MNLF: AFP Burning of Zamboanga 10,000 Houses/Mosques is like Jolo's Inferno in 1974- AFP-MNLF War

From the MNLF Website (Oct 5): AFP Burning of Zamboanga 10,000 Houses/Mosques is like Jolo's Inferno in 1974- AFP-MNLF War



"THIS IS AN ACT OF TERRORISM"

In Facebook, the distressed voices of Fatin Kawthar and Tindug Alif calling directly on Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III and condemning the atrocity of the AFP soldiers to cause anguish and pain to the Muslim natives of Filipino-colonized Mindanao has shown again the destructive repercussion of an imposed genocidal war to perpetuate colonial hegemony in the occupied Bangsamoro territory. The native voices simply cried out: "To: President Aquino, We, the Muslims of Zamboanga City strongly condemned the work of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in burning down the masjids (house of worship) in Barangay Campo Muslim, Rio Hondo and Mariki." "This is an act of terrorism. We as Muslims are entitled to our right for freedom of religion."

FACTORS LEADING TO THE BURNING BY AFP SOLDIERS OF '10,160' HOUSES AND MOSQUES IN THE MUSLIM COMMUNITIES OF ZAMBOANGA CITY?

MAYOR MARIA ISABEL CLIMACO IS SUPPRESSOR OF PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY.

It is now common knowledge that the direct cause of the almost three weeks war between the colonial Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) occupation soldiers and the Bangsamoro freedom fighters of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) was the blocking by the Zamboanga City government of the supposedly peace rally of the MNLF members and mass followers in support of the declaration of Mindanao independence by the MNLF leadership.

Since the proclamation of the revolutionary government constitution and the United Federated States of Bangsamoro Republik (UFSBR) by MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari in Zamboanga City on July, 2013 and followed up in Talipao, Sulu, on August, the MNLF members and mass supporters have conducted public peace demonstration in Jolo and Davao City. There never was any untoward incident during the MNLF-staged peace rally in both metropolis centers.

However, in Zamboanga City on September 9, the scheduled peace rally was forcibly blocked by Mayor Maria Isabel Climaco, claiming that the MNLF wanted to raise the Bangsamoro flag in the city government's flag pole. The mayor's claim itself was a total lie because as usual the MNLF members wanted only to display both small and regular size flags while holding a peace assembly. In totally suppressing people' right to peaceful assembly, the PNP forces harassed the peaceful demonstrators and some were even arrested and jailed. The oppressive provocation led the MNLF members in Zamboanga City to arm themselves so as to aid and rescue the beleaguered MNLF members that spontaneously started the APF-MNLF battle in the city. The city battle became fiercer and resulted to more heavy casualties on the part of the Philippine military forces when MNLF reinforcements under Ustaj Khabier Malik arrived to personally lead the battle against the AFP and PNP combatants.

Clearly thus, the eruption of the AFP-MNLF war in Zamboanga City is due to the carelessness of Mayor Climaco as suppressor of the fundamental human rights of people to even a peaceful assembly. Later, when the AFP-MNLF hostilities transformed into a major war of mounting casualties, catastrophic chaos and humanitarian disaster, Mayor Climaco started blaming the Office of the Peace Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP), but never herself.

Vincent R. Pozon reported that "Zamboanga Mayor Maria Isabel Climaco-Salazar blamed the OPAPP for the crisis that gripped her city. "Because of the incompetence of the OPAPP in reaching out to the MNLF...the people are suffering. We are all victims here. Despite numerous appeals to OPAPP to go to Sulu, and address the problem of Nur Misuari, the OPAPP did not listen."

