From Rappler (Sep 14): Gazmin: No Zamboanga ceasefire
Fighting continues on Day 6 of the Zamboanga crisis despite Vice President Jejomar Binay's announcement on Friday, September 13, that the government and a rebel group's leader have agreed on a ceasefire.
In a Twitter post of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday morning, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin denied there was a ceasefire.
"It (ceasefire) has never been implemented. Firing continues until now," Gazmin said, according to @TeamAFP.
He added: "Ceasefire has never been implemented in the first place. We'll take all steps to prevent any bloody confrontation."
In an interview on ANC, Gazmin said, "When I talked to the Vice President, he said he can reach out to Misuari and that would I agree to a ceasefire. I said only when [the MNLF] can implement the ceasefire — meaning we will only stop firing, the Armed Forces [of the Philippines] will stop firing only when they stop firing. That's the essence of the ceasefire."
"They are firing up to now as we speak," Gazmin told ANC. He likewise denied having spoken with Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founder Nur Misuari.
AFP spokesman Lt Gen Ramon Zagala told Rappler in an interview, "We continue our calibrated operations because the Misuari faction continues their attacks and they endanger the lives of civilians. They continue to burn houses so we responded accordingly."
Zagala also said he believes there was discussion of a ceasefire between Gazmin and Misuari and that Gazmin said he was open to it "for as long as the Misuari faction stop their attacks. Unfortunately they haven't stopped their attacks so while they continue their attacks, we will continue to safeguard not only our troops but also our civilians so we continue our calibrated operations."
[Video: Lt Col Ramon Zagala on 'ceasefire' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L30IDG0gn-c]
Casualties
Zagala told AFP the rebels had suffered 43 fatalities and 19 others had surrendered or been captured, meaning they have lost about a third of the estimated 180 gunmen who infiltrated 6 coastal districts of Zamboanga early Monday.
Five soldiers and policemen and 4 civilians have also been killed, while 46 members of the security forces and 24 civilians had been wounded, Zagala said.
Local officials said 24,000 people have fled their homes.
About 3,000 elite troops are now advancing on MNLF positions, Zagala said, describing the military's gains as "substantial" while refusing to say which areas had been retaken by security forces.
"To stop the destruction we have to move forward. After that we don't move back," he told AFP.
In a bulletin released to the media, Zagala said he estimates there are only 100 MNLF rebels left. From 50-100 hostages remain, he added.
Zagala refused to confirm reports that MNLF commander Habier Malik is dead. He said he cannot disclose "operational data."
Agreement
Binay earlier said he spoke with Misuari and Gazmin over the phone at about 11 pm Friday, September 13, and that the two agreed to a suspension of fighting.
His spokesman Joey Salgado was quoted in an AFP story as saying, "He (Binay) talked to (rebel leader Nur) Misuari and he talked to (Defense Secretary Voltaire) Gazmin, and they agreed to discuss a ceasefire."
The Vice President was quoted as saying on Friday, “What is important is that this evening, the agreement between the two parties is a ceasefire tonight and I will arrive there in Zamboanga tomorrow morning to talk about the mechanics of a peaceful settlement.”
Binay refused to give details on how talks for the ceasefire began and who initiated them, citing the sensitivity of the matter. As it turns out, he and Misuari were classmates at the University of the Philippines. They were together and even seatmates in a political science class.
At 7:20 am, an exchange of gunfire was reported at the inner portion of Sta Catalina, a report from PNP Region 9 said. This stopped at 8 am.
Misuari
Misuari's MNLF had waged a 25-year guerrilla war for independence in the country's south before signing a peace treaty in 1996 that granted the Muslim minority limited self-rule.
He disappeared from public view when the MNLF launched the attack on Zamboanga on Monday and has accused the government of violating the terms of the 1996 treaty by negotiating a separate peace deal with a rival faction.
That faction, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), is in the final stages of peace talks with Manila and is expected to take over an expanded autonomous Muslim region in the south by 2016.
President Benigno Aquino III, who visited Zamboanga on Friday, said the talks aim to end decades of rebellion that had claimed 150,000 lives in the country's Muslim southern regions.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/38883-gazmin-no-zamboanga-ceasefire-deal
Friday, September 13, 2013
Obama to visit Philippines, meet with PNoy, in October
From InterAksyon (Sep 14): Obama to visit Philippines, meet with PNoy, in October
US President Barack Obama will visit the Philippines in October, the White House said in a statement posted on Friday in Washington, DC. The schedule of President Obama's visit to the Philippines - his first - was subsequently acknowledged and announced by Philippine presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
The statement attributed to the office of the US Press Secretary said Obama will "travel to Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines from October 6 to 12 as part of his ongoing commitment to increase US political, economic and security engagement with the Asia Pacific."
His itinerary will apparently follow the order of countries as stated in the release, with Indonesia being the first stop, and the Philippines coming on the last leg.
"In Indonesia, (President Obama) will attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders meeting," the White House said. "On the margins of the APEC meeting, the President will host a meeting of Leaders of the Trans-Pacific Partnership countries. He will also meet with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to reaffirm our close bilateral ties and celebrate the third year of our Comprehensive Partnership."
Obama will then travel to Brunei for the US-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS) and to meet with the Sultan of Brunei. Next stop will be Malaysia where he will deliver the keynote address to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.
Finally, "the President will then travel to the Philippines, the fifth Asian treaty ally he has visited during his presidency. He will meet with President Aquino to reaffirm the strong economic, people-to-people, and security links between our two countries."
Obama's trip to the Philippines will also be backdropped by Manila's efforts to strengthen military ties and agreements with Washington, in the face of a more aggressive Chinese presence in the region.
The Philippines and the United States are in the middle of negotiations to increase the "rotational presence" of American military personnel, aircraft and ships in the islands, and allow these to temporarily pass through the Philippines, as Washington refocuses its attention on Asia.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said after a visit to the Philippines last month that the two sides were moving towards completing a framework agreement. Filipino officials have earlier expressed optimism the talks would be finalized this year.
