Guingona supports Mindanao peace

Senator Teofisto Guingona III in a statement supports and congratulates the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in one of the two or three main steps in concluding the peace agreement. This peace agreement, says Guingona,

We believe this is a major step towards achieving our aspiration for peace and stability in Mindanao. Such environment of peace and stability has become even more crucial as we move forward to rebuild many parts of Mindanao that have been adversely affected by the series of natural calamities which hit that portion of our country.

More important, this brings us closer to the aspiration for genuine peace and development for the Bangsamoro.

We congratulate the panels of both the Philippine Government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. This development speaks well of their resolve to ensure the completion of the peace process despite the many roadblocks they had to hurdle.

I reiterate the full support of the Senate Peace, Unification and Reconciliation Committee to the efforts of both the Government and the MILF to bring the process to the eventual passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.
 

The Aquino administration hopes that this is the legacy that President Aquino will leave behind. 

Zamboanga standoff near to resolution, but how about Basilan?

What really happened between Vice President Jejomar Binay and the President? Binay has been receiving a lot of flak for allegedly representing government in negotiations with the MNLF without the expressed approval of the President and the crisis committee. Binay reportedly had back-door negotiations with Nur Misuari, his classmate at the University of the Philippines in Diliman.

When the palace team handling the Zamboanga crisis reportedly disagreed with what Binay did, the Vice president hurriedly left for Manila shortly after announcing a so-called "ceasefire". That "ceasefire" declaration was rebuffed by the palace. Binay allegedly wanted to facilitate the safe passage of the MNLF rebels from Zamboanga. This, however, ran contrary to what government intended which is to resolve the issue using arms. Aquino wanted nothing more than decimate the MNLF ranks through military means.

The President is still in Zamboanga reportedly leading the troops to clear the area of rebels. It has been two weeks, and the military operations seemed destined towards victory. Nearly a hundred rebels were captured or have surrendered. Scores have been killed while several others managed to escape.

Honestly, what the military is doing right now in Zamboanga can be described as a pyrrhic victory. Yes, they dealt the MNLF a serious blow in their engagement in Zamboanga, at the cost of affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of Zamboangenos. Eighty five thousand evacuees now populate various evacuation centers in the city. More than a hundred civilians were either killed or injured.

There seems to be no news on what is happening in Basilan, where fighting rages between government forces and the rebels, led by a combined force of the MNLF, the Abu Sayyaf and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a splinter group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

There is a possibility that this conflict will spread in other areas of the region, particularly in Jolo and Basilan, two strongholds of the MNLF. It seems that Aquino will still be busy containing the conflicts in Mindanao.

Worse, this could likewise be used by regional terrorists to "make their presence felt"and transform Mindanao into a regional magnet of Islamic fundamentalist forces. The Aquino administration clearly underestimated the long term effects of this conflict. Yes, the AFP will eventually win and flush out the remaining MNLF rebels in the area. The question is---for how long?

Zamboanga Seige by MNLF caused by mismanaged peace talks

The mismanagement of the peace negotiations with Bangsamoros in Mindanao is the direct cause of the breakout of violence in Zamboanga perpetuated by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

MNLF elements led by several Suluanons affiliated with Nur Misuari has just occupied some portions of Zamboanga City. Last August 12, Nur has just declared independence and declared himself President and Chief of the MNLF armed forces. The government ignored this overt action and continued ignoring the MNLF.

Probably, the government is under the false belief that Misuari's group is no more and they continue talking with Muslimin Sema faction. The Sema faction has the old guards of the MNLF. What they don't know is that Misuari's group has just consolidated the young commanders.

Abdul Sahrin, Secretary General of the MNLF faction does not support Misuari's armed action. They continue to support the flawed peace talks of the government.

Had the government invested in hearing the sides and viewpoints of all stakeholders in the area, this would not have happened. Blame ideology. The Deles faction is affiliated with the Akbayan which has direct and strong links with the MILF, not the MNLF. This explains why no deal was entered into with the MNLF. First, an erroneous analysis of the MNLF and risks of not negotiating with them and second, a misinterpretation of the entire Bangsamoro problem.

