Saturday, September 14, 2013

PNoy rejects Misuari demand that rebels walk away in exchange for hostages

From GMA News (Sep 14): PNoy rejects Misuari demand that rebels walk away in exchange for hostages

Military action will continue in Zamboanga City after the government rejected Nur Misuari’s demand to allow Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels to walk away in exchange for the hostages' freedom.

During a command conference in Zamboanga Saturday afternoon, Binay purportedly called Misuari on the phone to talk about ending the Zamboanga crisis. President Aquino, however, turned down Misuari’s condition.

A source told GMA News that the former MNLF chairman was asking for a “safe conduct pass” for the rebels before they release their hostages.

Aside from Aquino and Binay, others who were at the meeting included Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, a television report aired on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” said.

 Binay: Misuari set unacceptable terms

A statement from the Office of the Vice President later said that Binay was "sad" over the failed negotiation. 
 
“The Vice President is sad that his efforts to secure the release of the hostages in Zamboanga City did [not] prosper," the statement read. 
 
"Both the MNLF and the Philippine government wanted peace but they set terms that were not acceptable. The Vice President asks everyone to pray for the safety of the hostages and for peace in Zamboanga City," it added.
After the failed negotiation, the government is sticking to a “military action solution,” the report said.
 
Binay had announced on Friday night that Defense Secretary Gazmin and Misuari had already agreed to a ceasefire. However, the fighting continued.

Rogue rebels under the MNLF have been occupying parts of the city since Monday. The rebels took civilian hostages as “human shields.” 53 people have died, including four civilians, in six days of fighting. As many as 200 homes have been razed to the ground, either deliberately by the rebels or due to ordnance used in the firefights.

See Zamboanga crisis timeline here. 
 
No to "Cabatangan solution"
 
According to Gabriel Sison, a Philippine Red Cross’ representative, the situation was worse than the Cabatangan siege back in 2001, when MNLF rebels besieged parts of Zamboanga City. 27 people were killed while 15 were wounded.
 
“Mas malala ito. This is the worst [that has] ever happened in the city,” Sison told GMA News Online in a phone interview on Saturday. Before, the MNLF were just able to seize control of the barangays on the outskirts of the city, but now, they are trying to occupy the main town area, he cited.
 
For her part, Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco said that they will not resolve the conflict using the  “Cabatangan Solution,” where the rebels were allowed to leave the area after they were given a safe conduct pass. She noted that there have been too many lives sacrificed, a report on “Balitanghali” said.
 
As of Saturday, about 53 people were killed including rebels, civilians and government forces, while 70 other have wounded.
 
62,000 flee as crisis enters Day 6
 
In a report by Hadji Rieta aired on GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali” on Saturday, about 63,329 individuals, primarily from nine affected barangays, were taken to evacuation centers. Most of those who sought temporary shelter were children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
 
More than half of the evacuees or some 44,000 people are staying in JFE Sport Complex, also known asas the city’s grandstand. Meanwhile, to avoid cramped evacuation centers, the Badjao and Sama people chose to stay on their boats.
 

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