This has been a sensitive point for Filipino militants who are accusing both governments of conspiring to reestablish de facto US bases in the country.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/70676/obama-to-visit-philippines-meet-with-pnoy-in-october
US President Barack Obama will visit the Philippines in October, the White House said in a statement posted on Friday in Washington, DC. The schedule of President Obama's visit to the Philippines - his first - was subsequently acknowledged and announced by Philippine presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.
The statement attributed to the office of the US Press Secretary said Obama will "travel to Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines from October 6 to 12 as part of his ongoing commitment to increase US political, economic and security engagement with the Asia Pacific."
His itinerary will apparently follow the order of countries as stated in the release, with Indonesia being the first stop, and the Philippines coming on the last leg.
"In Indonesia, (President Obama) will attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders meeting," the White House said. "On the margins of the APEC meeting, the President will host a meeting of Leaders of the Trans-Pacific Partnership countries. He will also meet with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to reaffirm our close bilateral ties and celebrate the third year of our Comprehensive Partnership."
Obama will then travel to Brunei for the US-ASEAN Summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS) and to meet with the Sultan of Brunei. Next stop will be Malaysia where he will deliver the keynote address to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit.
Finally, "the President will then travel to the Philippines, the fifth Asian treaty ally he has visited during his presidency. He will meet with President Aquino to reaffirm the strong economic, people-to-people, and security links between our two countries."
Obama's trip to the Philippines will also be backdropped by Manila's efforts to strengthen military ties and agreements with Washington, in the face of a more aggressive Chinese presence in the region.
The Philippines and the United States are in the middle of negotiations to increase the "rotational presence" of American military personnel, aircraft and ships in the islands, and allow these to temporarily pass through the Philippines, as Washington refocuses its attention on Asia.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said after a visit to the Philippines last month that the two sides were moving towards completing a framework agreement. Filipino officials have earlier expressed optimism the talks would be finalized this year.
This has been a sensitive point for Filipino militants who are accusing both governments of conspiring to reestablish de facto US bases in the country.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/70676/obama-to-visit-philippines-meet-with-pnoy-in-october
AFP: 'As of now we have no ceasefire'; Binay flying to Zamboanga
From InterAksyon (Sep 14): AFP: 'As of now we have no ceasefire'; Binay flying to Zamboanga
Vice President Jejomar Binay is to travel to Zamboanga City on Saturday in a bid to broker a truce with MNLF rebels holding scores of civilian hostages while locked in a deadly stand-off with government forces.
A spokesman for the vice president said Binay had talked to the leader of the rebels in the port city after five days of heavy fighting that have left 52 people dead and 70 wounded and had proposed a ceasefire that would come into effect at midnight on Saturday.
"He (Binay) talked to (rebel leader Nur) Misuari and he talked to (Defence Secretary Voltaire) Gazmin, and they agreed to discuss a ceasefire," the vice president's spokesman Joey Salgado told Agence France-Presse early Saturday.
Salgado said the vice president would visit Zamboanga to discuss the details of his plan with the defense secretary and representatives of the Moro National Liberation Front.
Media reports had it that the truce was supposed to have taken effect as early as midnight Friday but there was no sign of a ceasefire in the city of nearly one million people on Saturday.
Local officials said Binay had not yet arrived.
Government forces on Saturday renewed their assault on Nur Misuari's armed MNLF followers as the reported ceasefire appeared to have been broken by the rebels just a few hours after its announcement by Binay. Mortar launches and the sound of gunfire were reported in the city, which has now been shut down for almost a week.
"Much as we would welcome a ceasefire, Misuari's forces have not stopped firing at our soldiers and civilians," Sec. Ricky Carandang of President Aquino's communications bureau said on Twitter.
The Twitter account of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, meanwhile, in a post at 8:53 a.m. Saturday, quoted Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin as saying that the ceasefire agreement "has never been implemented. Firing continues until now."
Defense Secretary Gazmin, who is in Zamboanga, said security forces were continuing efforts to free the hostages held by the MNLF in several coastal districts, where they have also set fire to many homes.
During an interview with ABS-CBN television he insisted that any truce was dependent on a ceasefire from the rebels, who "are firing as we speak".
Misuari's MNLF had waged a 25-year guerrilla war for independence in the country's south before signing a peace treaty in 1996 that granted the Muslim minority limited self-rule.
He disappeared from public view when the MNLF launched the attack on Zamboanga on Monday and has accused the government of violating the terms of the 1996 treaty by negotiating a separate peace deal with a rival faction.
That faction, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), is in the final stages of peace talks with Manila and is expected to take over an expanded autonomous Muslim region in the south by 2016.
President Benigno Aquino, who visited Zamboanga on Friday, said the talks aim to end decades of rebellion that had claimed 150,000 lives in the country's Muslim southern regions.
Armed forces spokesman Lieutenant-General Ramon Zagala told AFP that gunfights were continuing in several districts of Zamboanga city early Saturday.
"As of now we have no ceasefire," he said.
"We continue to conduct offensives to prevent them from further endangering the lives of the civilian population and destroying property."
He said the rebels had suffered 43 fatalities and 19 others had surrendered or been captured, meaning they have lost about a third of the estimated 180 gunmen who infiltrated six coastal districts of Zamboanga early Monday.
Five soldiers and policemen and four civilians have also been killed, while 46 members of the security forces and 24 civilians had been wounded, Zagala said.
Local officials said 24,000 people have fled their homes.
About 3,000 elite troops are now advancing on MNLF positions, Zagala said, describing the military's gains as "substantial" while refusing to say which areas had been retaken by security forces.
"To stop the destruction we have to move forward. After that we don't move back," he said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/70693/afp-as-of-now-we-have-no-ceasefire-binay-flying-to-zamboanga
Vice President Jejomar Binay is to travel to Zamboanga City on Saturday in a bid to broker a truce with MNLF rebels holding scores of civilian hostages while locked in a deadly stand-off with government forces.