Aquino blames peace saboteurs behind twin blasts in Mindanao

President Benigno Aquino believes that groups who oppose the peace process in Mindanao are the ones behind the twin bombings in Cagayan de Oro and North Cotabato. The Chief Executive does not believe that Jemaah Islamiyah members are behind the blasts, echoing what the Armed Forces of the Philippines already announced that JI cannot be the ones who masterminded the blasts because the terror group's movements have already been contained.

Who are those who oppose the peace process?

We have as main suspect, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters or BIFF, the splinter group from the MILF. BIFF leader Ameril Umbra Kato actively opposes the peace pact, and wants to continue the legacy of Hashim Salamat, the spiritual-political leader of the MILF who believes in armed struggle.

Another group which opposes the peace pact is a shadowy cabal of Christian groups, whose members include influential people based in Mindanao. This group consists of members of the AFP themselves, both active and retired. Dislocation of Christian communities is what they fear if the peace pact eventually leads to the Bangsamoro sub-state.

The last group is reportedly, the Moro National Liberation Front or MNLF. Nur Misuari, founder of the group, wants government to honor its commitments forged in the 1979 Tripoli agreement. Until now, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines has not satisfied its side of the deal. Misuari warns of an all-out war in Mindanao, if the GRP and the MILF insist on creating a Bangsamoro sub-state.

Some analysts believe that countries with interests in the Philippines are likewise using proxies to effect chaos and confusion in this country.

As what this corner already said several entries ago, war will not end with the peace pact. Violence will continue to affect Mindanao economic and political growth maturation precisely because the region is subject to the interests of several groups. These groups have the means to sow terror. They are determined. They have mass bases.

Don't get me wrong---the idea of a Bangsamoro sub-state is noble. The steps taken by government is worthy of praise. And they can't do anything to obliterate these roadblocks caused by groups with selfish personal interests. These groups are talking about ultimate control of a region rich in natural resources, meaning, a region blessed with riches beyond one's wits.

War beckons in Mindanao

Analysts say the recent bombing in Cagayan de Oro is just one of several bombings planned by enemies of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The MILF, as we know, had entered into a peace agreement with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines. President Aquino is expected to push for the enactment of a law creating the Bangsamoro sub-state. Obviously, forces and special interest groups in Mindanao who felt either betrayal or of being de-prioritized, will seek other means of expressing their outrage.

Who are these groups?

You have the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) who seeks for the implementation of the 1979 Tripoli agreement. You have a splinter group of radicals from the BIAF or the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces who separated from the MILF to continue the armed struggle initially created by Imam Salamat Hashim. Islamists from the Al Harakatul Al Islamiyah, a branch of the Jemaah Islamiyah in the Philippines will likewise consider heightening tensions there and of course, Christian armed forces.

Without the participation of some non-radical yet Bangsamoro forces, this plan will definitely fail. The government did not initiate its full effort of involving other stakeholders in the process. Due to this faux pas, these groups will definitely undermine the peace process.

It will take quite a long time before peace is achieved in this region.

Nur forming Bangsamoro Armed Forces

Former MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari is said to be forming a 150,000 strong MNLF police force. Misuari said that he intends to train this police force to protect areas said to be part of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE). Now that government refuses to honor its previous commitment as encapsulated in the failed BJE-MOA, Moro groups such as the MNLF are finding other ways to "keep the peace" in Mindanao.

The question is--is this constitutional? Is Misuari allowed by the Philippine Constitution to form his own police force? Obviously, no. The only legitimate armed forces as contemplated in the Charter are those authorized by legislative fiat which are the AFP and the PNP. Any other force are illegitimate. So, how would government view this suggestion?

Misuari cannot form his own armed forces because it is tantamount to rebellion. If he operates within the purview of the Philippine constitution, he risks arrest and possible detention because he cannot form such an army.

Another armed aggrupation in Mindanao will not help the peace process there. What would be beneficial is for the GRP and the MILF to go back to the peace table. But, how will they when obviously both camps are insincere?

In the next few weeks, we expect a temporary cessation of hostilities. However, after 45 days, no body knows what would happen in Mindanao should both sides continue to harden their positions. The MILF already declared that they'll wait for the next president to resolve the Bangsamoro Question, a virtual declaration that they're abandoning the peace talks.

