islamic revolutionary struggle, the political aspirations of our people remain the same and constant – we want genuine governance for our people. We want our people to decide for themselves.”

“It is our hope that the Moro question and armed conflict in Mindanao will be settled in our lifetime, otherwise, this struggle of our people for freedom and right to self-determination will drag on for generation after generation. To ensure this, we are preparing the young generations to carry on the great task of liberating our people from the yoke of oppression and thralldom,” Ebrahim said.

MILF chief peace negotiator, Mohagher Iqbal said Manila previously offered the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao instead of what was previously agreed upon in the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

Arroyo opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 and the negotiations nearly collapsed seven years later after both sides failed to sign any agreement on the most contentious issue — ancestral domain – which refers to the rebel demand for territory that will constitute a Muslim homeland.

The failed agreement triggered deadly rebel attacks in 2007 in Mindanao after the Supreme Court stopped the formal signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

Politicians and lawmakers, many of them wealthy landowners in Mindanao, opposed the ancestral domain deal and filed their petitions to the High Court and asked Manila to make public the rest of the agreement. They claimed the accord was made without public consultations.

The MILF said it will not renegotiate the ancestral domain agreement. "It is already a done deal; we have already initialed the memorandum of agreement on the ancestral domain. We will not revisit or renegotiate the agreement," Iqbal said.

But despite the ancestral domain deal, there is still a need to amend the Constitution to allow plebiscite on areas under the ancestral domain that would make up the so-called Bangsamoro Juridical Entity and give Muslims their own homeland.

Ancestral domain is the single most important issue in the peace negotiations before the rebel group can reach a political settlement with the Philippine government.

It covers the whole of the Muslim autonomous region – Sulu, Tawi-Tawi-, Basilan, Maguindanao and Lanao, including Marawi City. And some areas in Zamboanga Peninsula, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces in Mindanao where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes. And also Palawan Island, off Mindanao.

Last year, Tawi-Tawi Representative Nur Jaafar filed House Bill 4963 and Arroyo, now a member of the Philippine Congress, also filed a similar bill, proposing to divide the Muslim autonomous region into two – the South Western Autonomous Region and the Central Mindanao Autonomous Region – and that a plebiscite will be held in every village in the provinces of Sulu, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and the cities of Isabela, Pagadian, Dipolog, Dapitan and Zamboanga.

And also in the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sarangani and the cities of Cotabato, Marawi, Iligan, Kidapawan, General Santos, Koronadal and Tacurong. (With a report from Mark Navales)

Arroyo could use MILF peace talks to pursue changes in Constitution

Moro Islamic Liberation Front soldiers clean their weapons at a rebel base in the southern Philippines. The MILF, the country's largest Muslim rebel group, says any peace deal with the Arroyo government is unlikely. Arroyo is to step down on June 30, 2010. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 30, 2010) – Filipino leader Gloria Arroyo may use the peace talks with Muslim rebels to amend the Constitution when she steps down and sits as member of the House of Representatives which is dominated by her political allies.

Arroyo is to step down in June 30 after ruling the country for nine years to yield the presidency to opposition senator, Benigno Aquino 3^rd and take her new role as congresswoman of Pampanga province where she ran and won in the May 10 national elections.

Arroyo opened peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, but failed to sign a political deal that would end decades of bloody fighting in the restive region of Mindanao.

The MILF has been fighting for the establishment of a separate Muslim state in Mindanao, once ruled by the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo.

Manila said a peace deal with the MILF is unlikely before Arroyo steps down, but Arroyo insists she would pursue the peace process in Congress by introducing bills that could lead to the signing of a political accord with the rebel group.

But a rebel commander, Ibrahim, said Arroyo could use the MILF or the peace talks as a reason to amend the Constitution and change the government to parliamentary or introduce federalism similar to Malaysia. And eventually for Arroyo’s allies in Congress to elect her as prime minister and again rule the country to avoid or evade corruption charges anti-Arroyo politicians may file against her.

Arroyo, whose administration was rocked with corruption scandals, among others, was also accused of poll fraud by the opposition in the 2004 elections.