A spokesman for the vice president said Binay had talked to the leader of the rebels in the port city after five days of heavy fighting that have left 52 people dead and 70 wounded and had proposed a ceasefire that would come into effect at midnight on Saturday.
"He (Binay) talked to (rebel leader Nur) Misuari and he talked to (Defence Secretary Voltaire) Gazmin, and they agreed to discuss a ceasefire," the vice president's spokesman Joey Salgado told Agence France-Presse early Saturday.
Salgado said the vice president would visit Zamboanga to discuss the details of his plan with the defense secretary and representatives of the Moro National Liberation Front.
Media reports had it that the truce was supposed to have taken effect as early as midnight Friday but there was no sign of a ceasefire in the city of nearly one million people on Saturday.
Local officials said Binay had not yet arrived.
Government forces on Saturday renewed their assault on Nur Misuari's armed MNLF followers as the reported ceasefire appeared to have been broken by the rebels just a few hours after its announcement by Binay. Mortar launches and the sound of gunfire were reported in the city, which has now been shut down for almost a week.
"Much as we would welcome a ceasefire, Misuari's forces have not stopped firing at our soldiers and civilians," Sec. Ricky Carandang of President Aquino's communications bureau said on Twitter.
The Twitter account of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, meanwhile, in a post at 8:53 a.m. Saturday, quoted Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin as saying that the ceasefire agreement "has never been implemented. Firing continues until now."
Defense Secretary Gazmin, who is in Zamboanga, said security forces were continuing efforts to free the hostages held by the MNLF in several coastal districts, where they have also set fire to many homes.
During an interview with ABS-CBN television he insisted that any truce was dependent on a ceasefire from the rebels, who "are firing as we speak".
Misuari's MNLF had waged a 25-year guerrilla war for independence in the country's south before signing a peace treaty in 1996 that granted the Muslim minority limited self-rule.
He disappeared from public view when the MNLF launched the attack on Zamboanga on Monday and has accused the government of violating the terms of the 1996 treaty by negotiating a separate peace deal with a rival faction.
That faction, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), is in the final stages of peace talks with Manila and is expected to take over an expanded autonomous Muslim region in the south by 2016.
President Benigno Aquino, who visited Zamboanga on Friday, said the talks aim to end decades of rebellion that had claimed 150,000 lives in the country's Muslim southern regions.
Armed forces spokesman Lieutenant-General Ramon Zagala told AFP that gunfights were continuing in several districts of Zamboanga city early Saturday.
"As of now we have no ceasefire," he said.
"We continue to conduct offensives to prevent them from further endangering the lives of the civilian population and destroying property."
He said the rebels had suffered 43 fatalities and 19 others had surrendered or been captured, meaning they have lost about a third of the estimated 180 gunmen who infiltrated six coastal districts of Zamboanga early Monday.
Five soldiers and policemen and four civilians have also been killed, while 46 members of the security forces and 24 civilians had been wounded, Zagala said.
Local officials said 24,000 people have fled their homes.
About 3,000 elite troops are now advancing on MNLF positions, Zagala said, describing the military's gains as "substantial" while refusing to say which areas had been retaken by security forces.
"To stop the destruction we have to move forward. After that we don't move back," he said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/70693/afp-as-of-now-we-have-no-ceasefire-binay-flying-to-zamboanga
'Ceasefire' in Zamboanga doesn't last the night; 49 killed as MNLF, AFP renew hostilities
From InterAksyon (Sep 14): 'Ceasefire' in Zamboanga doesn't last the night; 49 killed as MNLF, AFP renew hostilities
Government forces on Saturday renewed their assault on Nur Misuari's armed MNLF followers in Zamboanga as a reported ceasefire agreement appeared to have been broken by the rebels just a few hours after its announcement by Vice President Jejomar Binay. Mortar launches and the sound of gunfire were reported in the city, which has now been shut down for almost a week.
"Much as we would welcome a ceasefire, Misuari's forces have not stopped firing at our soldiers and civilians," Sec. Ricky Carandang of President Aquino's communications bureau said on Twitter.
The Twitter account of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, meanwhile, in a post at 8:53 a.m. Saturday, quoted Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin as saying that the ceasefire agreement "has never been implemented. Firing continues until now."
The head of the Zamboanga Crisis Management Committee (CMC), City Mayor Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, reportedly gave the green-light to start assaulting MNLF positions after the rebels supposedly fired mortars towards civilian positions.
"To all barangay officials help defend your communities and coordinate with the police and military. Set-up early warning system and report sightings," Climaco Salazar ordered. "I want it finished today. We do not want them to get out scot-free. We do not want them to leave with a free pass."
According to Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, head of the miltiary's public affairs office, the military's first salvo killed at least 23 MNLF rebels. By 7 a.m. of Saturday, Zagala said a total of 43 MNLF rebels had been killed. Another 19 had either surrendered or had been captured.
"We call on the public to stay out of the danger zone," Zagala said as more troops were storming MNLF positions. On the government side, he said 5 soldiers were killed and 46 others were wounded.
Before the assault, Vice President Binay announced that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Misuari had agreed to a ceasefire to pave the way for negotiations.
MNLF forces were reportedly demanding a safe passage back to their original positions. But while both parties were preparing for negotiations, MNLF forces were reported to have fired mortars on government and civilian positions.
On Friday, President Benigno Aquino III rushed to the city to personally assess the situation. He was met there by Gazmin, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, Interior Sec. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, among others.
On September 9, MNLF forces led by their commander, Habier Malik, attacked Zamboanga by assaulting the Barangays of Sta. Catalina, Sta. Barbara, Riohondo, Talontalon, and Mampang.
The rebels took civilian hostages as "human shields" from advancing government forces.
Spokesmen for Misuari, lawyer Emmanuel Fontanilla and Absalum Cerveza, said their men are in Zamboanga to wage a "war for independence".
