‘Explosive’ year for Mindanao

From the Manila Bulletin (Dec 28): 2013: ‘Explosive’ year for Mindanao

(First Of Two Parts)

 

Literally, 2013 is a very “explosive” year for Mindanao after a series of explosions rocked the various parts of the island – which resulted in the killing many people, and destruction of millions of pesos worth of properties and infrastructure that left uncertainties in the minds of the people – particularly those in the remote areas of the country.

The first explosion happened in the evening of July 26 at the Rosario Arcade of the Limketkai Center in Cagayan de Oro City – venue of the physicians’ convention, with the participation of pharmaceutical salespeople.

The incident claimed the lives of eight persons, including Misamis Oriental Sangguniang Bayan Board Member Roldan Lagbas, doctors, and medical representatives from the cities of Manila, Iligan, and Zamboanga who were attending the conference. Some 40 others were wounded in the blast.

Intelligence report showed the group that planted the bomb in Cagayan de Oro was a combination of old members and new recruits of a new group called Khilafa Islamiya Mindanao (KIM). Older members of the group with records at the police intelligence gallery have been positively identified to have participated in planning the attack.

After 10 days or on August 5, another explosion occurred on a busy street in Cotabato City. This time, a car bomb went off in the center of the city, killing eight people, and wounding 26 others. The explosive device was placed inside a vehicle parked near a hospital and a school.

When the explosive device went off, two other vehicles were hit, including the bulletproof vehicle of City Administrator Cynthia Gulani-Sayadi, which was just passing by.

Sayadi escaped unhurt, but her two bodyguards in a separate vehicle were hit, killing them both.

Prior to the Sinsuat explosion, a restaurant manager also died while four others were wounded when two bombs exploded in two separate incidents that happened on July 11.

Authorities identified the fatality as Reynaldo Pascua, manager of Café Florencio. He died while being treated at the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center here due to multiple shrapnel wounds.

Before the bombing incident at the café, another explosion occurred at a vacant lot on Manara Street. However, no one was killed or hurt in the blast.

The twin blasts happened a day after two powerful bombs exploded under the Magaslong Bridge in Datu Piang, Maguindanao.

Also, on July 29, an improvised explosive device (IED) went off inside the University of Southern Mindanao Campus in North Cotabato.

Other incidents that also marked the headlines in Mindanao include a motorcycle bombing on July 2 in Lamitan, Basilan.

Army Colonel Carlito Galvez reported that the explosion resulted in the killing of a militant, Reynald Sapilin, and destroyed his motorcycle.

He said that Sapilin may have sought to detonate the explosive in either Lamitan or nearby Isabela but was restricted to move around due to the presence of military checkpoints on the island that has the active presence of the Abu Sayyaf Group.

Then on September 23 in Midsayap town, North Cotabato, some 150 militants launched an offensive against government troops.

A number of civilians, including public school teachers, were initially reported to have been used by the attackers as human shields, but were eventually later released.

The Philippine National Police Public Information Office later issued a statement indicating that these civilians were not taken hostage but were trapped during the clash between the attackers and government security forces.

Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) spokesperson Abu Missry Mama claimed responsibility for the attacks, where a farmer was reported to have been beheaded by suspected members of the militant group, while another civilian was shot dead.

Last September, many people died and thousands of homes were razed to the ground due to the standoff between government troops and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels loyal to founding chairman Nur Misuari.

The Rogue MNLF Elements (RME) under the Sulu State Revolutionary Command (SSRC) led by Ustadz Habier Malik and Khaid Ajibon, whose group continues to recognize Misuari as the MNLF chairman, entered Zamboanga City on September 9, 2013, purportedly to raise the MNLF flag of the self-proclaimed Bangsamoro Republik at the City Hall.

It had earlier declared its independence last August 12, in Talipao, Sulu, where a rally was also conducted.

But the supposed flag-raising incident turned out bloody as the rebels engaged authorities in a firefight, extending to the six villages of Zamboanga City – Mariki, Rio Hondo, Sta. Barbara, Sta. Catalina, Kasanyanagan, and Talon-Talon.

The standoff lasted for three weeks, marked sporadic fighting, as the military engaged the MNLF rebels in a “close quarter battle.”

Residential houses, buildings and other structures had been destroyed by a series of fire incidents.

Misuari signed a peace accord with Manila in 1996, but the rebels accused the government of violating parts of the agreement.

The Zamboanga standoff apparently transpired after the attacking group felt excluded from new negotiations between the Philippine government and a rival faction, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which separated from the MNLF in 1978.

http://www.mb.com.ph/2013-explosive-year-for-mindanao/