“The MILF signed no concrete agreements with Arroyo and even the MOA-AD (Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain), which is the future of the Bangsamoro people (Muslims), had failed despite draft agreements signed by the MILF and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines,” Ibrahim said.

“We fear that Arroyo and her allies in Congress will use the MILF and the peace process to amend the Constitution and eventually elect her to become Prime Minister and continue her reign of power and that of her political allies to evade possible corruption charges against them by the new administration of (Benigno) Aquino,” he said.

Ibrahim said the new president should pursue the peace process with the MILF to end the fighting in Mindanao. “Aquino should make the peace process in Mindanao his top priority. We will be waiting for his move to pursue the peace talks with the MILF. We are for peace,” he said.

He also expressed fear that Arroyo could order a military offensive against the MILF in Mindanao before she steps down to give her and her allies in Congress more reasons to amend the Constitution and change the form of government when the House of Representatives resumes its session.

“There are many scenarios waiting to happen and one of them is the military offensive versus the MILF in Mindanao and this will give Arroyo more reason to pursue changes in the Constitution in the guise of preserving the gains of the peace talks,” Ibrahim said.

Arroyo had openly campaign in the past to change the Constitution. And her allies in Congress were also proposing a shift to parliamentary government where Arroyo could be elected as Prime Minister. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF, gagamiting dahilan sa pagbabago ng Konstitusyon

Isang Muslim ang naglalakad malapit sa nisang checkpoing ng Moro Islamic Liberation Front sa Mindanao na kung saan ay aktibo ang rebeldeng grupo. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

MAGUINDANAO - (Mindanao Examiner / May 30, 2010) – Posibleng gamitin umano ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo sa pagbaba nito ang bagong posisyon bilang kongresista upang isulong ang pagbabago ng Konstitusyon at isankalan ang peace talks sa Moro Islamic Liberation Front bilang dahilan.

Ngunit ang layunin umano ni Arroyo ay upang mabuksan ang Konstitusyon at isulong ang Federalism o Parliamentary form of government at sa gayun ay mahirang itong Prime Minister ng mga alipores sa House of Representatives, ayon sa isang lider ng MILF na si Commander Ibrahim.

Ito umano ang hinala ng MILF matapos na sabihin ni Arroyo na pupursigihin nito ang peace talks sa rebeldeng grupo sa Congress at Maghahain pa umano ng mga batas upang matuloy ang kanyang agenda.

Ilang ulit ng binatikos ng MILF si Arroyo dahil sa halos 9 taon na peace talks na walang pinatungunahan. Sinabi ni Ibrahim na ginamit lamang ni Arroyo ang peace talks upang maiwasan ang labanan sa Mindanao sa kahabaan ng kanyang termino.

“Walang matibay na kasunduan at maging ang MOA-AD (Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain) ay walang napatunguhan. Nagamit lamang kami ni Arroyo, pero maghihintay pa rin kami sa susunod na administrasyon ni Noynoy Aquino at kung ano ang agenda niya sa Mindanao,” ani Ibrahim.

Sinabi pa ni Ibrahim na hindi papayagan ng MILF na gamitin ni Arroyo ang peace talks upang amyendahan ang Konstitusyon at maging Prime Minister. “Ito lamang ang gagamitin dahilan ni Arroyo, ang MILF, upang maamyendahan ang Konstitusyon at mahalal na Prime Minister ng kanyang mga tuta sa Kongreso,” wika pa ni Ibrahim.

May pangamba rin ang MILF na magkaroon ng malaking labanan sa Mindanao bago bumaba sa kanyang puwesto si Arroyo upang bigyan ng sakit ng ulo si Aquino sa kanyang pag-upo. “Maraming maaaring maganap ngayon at gamitin kami bilang war agenda ni Arroyo at ng militar,” dagdag pa ni Ibrahim.