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/70688/ceasefire-in-zamboanga-doesnt-last-the-night-49-killed-as-mnlf-afp-renew-hostilities
Government forces on Saturday renewed their assault on Nur Misuari's armed MNLF followers in Zamboanga as a reported ceasefire agreement appeared to have been broken by the rebels just a few hours after its announcement by Vice President Jejomar Binay. Mortar launches and the sound of gunfire were reported in the city, which has now been shut down for almost a week.
"Much as we would welcome a ceasefire, Misuari's forces have not stopped firing at our soldiers and civilians," Sec. Ricky Carandang of President Aquino's communications bureau said on Twitter.
The Twitter account of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, meanwhile, in a post at 8:53 a.m. Saturday, quoted Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin as saying that the ceasefire agreement "has never been implemented. Firing continues until now."
The head of the Zamboanga Crisis Management Committee (CMC), City Mayor Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, reportedly gave the green-light to start assaulting MNLF positions after the rebels supposedly fired mortars towards civilian positions.
"To all barangay officials help defend your communities and coordinate with the police and military. Set-up early warning system and report sightings," Climaco Salazar ordered. "I want it finished today. We do not want them to get out scot-free. We do not want them to leave with a free pass."
According to Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, head of the miltiary's public affairs office, the military's first salvo killed at least 23 MNLF rebels. By 7 a.m. of Saturday, Zagala said a total of 43 MNLF rebels had been killed. Another 19 had either surrendered or had been captured.
"We call on the public to stay out of the danger zone," Zagala said as more troops were storming MNLF positions. On the government side, he said 5 soldiers were killed and 46 others were wounded.
Before the assault, Vice President Binay announced that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Misuari had agreed to a ceasefire to pave the way for negotiations.
MNLF forces were reportedly demanding a safe passage back to their original positions. But while both parties were preparing for negotiations, MNLF forces were reported to have fired mortars on government and civilian positions.
On Friday, President Benigno Aquino III rushed to the city to personally assess the situation. He was met there by Gazmin, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, Interior Sec. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, among others.
On September 9, MNLF forces led by their commander, Habier Malik, attacked Zamboanga by assaulting the Barangays of Sta. Catalina, Sta. Barbara, Riohondo, Talontalon, and Mampang.
The rebels took civilian hostages as "human shields" from advancing government forces.
Spokesmen for Misuari, lawyer Emmanuel Fontanilla and Absalum Cerveza, said their men are in Zamboanga to wage a "war for independence".
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/70688/ceasefire-in-zamboanga-doesnt-last-the-night-49-killed-as-mnlf-afp-renew-hostilities
Philippine negotiations to free hostages fail
From the Mindanao Examiner blog site (Sep 14): Philippine negotiations to free hostages fail
.jpg)
MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari, right, and his trusted lieutenant Ustadz Haber Malik during a plenum this year in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner)
Government negotiations to free nearly 200 civilian hostages being held by rebels in Zamboanga City have failed and heavy clashes on Friday erupted as security forces launched a deadly assault.
Troops, backed by armoured vehicles, assaulted positions being held by Moro National Liberation Front rebels in the villages of Santa Barbara and Santa Catalina. The fighting left at least two dozen people dead and many others wounded.
A mortar projectile fired by rebels also exploded outside a hospital wounding several Red Cross workers and civilian volunteers. Television journalists and news photographers covering the siege, which began on September 9, narrowly escaped the explosion.
The military said troops are fighting about 400 MNLF rebels headed by Ustadz Haber Malik who landed in coastal villages here and launched simultaneous attacks.
The Zamboanga City Council has passed and approved a resolution abiding by whatever decision President Benigno Aquino takes to resolve the crisis which is now entering its 6th day. This after the negotiations to free the hostages failed.
“Whereas, negotiations have been conducted by the Crisis Management Committee for the safe release of hostages and to end the armed conflict between the breakaway MNLF group of Nur Misuari and the government forces; WHEREAS, after a series of negotiations with the breakaway MNLF group of Nur Misuari, the peaceful means to end the hostage crisis and armed conflict failed.”
“Resolved, as it hereby resolves, to abide by the decision of His Excellency, Benigno S. Aquino III, on what action to be taken regarding the resolution of this crisis,” the resolution reads.
The City Council also approved another ordinance implementing the forced evacuation of civilians in the villages of Rio Hondo, Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, Talon-Talon and Mampang - five days after the rebels attacked Zamboanga.
President Benigno Aquino also arrived Friday in Zamboanga to personally assess the situation. He was briefed by security officials about the worsening situation in Zamboanga and he later spoke to soldiers and distributed boxes of chocolate bars.
Aquino said authorities are gathering enough evidence to file criminal against those behind the violence in Zamboanga. The military blamed Misuari for the violence and Manila issued an ultimatum to rebels to end the fighting in Zamboanga, saying the government is prepared to exercise its resolve by using force.
MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari, who is now in hiding, has repeatedly accused Manila of reneging on a 1996 peace deal, an allegation strongly denied by the government. Under the peace agreement, Manila would have to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the south and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.
“While the government is exhausting all avenues for a peaceful resolution to the situation, let it be clear to those defying us that they should not entertain the illusion that the state will hesitate to use its forces to protect our people. Instead, it is time for you to cooperate to resolve this situation peacefully at the soonest possible time,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
This is the second attack staged by Misuari’s loyal followers in the last decade. In 2001, MNLF fighters also attacked a military base in Zamboanga City and another in Sulu province in an effort to stop the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, to which Misuari was governor.
Misuari, who wanted to become “perpetual governor,” maintained that the autonomous region was created as part of a peace deal the MNLF signed with Manila. Misuari escaped to Malaysia following the failed rebellion, but he was arrested there and deported to the Philippines and jailed. He was eventually freed after he allegedly agreed to a deal to support President Gloria Arroyo’s election bid and her allies in the Senate and Congress in 2004.
The former Libyan firebrand was also removed as MNLF chairman in a coup d'état staged by his senior commanders that made up the so-called Council of 15. The MNLF Central Committee named Muslimin Sema, the Front's Secretary General, as its new chairman, But Misuari did not recognize Sema as the legitimate ruler of the MNLF and insisted that he is still the leader.