On the other hand, it can now be construed that the OPAPP never did listen to any suggestion to engage MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari in sincere and honest peaceful dialogue because it is only formed to deceive and divide the Bangsamoro people and the MNLF and MILF freedom fighters. Because of the fact that the Aquino government have no respect for the September 2, 1996 MNLF-OIC-GRP Jakarta Peace Agreements the OPAPP had only looked down at the MNLF as a "spent force."  Instead, the OPAPP in conspiracy with ARMM had again propped up and used the Arroyo regime-created "15-member Malacanang National Liberation Front-Easy-money Currency (MNLF-EC15)" group managed by ex-Vice Mayor Muslimin Sema to pose as a strong MNLF to be supported by the Aquino government. Now, just like in the old Marcos days of deceptive colonial strategy of divide-rule-destroy tactics, the Aquino government and OPAPP have thus also created now the chaos and humanitarian disaster surrounding the AFP-MNLF war in Zamboanga City and hostilities in other areas, like Basilan and Cotabato.

AFP-MNLF WAR CASUALTIES AND MEDIA PROPAGANDA TO DECEIVE PEOPLE

As in all AFP-MNLF war in the past, the Philippine media as merely mouthpiece of Philippine colonialism have only to print both the civilian and military government side in order not to demoralize more the low moral of the colonial Philippine military occupation soldiers, who are only compelled to face the Bangsamoro freedom fighters in the battle ground for the sake of salary, rank and promotion.

Just like in the 1974 AFP-MNLF war in Jolo, the Philippine media never reported the observation of the once Free Press popular writer, Ninotchka Rosca, that the MNLF freedom fighters "decimated Marcos forces" in the major battle inside Jolo town. But this never stop people from telling the truth about the Jolo war incident, including the burning of almost the entire town by combined land, aerial and sea bombardments and killing of more than 20,000 Muslim, Christian and Chinese civilians.



Today, during the 20-day AFP-MNLF war in Zamboanga City, the Philippine media again have repeated the same propaganda tactics of reporting only the side of Philippine colonialism, but never the side of the colonized victims. Immediately after the withdrawal of Ustaj Khabier Malik and reinforcement forces from the war zone, but not after killing more than 100 AFP Scout Rangers that treacherously assaulted the MNLF troops while performing the Friday congregation prayer, the Aquino government and Philippine media were just so desperate to pronounce and speculate the death of the MNLF leader that inflicted so much heavy casualties to the almost 5,000 AFP soldiers deployed to the Zamboanga war zone. On the third week of the AFP-MNLF war, the Philippine media reported the conflicting reports of a total of 126  MNLF killed and 146 captured and surrendered (AFP source), and 185 captured, 24 surrendered and 107 killed (PNP source).

However, the AFP and Philippine media were silent on the mounting casualties of the every day AFP-MNLF war that the Zamboanga City medical center has to be hurriedly converted into AFP command post to hide the big number of white coffins containing dead soldiers. From insider report in AFP Camp Aguinaldo, up to the 5th day of heavy fighting, it listed already "503 dead, 741 wounded and 63 'war shock' (awl/deserter) AFP soldiers," and this did not include PNP casualties. Thus, after the 20-day AFP-MNLF war, the figure of "1,006" AFP soldiers killed cited by an unknown source in the social network can describe how MNLF freedom fighters have mastered the conduct of warfare in their freedom struggle against Philippine colonialism.

In truth, Ustaj Khabier Malik has only proven true the legend of Maas Kamlon, the Tausug warrior, who with only fifty loyal followers, wiping out the entire battalion-size Philippine military Korean veteran Nenita unit sent to Sulu in the 1950s. The old Maas Kamlon was deceptively ensnared to surrender, jailed, pardoned by the Marcos regime and died of old age.