Ilang ulit na rin inilabas ng oposisyon ang plano ni Arroyo na maging Prime Minister kung kaya’t tumakbo ito sa Pampanga bilang kongresista at ang layunin lamang ay palawigin ang kanyang pamumuno at maiwasan ang mga kaliwa’t-kanan na kaso na posibleng ibato sa kanya ng administrasyon ni Aquino. Kabilang sa mga kaso ay ang ZTE scandal, fertilizer scam, korupsyon at iba pang mga anomalya. (Mindanao Examiner)

Brunei sends soldiers to monitor cease-fire in Mindanao

Six Brunei soldiers get farewell honors as they head to Mindanao to serve as cease-fire observers in these photographs from the Radio Television Brunei.

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / May 1, 2010) – Brunei has deployed six of its soldiers to serve as cease-fire observers in the southern Philippines where Muslim rebels are currently negotiating peace with Manila.

The Radio Television Brunei reported that the six soldiers are part of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and they will join the 6th Group of the International Monitoring Team to Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination in Mindanao.

It said the soldiers, the 6th contingent of Brunei, is led by Major Pengiran Hamdiah bin Pengiran Haji Hashim. They left Brunei for Mindanao on Friday.

“As in the previous duty, the six RBAF International Monitoring Team personnel will form one mobile team and will be located at Cotabato City. The group will be responsible in observing and monitoring the implementation of cessation of hostilities, as well as the socio-economic development aspects of agreements signed between the government of the Republic of the Philippines and the MILF,” the report said.

The 60-man International Monitoring Team is composed of Malaysia, Libya, Brunei, Japan, and Norway. It is tasked to monitor the implementation of truce between government and MILF forces.

In 2008, Malaysia disgruntled over the slow progress of the peace talks, recalled about two dozen truce observers and blamed Manila for the stalled talks.

Filipino and rebel peace negotiators have recently signed several agreements ahead of general elections on May 10, but a major accord that would end decades of secessionist war in the restive southern region of Mindanao is still uncertain.

Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF’s chief peace negotiator, said the agreements will provide administrative support to the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute, the cease-fire committees; the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group and a mechanism to return the internally displaced persons.

He said peace negotiators also agreed on the civilian protection component of the International Monitoring Team and the Philippines campaign to ban landmines.

The MILF, however, said the fate of the interim agreement is still not settled, even if the peace panels agreed on some common areas which are yet to be discussed in their next meeting this month.

It said peace negotiators met in the Malaysian capital to try to resolve differences in their drafts on the proposed interim agreement on transitional mechanism on governance, which will bridge the present and the incoming administration in the Philippines.

Malaysia is currently facilitating the peace talks which President Gloria Arroyo opened in 2001 in an effort to end bloody fighting in Mindanao. But Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF’s deputy for political affairs, said a peace deal with Arroyo, who is to step down next month when her term ends, is unlikely.

He said there is not enough time to continue the peace talks, but Jaafar expressed optimism the next president will honor all agreements signed under Arroyo’s rule.

“We have no more time to continue the peace talks and the peace negotiators are trying to reach an interim agreement so we may preserve the gains of the talks. We just hope the next president will continue the peace process. We are for peace,” Jaafar said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Kidnappers free Zamboanga trader

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 26, 2010) – Kidnappers have freed a Filipino trader after two weeks in captivity in the southern Philippines.

The victim, Nena Toremocha, was released over the weekend in Lanao del Norte province where her family fetched her.

No group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

Police confirmed the release, but security officials would not say if ransom was paid to the kidnappers who were believed to be rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in the restive region of Mindanao.

The 62-year old seaweed trader was kidnapped April 12 by gunmen in the town of Olutanga in Zamboanga Sibugay province. (Mindanao Examiner)

MILF, RP sign new agreements, but peace deal is unlikely

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao / April 22, 2010) – Philippine peace negotiators and Muslim rebels signed several agreements ahead of national elections, but a major accord that would end decades of secessionist war in the restive southern region of Mindanao is still uncertain.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination, said it signed the agreement in Kuala Lumpur after two days of tough negotiations.

Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF’s chief peace negotiator, said the agreements will provide administrative support to the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute, the cease-fire committees; the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group and a mechanism to return the internally displaced persons.

Peace negotiators also agreed on the civilian protection component of the International Monitoring Team and the Philippines campaign to ban landmines.