Misuari had been criticized for his tough stance and his refusal to abide by the MNLF decision that catapulted Sema into power. The MNLF said Misuari is not interested in unity and neither is he interested in adopting a Charter (for the MNLF) that will govern the conduct and behavior of its members and set a clear direction to where the Front is heading.
“The worst thing that could happen to a ship full of passengers is to have a captain who is indifferent and hostile to them and does not have a compass by which to navigate the ship,” the MNLF said, adding, Misuari wanted a perpetual leadership with nothing to guide it and no one to question it.
But the Organization of Islamic Conference then was worried that the MNLF under Sema would further fragment the group and set back the efforts of the peace accord. The MNLF is a permanent observer to Muslim body now called Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Misuari had repeatedly announced that the peace deal he signed with the Manila is long dead and buried and that he named himself as President of the Bangsamoro Republik.
http://mindanaoexaminer.blogspot.com/2013/09/philippine-negotiations-to-free.html
.jpg)
MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari, right, and his trusted lieutenant Ustadz Haber Malik during a plenum this year in Sulu province. (Mindanao Examiner)
Government negotiations to free nearly 200 civilian hostages being held by rebels in Zamboanga City have failed and heavy clashes on Friday erupted as security forces launched a deadly assault.
Troops, backed by armoured vehicles, assaulted positions being held by Moro National Liberation Front rebels in the villages of Santa Barbara and Santa Catalina. The fighting left at least two dozen people dead and many others wounded.
A mortar projectile fired by rebels also exploded outside a hospital wounding several Red Cross workers and civilian volunteers. Television journalists and news photographers covering the siege, which began on September 9, narrowly escaped the explosion.
The military said troops are fighting about 400 MNLF rebels headed by Ustadz Haber Malik who landed in coastal villages here and launched simultaneous attacks.
The Zamboanga City Council has passed and approved a resolution abiding by whatever decision President Benigno Aquino takes to resolve the crisis which is now entering its 6th day. This after the negotiations to free the hostages failed.
“Whereas, negotiations have been conducted by the Crisis Management Committee for the safe release of hostages and to end the armed conflict between the breakaway MNLF group of Nur Misuari and the government forces; WHEREAS, after a series of negotiations with the breakaway MNLF group of Nur Misuari, the peaceful means to end the hostage crisis and armed conflict failed.”
“Resolved, as it hereby resolves, to abide by the decision of His Excellency, Benigno S. Aquino III, on what action to be taken regarding the resolution of this crisis,” the resolution reads.
The City Council also approved another ordinance implementing the forced evacuation of civilians in the villages of Rio Hondo, Santa Barbara, Santa Catalina, Talon-Talon and Mampang - five days after the rebels attacked Zamboanga.
President Benigno Aquino also arrived Friday in Zamboanga to personally assess the situation. He was briefed by security officials about the worsening situation in Zamboanga and he later spoke to soldiers and distributed boxes of chocolate bars.
Aquino said authorities are gathering enough evidence to file criminal against those behind the violence in Zamboanga. The military blamed Misuari for the violence and Manila issued an ultimatum to rebels to end the fighting in Zamboanga, saying the government is prepared to exercise its resolve by using force.
MNLF chieftain Nur Misuari, who is now in hiding, has repeatedly accused Manila of reneging on a 1996 peace deal, an allegation strongly denied by the government. Under the peace agreement, Manila would have to provide a mini-Marshal Plan to spur economic development in Muslim areas in the south and livelihood and housing assistance to tens of thousands of former rebels to uplift their poor living standards.
“While the government is exhausting all avenues for a peaceful resolution to the situation, let it be clear to those defying us that they should not entertain the illusion that the state will hesitate to use its forces to protect our people. Instead, it is time for you to cooperate to resolve this situation peacefully at the soonest possible time,” Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
This is the second attack staged by Misuari’s loyal followers in the last decade. In 2001, MNLF fighters also attacked a military base in Zamboanga City and another in Sulu province in an effort to stop the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, to which Misuari was governor.
Misuari, who wanted to become “perpetual governor,” maintained that the autonomous region was created as part of a peace deal the MNLF signed with Manila. Misuari escaped to Malaysia following the failed rebellion, but he was arrested there and deported to the Philippines and jailed. He was eventually freed after he allegedly agreed to a deal to support President Gloria Arroyo’s election bid and her allies in the Senate and Congress in 2004.
The former Libyan firebrand was also removed as MNLF chairman in a coup d'état staged by his senior commanders that made up the so-called Council of 15. The MNLF Central Committee named Muslimin Sema, the Front's Secretary General, as its new chairman, But Misuari did not recognize Sema as the legitimate ruler of the MNLF and insisted that he is still the leader.
Misuari had been criticized for his tough stance and his refusal to abide by the MNLF decision that catapulted Sema into power. The MNLF said Misuari is not interested in unity and neither is he interested in adopting a Charter (for the MNLF) that will govern the conduct and behavior of its members and set a clear direction to where the Front is heading.
“The worst thing that could happen to a ship full of passengers is to have a captain who is indifferent and hostile to them and does not have a compass by which to navigate the ship,” the MNLF said, adding, Misuari wanted a perpetual leadership with nothing to guide it and no one to question it.
But the Organization of Islamic Conference then was worried that the MNLF under Sema would further fragment the group and set back the efforts of the peace accord. The MNLF is a permanent observer to Muslim body now called Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Misuari had repeatedly announced that the peace deal he signed with the Manila is long dead and buried and that he named himself as President of the Bangsamoro Republik.
http://mindanaoexaminer.blogspot.com/2013/09/philippine-negotiations-to-free.html
Analyst: Isolation of Misuari in peace talks with MILF triggers unrest
From the Sun Star (Sep 10): Analyst: Isolation of Misuari in peace talks with MILF triggers unrest
The Aquino administration is on its way of signing a final peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) but MNLF founder Nur Misuari said they were not invited to the process.