On the Sulu Question

Watching veteran journalists and colleagues Jim Jalbuena and Tanjunsay over at Pia Hontiveros show "Strictly Politics" over at ANC brings back old memories. Like Jalbuena, I was one of those who covered the Sipadan hostage crisis back in 2000. Jalbuena's accounts brought back memories of those fateful days when hard-core members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) kidnapped foreign vacationers off the Malaysian resort of Sipadan. That incident brought the ASG to the global centerstage of notoriety. The incident lead to a release of all the hostages, but not without paying the ASG some "board and lodgings", allegedly to the tune of 200 million pesos.

So many things happened after that, with some of the foreign hostages recounting their ordeal and even writing about it. Tales of rape, of abuse, of forced starvations, etc., stories which could have happened or could have been just inventions of fertile minds. What's certain though, the ASG lived to scout for other unsuspecting victims, thus started a spree of kidnappings and ransom-paying.

Some say the ASG institutionalized kidnapping in Sulu. They could have. However, kidnappings and abductions are not entirely new in that part of the world. Historically, Muslims kidnap Christians or "outsiders" but not for money. No. At the time of the Spanish rule over these islands, kidnappings were mostly religious or military in nature. Kidnappings were used as leverages especially at the height of wars or skirmishes between hostile forces.

Now, if you look at it, kidnappings have become cottage industries, with young armed groups like the ones who abducted Ces Drilon and her crew, joining the frenzy. Prior to Ces' kidnapping, a Chinese businessman was abducted there and released after paying ransom. Others were also victimized, and the local media did not report about them since these are not high-profile cases.

And you can't entirely blame them. Centuries of neglect and poverty have transformed Sulu from a bustling trading post to a desolate and poor island. Those born in that island faces a bleak future. No job. No life. No comfort. Just a daily struggle to survive.

Sulu is a beautiful gem floating in the tranquil seas. During the Spanish era, Sulu was the center of indigenous Islamic power, with Sayyid Abu Bakr establishing the Sulu Sultanate in 1450, whose power stretched over Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.

Historically, Mindanao has been the hotbed of an Islamic insurgency. In 1596, the Spanish colonial government launched a pacification campaign, mobilizing 50 ships, 200 Spaniards and 1,500 Christianized Filipinos. It failed. Three years after, Maguindanao datus launched their retaliatory attack, reclaiming Muslim communities from the hands of the Spaniards and even brought back 800 captives to Mindanao.

In 1692, Sultan Kudarat, the supreme Islamic leader in Maguindanao, defeated a Spanish force and even captured its leader. Between 1656 to 1658, Sultan Kudarat led an Islamic army composed of Muslims from Sulu, Ternate, Brunei and Makassar. Succeeding raids in the Visayas forced the Spaniards to retreat in Manila. Sultan Kudarat nearly defeated the Spaniards where it not for the outbreak of civil war between Muslims of Maguindanao and Sulu.

Muslims continued attacks against communities in the Visayas and Luzon, but superior firepower repulsed them. Attacks continue well in the 19th century, where it not for the Americans who even invented the 45-caliber pistol to defeat the Muslims. The establishment of American sovereignty over Mindanao lead to the marginalization of Islamic power. Using superior military technology, the Americans successfully pacified the region and integrated it into the Philippine state.

The American policy of integration was the reason why Muslims stopped their raids against Christian communities in Centtral and Northern Philippines. The Americans respected the culture, traditions and religion of Muslims. They also gave opportunities to Muslim leaders to ascend the rungs of mainstream Philippine life. During the first Philippine Congress, we saw some representation from Mindanao-based Muslims.

The US government also allowed barter trade to flourish in the area, especially in the islands of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-tawi. That's why during those times, Sulu flourished and families there earned enough to sustain a comfortable life.

It was just during the time of strongman Ferdinand Marcos that Tausugs began to rise up against colonial Manila. Barter trade was disallowed and because of the pressures and "tributes" brought by the Lobregats in Zamboanga, trade shifted from Sulu to Zamboanga peninsula. Sulu rose up in revolt, leading to a decades-old war led by the MNLF.

Now, Sulu continues to struggle against the weight of extreme poverty. Many youngsters such as the ones who orchestrated this kidnapping caper, live a life of recklessness and violence. They were raised in a time of repression and economic disfranchisement. The Tausug youths of today live precariously, without hope and full of hatred against those who ruled Manila.

