Fearing a future threat to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front with the establishment of a Bangsamoro substate, the MILF wants the Philippine military to kill the Muslim rebels, telling the Philippine Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to finish off the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which armed group is now the subject of deliberate operations in Maguindanao, apparently to avert its breakaway group from posing an armed threat in the future.
Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division (ID), said that government security forces continue to pursue BIFF elements in the towns of Shariff Saydona Mustapha and Datu Piang yesterday.
Sporadic clashes are still erupting in the said areas between military troops and BIFF.
So far, 40 BIFF rebels and one soldier have been killed in the ongoing conflict in Maguindanao, according to the military, even when there are no cadavers to buttress its claim of the number of dead BIFF rebels.
BIFF’s Umbra Kato debunked the military claim, saying that only two of its fighters have been killed.
Ironically, the MILF rebels then, along with the BIFF, before the BIFF cut off from the MILF, and before the MILF cut off its ties with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNL), also took the very same position as the BIFF today, killing soldiers and even beheading them.
“There will be no let up, we will not stop because that is the request of the MILF – to stop BIFF, so that they (MILF) will have no problem later on,” said Hermoso.
Hermoso said that there were reports that many BIFF members were also wounded and urged them to coordinate with barangay officials to seek proper medical attention.
“There are many wounded and we encourage the BIFF to coordinate with local officials, barangay officials to have proper medical attention…as humanitarian consideration because they are fellow Filipinos,” said Hermoso.
There have been “sporadic (clashes) because they (BIFF rebels) splintered into smaller groups,” said Hermoso.
According to Hermoso, the military is not deploying fresh troops to Maguindanao to augment the Army’s 601st Brigade which is leading the deliberate law enforcement operations against the BIFF.
Hermoso said that three Army battalions are involved in the operations.
Prior to the signing of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement (FPA) between the administration of then President Ramos and MNLF chaired by Nur Misuari, the MILF was formed by Hashim Salamat, who clamored for an independent Islamic state in
This was the reason for the break with Misuari, which breakaway group formed itself into the MILF.
The MILF, now headed by Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, had just signed the normalization annex, the last contentious issue under the Framework Agreement on Bangsamoro (FAB) which will pave the way for the comprehensive compact agreement between the MILF and the government of the
In 2011, Ustadz Ameril Umbra Kato broke away from the MILF due to differences with the MILF leadership in handling the peace negotiations. Kato is known as a hardliner clamoring for an independent Islamic state in
The MNLF) yesterday scored the military’s deliberate operations against the BIFF which came immediately after the government of the
Lawyer Emmanuel Fontanilla, spokesman of MNLF, noted that while the government and the MILF urged the entire country to celebrate with the signing of the normalization annex of the FAB last Saturday, it was followed by massive military operations in Maguindanao.
“We were surprised that immediately after the signing, the government resorted again to violence. This is very saddening,” Fontanilla told The Tribune.
“I thought the government is for peace, why launch such operations? Is this the government’s message to the MNLF if we do not support the peace talks, are we going to be subjected to similar action?” he asked.
The government and MILF peace panels signed the normalization annex of FAB last Saturday in
Immediately on Monday, the military launched its so-called deliberate law enforcement operations against BIFF personalities who have standing warrants of arrest.
The military, however, could not identify specifically the targets of the ongoing operations.
Fontanilla warned that such government move will only bring about conflict in
“That (ongoing fighting) will only expand. It could escalate into government versus Muslim because our Muslim brothers, when attacked just like what is happening, will rally behind relatives regardless of group affiliation,” said Fontanilla.
“There will be no MNLF, MILF or BIFF, our Muslim brothers will fight for our brothers,” he added.
Fontanilla stressed that the MNLF, which signed a Final Peace Agreement with the government in 1996, has no official relations with the BIFF, a breakaway faction of the MILF founded by Ustadz Ameril Umbra Kato in 2011.
However, Fontanilla said that there are MNLF members related with BIFF fighters.
The MNLF spokesman likened the present government moves in Maguindanao to what happened in Zamboanga City last September when government security forces engaged MNLF fighters in a 21-day conflict,
Meanwhile, the success of the peace agreement between the government and the MILF could either end in war or peace including the eradication of the Abu Sayyaf.
This was the position of former Armed Forces Chief of Staff, now Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon even as he called on the government to expedite the required measures that would implement the accord.
“If everything fails, there is only one alternative, wage war,” warned Biazon.
War will be the inevitable result of a failure by government to execute the provisions of the peace pact with the MILF while the annihilation of Abu Sayyaf and other terror groups in
Biazon, a member of the administration Liberal Party, posited that an ad hoc legislative committee is needed to expedite measures needed in the implementation of the accord.
Biazon, chairman of the House committee on national defense, admitted that there will be constitutional issues that might be brought before the Supreme Court which may rule for or against any enacted measures that will seal the peace treaty.
The Aquino government is expected to ask Congress to approve a bill that will amend existing laws or repeal Republic Act No. 6734 or the organic act that created ARMM.
“There are annexes to the treaty that might touch on constitutional provisions but we can avoid amending the Constitution. There are ways to avoid it,” he said.
Biazon, however, underscored the importance of the peace agreement that is anchored on the Constitution.
Aside from the Abu Sayyaf, the problem of the BIFF could also be solved with a peace agreement.
Biazon admitted that there is a need to amend the law creating the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as a requisite move for the creation of the Bangsamoro entity.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/milf-to-afp-kill-all-the-biff-rebels
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