Wadi said the incursion of MNLF troops in villages in Zamboanga City could
have been the strategy of MNLF founder Nur Misuari to call the attention of the
government. Misuari declared independence last month for Palawan, Zamboanga
Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Sabah in Malaysia.
In a statement, the Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID) said the
envisioned Bangsamoro region cannot be divided into MNLF and MILF
communities.
"It therefore stands to reason that the MILF and MNLF leadership must come
together to work for peace and development for the Bangsamoro," the group said.
The government belied Misuari's claims that it is bent on terminating the
agreement, which has been reviewed along with third-party facilitator Indonesia
since 2007.
"As far as the GPH (Government of the Philippines) is concerned, we are not
aware of any reason for them to claim that government has abandoned them. Our
aim has always been to complete the Tripartite Implementation Review so that we
can move forward with concrete actions towards the development of MNLF
communities, which we have already started," said Office of the Presidential
Adviser for the Peace Process Undersecretary Jose Lorena on August 17.
AN EXPERT in Muslim affairs said Tuesday the
government should have not left out the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in
its bid to seal a lasting peace in Mindanao.
The Aquino administration is on its way of signing a final peace deal with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) but MNLF founder Nur Misuari said they were not invited to the process.
Adding to MNLF's discontent, reports said, is the
government's alleged plan to abandon the 1996 Final Peace Agreement with the
group despite unfulfilled obligations.
"Why would you enter an agreement with a group
without informing or inviting those who can help in crafting a comprehensive
peace process? No group should be isolated," said Julkipli Wadi, dean of the
University of the Philippines Institute of Islamic Studies.
Sporadic firefights between the military and MNLF
members in Zamboanga have killed at least six people. Government work and
business activities in the city have also been affected.
Landmine becoming weapon of choice- AFP
From the Philippine Information Agency (Sep 10): Landmine becoming weapon of choice- AFP
The use of landmines in Davao Region appears to become a casual way of staging an offensive operation as the number of such incident has increased since year 2010 up to September, 2013 as reported by the Civil Military Operations of the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.
Reports from the CMO Battalion of the 10th ID monitored nine landmine incidents in each of the years 2010, 2011 and 2012.
From January to September this year, the CMO registered 15 landmine incidents, bringing to a total of 42 of such incidents since 2010 in the 10th ID area of responsibility alone.
The latest of which happened on September 03 in Sitio Lantawan, Brgy Napnapan, Pantukan, Compostella Valley Province at about 4:13 AM.
Seven members of the Peace and Development Program (PDOP) team of the 104th Division Recon Company (DRC) became victims of such landmine by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) as alleged by Major Jake Thaddeus Obligado, 10th ID CMO battalion commander.
Basing on medical examination, Obligado said shrapnel recovered revealed “the presence of bacteria and possibly a deadly toxin not usually found in steel rebars and nails used as shrapnel”
Camp Panacan Station Hospital surgeon Dr. Victor Dato identified the bacteria as Enterobacter Cloacae and Streptococcus Agalacteiae commonly found in the human intestine. The Communist Party of the Philippines, however, denied this.
In his presentation in a meeting last Friday, Obligado revealed that 99 became casualties of the 42 landmine incidents. Of the casualties, 89 were military elements and 10 were civilians. Among the government troop casualties, 79 were wounded and 10 were killed. Of the civilian casualties, four were wounded and 6 were killed.
Obligado also presented a wider landmine incidents monitoring report covering the Eastern Mindanao Command (East MinCom) AOR where a total of 378 military elements were registered casualties from 2010 to September, 2013. Same type of incident rendered 75 civilian casualties.
Of the government troop casualties, 101 were killed and 277 were wounded. Among the civilian casualties, 27 were killed and 48 were wounded.
The military looks at the use of landmine as “a gross violation” of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) as landmine attacks “endanger lives within 360 degrees radius; worst, it kills innocent civilians not just military.”
Basing on investigation of previous landmine incidents, Obligado noted that “NPAs emplace their landmines were civilians pass.”
CARHRIHL primer says in Part IV, Article 4, Sec 4 that “Civilian population and civilians shall be treated as such and shall be distinguished from combatants and, together with their property, shall not be the object of attack. They shall likewise be protected against indiscriminate aerial bombardment, strafing, artillery fire, mortar fire, arson, bulldozing and other similar forms of destroying lives and property, from the use of explosives as well as the stockpiling near or in their midst, and the use of chemical and biological weapons.”
In a press release , the Communist P art of the Philippines (CPP) says that “The seven AFP troops who were hurt in a bomb blast in Pantukan yesterday were hit by command-detonated explosives and not the falsely reported pressure-type bombs that are banned by international laws like the Ottawa Treaty.”
But Obligado says that CARHRIHL in Part III, Article 2, says that “This Agreement seeks to confront, remedy and prevent the most serious human rights violations in terms of civil and political rights, as well as to uphold, protect and promote the full scope of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including: “15. The right not to be subjected to forced evacuations, food and other forms of economic blockades and indiscriminate bombings, shelling, strafing, gunfire and the use of landmines.”
CAHRIHL was signed both by the Government of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front on March 16, 1998 in The Hague, The Netherlands.
http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1591378797251
The use of landmines in Davao Region appears to become a casual way of staging an offensive operation as the number of such incident has increased since year 2010 up to September, 2013 as reported by the Civil Military Operations of the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.
Reports from the CMO Battalion of the 10th ID monitored nine landmine incidents in each of the years 2010, 2011 and 2012.
From January to September this year, the CMO registered 15 landmine incidents, bringing to a total of 42 of such incidents since 2010 in the 10th ID area of responsibility alone.
The latest of which happened on September 03 in Sitio Lantawan, Brgy Napnapan, Pantukan, Compostella Valley Province at about 4:13 AM.
Seven members of the Peace and Development Program (PDOP) team of the 104th Division Recon Company (DRC) became victims of such landmine by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) as alleged by Major Jake Thaddeus Obligado, 10th ID CMO battalion commander.