What they don't realize is this---the more they do these stupid things, the more they isolate themselves from the rest of the world. Sulu can't survive without outside help. It's an island. If they continue to isolate themselves, they risk further economic stagnation and poverty.

Government and other groups, especially the United States, should cooperate and assist Suluanons. Give them some development. Give Tausugs some jobs. That way, they will reject the un-Islamic practice of kidnappings and abductions. And hopefully, we will see the complete defeat of the Abu Sayyaf Group in that part of the world.

Erase the Abu Sayyaf from the face of the earth!

Muslims everywhere should fight the Abu Sayyaf Group

Terrorism is condemnable in all its forms— be it an armed attack against innocent civilians or economic terrorism done in the name of profits. There is simply no justification for the use of terror as a mode of struggle by revolutionary groups. Why?

Terrorism dilutes support from mass bases and alienates any revolutionary group from potential support of the powerful neutrals. Revolutions are more of processes, of a series of armed assaults against state security agencies to weaken defenses. These assaults can be undertaken by small, specialized revolutionary units (as what Lenin suggested) or by regular army formations.

The use of urban insurrectionary activities such as bombings and assassinations are to be selectively chosen based on strategic or tactical necessity; never the centerpiece of any war plan. Nowhere do we find revolutionary leaders advocating terror as a mode of struggle. There is simply no place for terrorist actions in the arsenal of tactics employed by genuine revolutionary movements.

Worst, actions that place innocent civilians in harm’s way and done with money in mind are not only condemnable; it is simply abominable. Codes of conduct and ethics still exist even in war. Revolutionary work done in the name of money is pseudo-revolutionary. Terror tactics, such as kidnappings, are works of thugs, of syndicates, not revolutionaries.

That’s why I cannot understand why some of our Muslim brothers allied with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) would even think of supporting the Abu Sayyaf. Those Muslims who do believe in the Abu Sayyaf Group and support them, think. A pious Muslim should not support evil acts even if done by fellow Muslims. Supporting the Abu Sayyaf will not in any way contribute to the furtherance of the Bangsamoro struggle for total independence.

Whatever other Islamic scholars would say about this group, the ASG has no place in the Bangsamoro struggle. The ASG is an aberration, an anomaly of history, a relic pushing for a distorted and un-Islamic interpretation of the holiness of the Moro struggle.

Since it started its kidnapping campaigns against innocent civilians, the purity of its struggle against Philippine imperialism has been tarnished. Islam has ceased to be the ASG’s main ideology. Its members have degenerated into bandits, monsters and thugs, who claim to worship Allah SWT but has since prostrated themselves before the altar of Baal. They have become men who eat their own vomit.

Throughout its years of existence, did this group ever contributed to the success of the Bangsamoro struggle? None. Their actions not only damaged the image and reputation of Moros everywhere—they are mainly responsible for the total degeneration of the correct Islamic life in the island of Jolo.

Inquirer journalist Arlyn dela Cruz reminded us of a conversation she had with a Tausug leader sometime in 2002. That Tausug leader lambasted journalists for writing bad stuff about Muslims in Jolo. He says that journalists are part of the problem since journalists should write something to help Tausugs improve their lives in Jolo.

I pose a question to that Tausug leader—how would we, journalists, or even anybody, write about the beauty of Jolo and even the beauty of Islam when all we see are these thugs masquerading as mujaheddins? What good would come from these stupid kidnapping capers, such as this recent one involving a respected journalist such as Ces Drilon?

Let me also condemn some journalists who blame Ces Drilon for making that trip to Jolo. Do not be misled. We must condemn and use the strongest possible words we can write against the Abu Sayyaf Group who did this cowardly and idiotic kidnapping, not lambast our colleague. Ces Drilon did what she was tasked to do—go after the story.

I urged every pious Muslim to rise up and obliterate the Abu Sayyaf Group from the face of the earth. The only ones, who can cause the death and destruction of this mockery of an Islamic group, should be those who fully understand Islam.

Pray for the help of Allah SWT in erasing this menace from Jolo and if you are dead serious in your struggle against Imperialist Manila, form a new group that would undertake genuine revolution under the Banner of Islam.

State-sponsored terrorism to increase due to cha-cha

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