The MILF, however, said the fate of the interim agreement is still not settled, even if the peace panels agreed on some common areas which are yet to be discussed in their next meeting early next month.

It said peace negotiators met in the Malaysian capital to try to resolve differences in their drafts on the proposed interim agreement on transitional mechanism on governance, which will bridge the present and the incoming administration in the Philippines.

Malaysia is currently facilitating the peace talks which President Gloria Arroyo opened in 2001 in an effort to end bloody fighting in Mindanao.

But Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF’s deputy for political affairs, said a peace deal with Arroyo, who is to step down next month when her term ends, is unlikely.

He said there is not enough time to continue the peace talks, but Jaafar expressed optimism the next president will honor all agreements signed under Arroyo’s rule.

“We have no more time to continue the peace talks and the peace negotiators are trying to reach an interim agreement so we may preserve the gains of the talks. We just hope the next president will continue the peace process. We are for peace,” Jaafar said.

Many of the MILF fighters said they are supporting the peace process and also hope that the next administration would honor all agreements signed since 2001 by the two sides.

The MILF peace panel is headed by Mohagher Iqbal and his government counterpart Rafael Seguis. (Mindanao Examiner)

Peace deal unlikely under President Arroyo, says MILF

A Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighter peeks through the sight of a .50-caliber machine gun Friday, March 12, 2010 at a rebel outpost in the southern Philippines. The MILF, which is negotiating peace with Manila, says it is unlikely to sign a peace deal with President Gloria Arroyo who is stepping down in May this year. Arroyo opened up peace talks with the country’s largest Muslim rebel group in 2001 in an effort to end decades of bloody fighting in the restive, but mineral-rich region of Mindanao. Below, MILF deputy chieftain Ghazali Jaafar. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 12, 2010) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front said Friday it is likely to sign a peace deal with President Gloria Arroyo, who is to step down in May when her term ends.

Arroyo opened up peace talks with the MILF in 2001 and signed several agreements in the past; including a cease-fire accord that prevented major clashes in the restive, but mineral-rich region of Mindanao, home to more than 4 million Muslims.

Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF’s deputy chieftain, said there is not enough time to continue the talks, but he expressed optimism the next president will honor all agreement signed under Arroyo’s rule.

“We have no more time to continue the peace talks and the peace negotiators are trying to reach an interim agreement so we may preserve the gains of the talks. We just hope the next president will continue the peace process. We are for peace,” Jaafar said from his base in Mindanao.

The MILF, he said, is fighting for self-determination in Mindanao, which was formerly ruled by the sultans until the Spaniards came and colonized the Philippines in 1521. The rule lasted more than 300 years.

“But I tell you, even if the Spaniards came, we were never colonized. The Bangsamoro people were never conquered,” Jaafar said, referring to the Muslims and the valiant fighting spirit that they are known for.

Jaafar is one the most senior leader of the MILF, which is now headed by the secluded Murad Ebrahim, who previously was the group’s military chieftain.

Many of the MILF fighters said they are supporting the peace process and also hope that the next administration would honor all agreements signed since 2001 by the two sides.

The MILF peace panel is headed by Mohagher Iqbal and his government counterpart Rafael Seguis.

“Yes, I am for peace. I am supporting the peace talks. There is no reason to fight because we are also for peace,” said MILF rebel Anwar as he held on to his rocket-propelled grenade launcher near his detachment in Mindanao.

Like Anwar, the others in his unit also are supporting the peace process. “We don’t want fighting anymore. It only brings misery and destruction, hunger and pain. We want peace also,” said another MILF fighter, Musa, who fought government soldiers half of his life in Mindanao defending their ancestral lands and rights as a proud Muslim.

“Time will come that instead of this automatic rifle, I will probably be carrying my son and live a peaceful and quiet life – all for the sake of peace and the future of our children and the next generation, Inshaallah! In God’s will,” he said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Spare peace negotiations from politics: Peace Adviser

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines - Spare peace negotiations from politics - Presidential Adviser on Peace Process Annabelle Abaya made this plea to politicians Sunday during the “Dialogue Mindanaw” peace consultations attended by more than 300 participants at the Venus Hotel in Baguio City in northern Philippines.