Basing on medical examination, Obligado said shrapnel recovered revealed “the presence of bacteria and possibly a deadly toxin not usually found in steel rebars and nails used as shrapnel”
Camp Panacan Station Hospital surgeon Dr. Victor Dato identified the bacteria as Enterobacter Cloacae and Streptococcus Agalacteiae commonly found in the human intestine. The Communist Party of the Philippines, however, denied this.
In his presentation in a meeting last Friday, Obligado revealed that 99 became casualties of the 42 landmine incidents. Of the casualties, 89 were military elements and 10 were civilians. Among the government troop casualties, 79 were wounded and 10 were killed. Of the civilian casualties, four were wounded and 6 were killed.
Obligado also presented a wider landmine incidents monitoring report covering the Eastern Mindanao Command (East MinCom) AOR where a total of 378 military elements were registered casualties from 2010 to September, 2013. Same type of incident rendered 75 civilian casualties.
Of the government troop casualties, 101 were killed and 277 were wounded. Among the civilian casualties, 27 were killed and 48 were wounded.
The military looks at the use of landmine as “a gross violation” of the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) as landmine attacks “endanger lives within 360 degrees radius; worst, it kills innocent civilians not just military.”
Basing on investigation of previous landmine incidents, Obligado noted that “NPAs emplace their landmines were civilians pass.”
CARHRIHL primer says in Part IV, Article 4, Sec 4 that “Civilian population and civilians shall be treated as such and shall be distinguished from combatants and, together with their property, shall not be the object of attack. They shall likewise be protected against indiscriminate aerial bombardment, strafing, artillery fire, mortar fire, arson, bulldozing and other similar forms of destroying lives and property, from the use of explosives as well as the stockpiling near or in their midst, and the use of chemical and biological weapons.”
In a press release , the Communist P art of the Philippines (CPP) says that “The seven AFP troops who were hurt in a bomb blast in Pantukan yesterday were hit by command-detonated explosives and not the falsely reported pressure-type bombs that are banned by international laws like the Ottawa Treaty.”
But Obligado says that CARHRIHL in Part III, Article 2, says that “This Agreement seeks to confront, remedy and prevent the most serious human rights violations in terms of civil and political rights, as well as to uphold, protect and promote the full scope of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including: “15. The right not to be subjected to forced evacuations, food and other forms of economic blockades and indiscriminate bombings, shelling, strafing, gunfire and the use of landmines.”
CAHRIHL was signed both by the Government of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front on March 16, 1998 in The Hague, The Netherlands.
http://news.pia.gov.ph/index.php?article=1591378797251
'NPAs becoming more violent in NCotabato'
From the Philippine Star (Sep 9): 'NPAs becoming more violent in NCotabato'
The New People's Army has become more aggressive in collecting "protection money" from farming enclaves in the province and has resorted to violence to do so, officials said.
The New People's Army has become more aggressive in collecting "protection money" from farming enclaves in the province and has resorted to violence to do so, officials said.
NPA members belonging to the Guerilla Fronts 72 and 73 burned some P40- million worth of trucks, road-building equipment and a rubber processing plant in separate attacks in three towns in the province in a span of 34 days since August.
The atrocities caused panic among villagers in areas vulnerable to rebel attacks.
NPA rebels also set off more than a dozen powerful roadside bombs along stretches of a highway and farm-to-market roads in North Cotabato’s Magpet, Arakan and Tulunan towns in recent months, violating the ban on the use of such explosives that can recklessly kill or maim non-combatants.
Combat casualties
Officials of the Army’s 57th Infantry Battalion and the Philippine National Police cautioned the local communities in hinterland towns in the province against possible escalation of attacks by the NPAs, as villagers continue to refuse to give in to demands of rebel forces frequenting villages to collect food and money from farmers at gunpoint.
Highly-placed sources from the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, whose commander, Major Gen. Ariel Bernardo, was former assistant division commander of the 6th Infantry Division in nearby Maguindanao province, said there were reports about heavy NPA losses in recent encounters with government forces in the province, feared to trigger retaliations that can affect villagers.
1Lt. Nash Sema, 57th IB’s chief civil-military relations officer, said the 700 farm workers displaced by the NPA’s attack and burning more than a week ago of the multi-million processing plant of the Standard Rubber Development Corp. in Barangay Talun-Talunan in Makilala made the public more wary of the rebel group.
Police and Army Intelligence operatives and local community sources confirmed having received reports that six of the more than 30 NPAs that carried out the arson attack, apparently meant to intimidate owners of big rubber plantations in the municipality into paying “protection money,” were wounded in an encounter with pursuing soldiers two days later.
Sema said the information that six rebels were slightly wounded in the encounter when shoulder-fire 40 MM grenades landed near them. The information remains unconfirmed.
“We have been getting persistent feedback about that. The problem is these NPAs are known for their very strong tradition of hiding their losses. They bring with them their wounded and dead companions when they retreat after every encounter with the military,” Sema said.
Difficult, trying times
Local officials said the NPA attacks could have been the result of last year’s military campaign that drove the rebels from some of their enclaves.
Local folks had considerd the NPAs in decades past as “protector” and source of “swift justice” via its ruthless Kangaroo courts, which managed community peace and security concerns in far-flung impoverished areas where government was unable to administer.
“But that was long time ago. That was before, not anymore,” a town official said.
With a strained relationship with the people that provided sanctuary and supplied food in the past, living conditions in the hinterlands have become harsher for the rebels, according to former guerrillas that have availed themselves of the government’s reconciliation program.
One of these guerrillas is an ethnic Bilaan guerilla, who was seriously wounded in an encounter with combatants of the 57th IB early this year and was treated for free at the Camp Siongco Hospital of the 6th ID in Maguindanao, leading to his return to the fold of law.
Government socio-economic projects implemented in far-flung areas also helped improve the lives of villagers that now oppose the presence of NPAs in their enclaves, according to local officials.
“That could be the reason why the NPAs burned the heavy equipment of a private firm constructing an inland water impounding project for irrigation purposes in the municipality of Arakan last month. They don’t want any socio-economic empowerment of the local sectors,” said a local executive, who asked not to be identified for security reasons.
