MNLF commander for Palawan Taradji Padih (second from left) and AFP Western Command chief Lieutenant General Juancho Sabban (fourth from left). Photo by Elmer Badilla for InterAksyon.com
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY - Archenemies do not kiss and make up. That's what a ranking officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and his nemesis, a commander of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), thought.
But they proved themselves wrong. After 34 years of wanting to eliminate each other, retiring AFP Western Command chief Lieutenant General Juancho Sabban and MNLF commander for Palawan Taradji Padih have now become friends and textmates ready to respond to each other's needs.
In 1979, Sabban, then a junior officer, was assigned in Palawan to help quell the rebelllion in the province by MNLF fighters strugging to achieve independence for Bangsamoro. At the time, Padih was already among the dreaded leaders of the MNLF.
"Isang taon nang nasa Palawan 'yong mga MNLF warriors. Noon pa lang, matunog na talaga 'yang si Commander Padih. Matinik talaga [The MNLF warriors had been there for a year already. That early, Commander Padih was widely known already. He was fearsome], ” Sabban recalls.
But while Padih's stature as an MNLF warrior was well-known, Sabban was confident that his archfoe would be no match to the military's successive and massive assaults against the then MNLF rebels in Palawan. Sabban, however, proved to be too self-assured. The MNLF commander cheated death, suprising Sabban who got to know of his foe's survival only three years ago.
Looking back, Sabban is no longer sure whether it was him or Padih who was fortunate enough to survive. “Maswerte s'ya na na-survive n'ya 'yong mga operations ko, o baka ako ang maswerte [He was lucky, he survived my operations, or maybe I was the lucky one.]
After finding out that Padih survived the attacks, Sabban decided to make friends with his enemy of more than three decades.
Padih did not doubt the sincerity of his former tormentor. The MNLF commander says his friendship with Sabban helped build bridges for peace in Palawan.
“Di ko inaasahan na magiging magkaibigan kami...Ngayon isang text ko lang sa kanya, 'andiyan s'ya agad. Matulungin pala siya [I never expected that we would be friends. Now, If I text him once he would be there for me immediately. I found out that he's helpful],” Padih says.
Bouyed by optimism that long-time foes can be friends, Sabban believes that the military can also someday forge alliance with communist rebels especially if there will be more talks than guns.
“Upuan natin at pag-usapan. ‘Yong walang tatayo hangga’t hindi nagkakasundo. Tingin ko magiging okay ang lahat [Let's sit down and talk. Let's not stand up until we agree. I thnk everything will be okay],” says the AFP general.
Sabban will be retiring in April. He says he will stay in Palawan, his battleground that has turned into field of peace for him and Padih, where the former archenemies will do livelihood projects together.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/57216/from-archfoes-to-best-friends-afp-general-mnlf-commander-kiss-and-make-up-after-3-decades
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