“The peace process is not political,” Abaya said, adding that she believes that “it is a spiritual process that entails pursuing in your lives”.

Abaya echoed President Arroyo’s stand that peace negotiations between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front should not be mired by politics with the elections months away.

“Peace negotiations should not take a backseat to politics as this would mean giving up on the government’s quest for harmony in Mindanao ,” she said.

Once again, Abaya emphasized the importance of getting the public’s view on the ongoing peace talks through reflective dialogues in different parts of the country.

“Gusto nating marinig ang opinyon ng bawat isa. Mabigyan kayo ng space para makapagsalita,” Abaya said, who also assured that the participants’ opinion will not go to waste.

“Ang mga makakalap nating impormasyon ay ibibigay sa ating pamahalaan at sa mga negotiating panels,” she said.

Also, Abaya briefed participants regarding the last meeting between the government and MILF last March 4 and 5 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where both sides held a question and answer session to clarify the drafts they presented.

Abaya also assured participants that concerns of the indigenous people and other Cordillera concerns will have an opportunity to be tackled.

Aside from Abaya, Professor Aboud Syed Lingga and Dr. Bai Janena Tito spoke in behalf of the MILF and the government, respectively.

Lingga, executive director of the Institute of Bangsamoro Studies , presented the MILF’s position while Tito, former commissioner of Mindanao Consultative Commission, discussed the government’s stand on the peace issue.

On Monday, “Dialogue Mindanaw” will be held in Bongao town in Tawi-Tawi province and Iligan City where hundreds of peace stakeholders are expected to join the reflective dialogues arranged by OPAPP. On March 11, “Dialogue Mindanaw” is slated to be held in Butuan City .

As part of its “Dialogue Mindanaw” program, the OPAPP has set up two text lines where the public can relay their opinions and views regarding the peace talks between the government and MILF. For Smart users, OPAPP has 0999-42-PEACE (73223) and 0917-83-PEACE (73223) for Globe subscribers.

OPAPP is also using the Internet to spread its “Dialogue Mindanaw” program through its official website (http://www.mapayapangmindanao.info), Facebook Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/mapayapangmindanao) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/peacemindanao) accounts.

2 Moro rebels arrested for ex-soldier's kidnapping in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 23, 2010) – Police authorities captured two alleged Moro rebels tagged as involved in the kidnapping of a former government solider in Zamboanga City, officials said.

Officials said the two men Abraham Ibno and Ansar Yusop were members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s Muslim rebel group which is fighting for self-determination in the restive southern region.

The rebels were arrested after they released Benjamin Almonte late Friday near the town of Ipil in Zamboanga Sibugay province. Almonte was abducted by gunmen February 6 while fishing off the coast of the village of Manicahan in Zamboanga City.

“We captured the two in a continuing operation,” said Rear Admiral Alexander Pama, head of the anti-terror Task Force Trillium, and commander of the naval forces in Western Mindanao.

Almonte said his captors freed him for a still unknown reason. “The leader of the kidnappers, whom they called Commander, said he is releasing me because he pities me,” he said.

He said his two escorts ran away after they saw a group of men who turned out to be government intelligence agents. “I also ran away and ended up on the side of the government people, and one of them grabbed me and told me that I am safe and that they are from the government side,” Almonte said.

Almonte’s family did not say whether ransom was paid to the kidnappers.

No group claimed responsibility for Almonte’s kidnapping or the motive behind this and police said it still investigating the case. But other sources said members of the so-called MILF’s special operation group under Waning Abdusalam were behind the kidnapping.

Abdusalam was also linked to the kidnapping last year of Irish Catholic priest Michael Sinnott in Zamboanga del Sur province. Sinnott, 80, was taken by six gunmen on October 11 from his missionary house in Pagadian City and brought to Lanao province and freed in Zamboanga City after a month in captivity.

Abu Sayyaf militants had also kidnapped many people, including foreigners, in Zamboanga City in previous attacks and brought them to nearby Basilan and other areas in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)