AFP GENOCIDAL ATROCITIES AGAINST COLONISED MUSLIM NATIVES NEVER END

The tragedy today of the burning of 10,160 houses, mosques and madrasah (learning centers) in the Muslim communities of Zamboanga City by combined AFP war machine has only highlighted again the pattern of genocidal war strategy conducted by Philippine colonialism against the Muslim and Animist Lumad natives of Mindanao. The genocidal strategy of "pulverizing" or burning of civilian community houses was the brainchild strategy of the first Zamboanga City-based South Western Command (SOWESCOM) chieftain, Commodore Jose Fernandez, who belittled the capacity of the MNLF freedom fighters to wage a liberation struggle from the beginning. At the instance of the first battle in Sulu between the colonial AFP occupation forces and MNLF Mujahidin, Commodore Fernandez issued out the tall order to pulverize Jolo island to end the war in one week. But the Philippines-Bangsamoro war in Jolo and throughout Mindanao did not end in one week. Instead the AFP-MNLF war has extended up to now.

Nonetheless, the destructive pulverization or burning pattern has been established that during the February 7, 1974 AFP-MNLF war in Jolo, the AFP soldiers mercilessly razed to the ground commercial buildings, civilian houses, mosque and Chinese temple in the town center to drive out the MNLF freedom fighters.

Thus, today, the AFP occupation soldiers have perpetrated the same war strategy by deliberately burning civilian houses, mosques and mini-stores in the Muslim communities of Campo Muslim, Sta. Barbara, Rio Hondo, Lustre and Mariki in order to dislodge the MNLF freedom fighters from the areas.

It is interesting to note that both Jolo and Zamboanga City burning incidents have revolved around a father and son Filipino military general in the service of Philippine colonialism.

While the Marcos/Bautista team figured in the burning of almost the entire Jolo town during the 1974 AFP-MNLF war, the Aquino/Baustista regime today is credited for burning the 10.160 houses and mosques of Muslim civilians. During the AFP-MNLF 1974 Jolo war, Brig. General T. Bautista, Sr. was with the First Infantry (Tabak) Division assigned mainly to handle the MNLF in Sulu. He was later in 1977 killed by the loyalist followers of the legendary MNLF mass leader Usman Salih. Today, General T. Bautista, Jr. (Emmanuel Bautista) is the AFP Chief-of-Staff, who has personally supervised the 20-day AFP-MNLF war in Zamboanga City together with President Benigno S. Aquino III for the first few days.

Indeed, this is one noted legacy that the Bautista father and son have contributed to the genocidal war in Mindanao.

20-DAY AFP-MNLF WAR AFTERMATH: WHERE IS USTAJ KHABIER MALIK?

Another interesting tale to the AFP-MNLF war in Zamboanga City was the mysterious whereabouts of Ustaj Khabier Malik whose sudden disappearance from the war zone literally silenced the heavy shooting war. It can be written in Bangsamoro history that he prominently figured in the almost three weeks ground battle that created chaos, humanitarian disaster and business haywire in the city inviting the attention of the United Nations (UN), Organization of Islamic Conference, European Union (EU), concerned humanitarian NGOs, Church groups and individual known peace advocates to morally intervene to end the war.

At the closing period of the 20-day strife, he raised the AFP-MNLF war into high level emotions when he mesmerized one and all with his call for parrang-sabil (martyrdom) on Friday (September 27, 2013). The call even elicited the cooperation of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement (BIFM) freedom fighters to bombard the electrical power base in Cotabato, setting three provinces in total darkness for days.

However, after inflicting another heavy casualty on the so-called AFP elite force that treacherously attacked the compulsory Friday prayer gathering led by Ustaj Khabier Malik, without knowing that MNLF fighters under Commander Tuan Aqsa were stationed in strategic positions safeguarding the praying group, the urgent Islamic call to peace reached him. As a Tausug warrior of peace and war, he submitted himself to the call of peace because of his formal education as a Muslim scholar and learned guru. He left the Zamboanga City war zone though with a pledge that if the peace call is again betrayed by war, he will surely be back in Zamboanga City or anywhere else in Mindanao to resume his sacred duty as a Bangsamoro freedom fighter.

http://mnlfnet.com/Articles/BYC_05Oct2013_Burning%20of%20Zambo%2010,000%20Houses.htm