Local executives had branded as “crime against humanity” the burning of the rubber processing plant in Makilala, which left hundreds of farm workers jobless.
WikiLeaks cables: MNLF commander a 'bad seed'
From ABS-CBN (Sep 12): WikiLeaks cables: MNLF commander a 'bad seed'
Ustadz Habier Malik was described as a "rogue MNLF commander" by the US embassy in Manila in 2007 after rebels under his command launched mortar attacks and ground assaults that killed two Marines and a civilian in Jolo, according to cable 07MANILA1187 in the name of then Chargé d'Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission Paul W. Jones.
In retaliation to the attack, government troops overran two MNLF camps, including Camp Jabal Uhod.
The clashes displaced more than 8,400 families in the province.
At the height of the fighting, Malik made calls for all Muslims to join his "jihad" against the government.
He, however, failed to muster support from other MNLF commanders.
"They seem to be turning their backs on Malik, reflecting the desire of the local residents for peace, security, and development on Jolo," the cable said.
"Other MNLF leaders, including members of the Council of 15, have similarly distanced themselves from Malik," said another confidential cable, 07MANILA1231, that the US embassy sent in Jones' name.
With a P1-million bounty on his head, Malik went on the run while clashes continued between his followers and government security forces.
Jones, who is now US Ambassador to Malaysia, said in the memo to the US State Department that Malik was suspected of protecting members of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group and bandits in Jolo, while obstructing military operations against them.
Earlier in the same year, Malik held Armed Forces National Capital Region commander Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino and several other government officials hostage for two days to pressure the government to set new dates on tripartite talks to review implementation of the 1996 peace accord with the MNLF, according to a separate cable, 07MANILA407, written under the name of then Ambassador Kristie Kenney.
Misuari's 'hubris'
Misuari, who was then running for governor of Sulu while detained on charges of terrorism, stayed mum on Malik's activities.
"He has not publicly spoken on these events. While Malik has been one of his most vocal supporters, it would not appear that Malik's actions would help Nur Misuari in his candidacy for governor, and would likely instead alienate the voters who support the peace process," Jones' memo said.
The US embassy also had a less than positive view of Misuari himself when he returned to his separatist ways in 2001.
"Hubris has always been the prickly Misuari's biggest failing, and this has prompted him to try and revive his past glory as a tough leader of an armed separatist movement," said US embassy cable 01MANILA6761.
The memo also warned that the Philippine government repeatedly underestimated Misuari's "determination to continue to be a player" in Mindanao affairs.
The memo said despite Misuari's return to rebellion that year, he tried to assure Washington that he won't engage in terrorism.
Misuari sent an adviser and close confidante, a Protestant clergyman, to talk to the US embassy's political officer and relay his messages.
"He told us that Misuari has decided that there is no current hope that the [Philippine government] will truly honor its commitments to grant true autonomy to the Muslims. Since that is the case, Misuari has decided to go back to the hills and lead his rejuvenated MNLF faction in the only negotiation the [government] truly understands - armed warfare," the memo said.
The cable, however, said Misuari sent his messenger only because he was afraid of being a target by the US.
"Probably a wise move," it added.
More than a decade later, Misuari and Malik made headlines anew when their MNLF splinter group declared independence of Palawan, Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, and Sabah, during the rebel group's gathering in August 2013 in Indanan, Sulu.
Misuari has since disappeared from public eye while his top lieutenant was seen this week in Sta. Catalina, Zamboanga City, where hostages are being held by rebel troops that have attacked the port city.
The Armed Forces said Malik is the MNLF's overall ground commander in the Zamboanga City attack.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/09/11/13/wikileaks-cables-mnlf-commander-bad-seed
In this photo taken on August 12, 2013, Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) leader Nur Misuari (C), with Ustadz Habier Malik on the
left, addresses his armed followers in one of their camps in Indanan, Sulu, on
the southern island of Mindanao, following his declaration that he was breaking
away from the government because he believed they were sidelining his group. --
Reuters photo
Nur Misuari's most-trusted aide, who is among Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commanders leading the attack in Zamboanga City, is a "bad seed" in the rebel group, according to confidential US embassy cables published by anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.
In retaliation to the attack, government troops overran two MNLF camps, including Camp Jabal Uhod.
The clashes displaced more than 8,400 families in the province.
At the height of the fighting, Malik made calls for all Muslims to join his "jihad" against the government.
He, however, failed to muster support from other MNLF commanders.
"They seem to be turning their backs on Malik, reflecting the desire of the local residents for peace, security, and development on Jolo," the cable said.
"Other MNLF leaders, including members of the Council of 15, have similarly distanced themselves from Malik," said another confidential cable, 07MANILA1231, that the US embassy sent in Jones' name.
With a P1-million bounty on his head, Malik went on the run while clashes continued between his followers and government security forces.
Jones, who is now US Ambassador to Malaysia, said in the memo to the US State Department that Malik was suspected of protecting members of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group and bandits in Jolo, while obstructing military operations against them.
Earlier in the same year, Malik held Armed Forces National Capital Region commander Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino and several other government officials hostage for two days to pressure the government to set new dates on tripartite talks to review implementation of the 1996 peace accord with the MNLF, according to a separate cable, 07MANILA407, written under the name of then Ambassador Kristie Kenney.
Misuari's 'hubris'
Misuari, who was then running for governor of Sulu while detained on charges of terrorism, stayed mum on Malik's activities.
"He has not publicly spoken on these events. While Malik has been one of his most vocal supporters, it would not appear that Malik's actions would help Nur Misuari in his candidacy for governor, and would likely instead alienate the voters who support the peace process," Jones' memo said.
The US embassy also had a less than positive view of Misuari himself when he returned to his separatist ways in 2001.
"Hubris has always been the prickly Misuari's biggest failing, and this has prompted him to try and revive his past glory as a tough leader of an armed separatist movement," said US embassy cable 01MANILA6761.
The memo also warned that the Philippine government repeatedly underestimated Misuari's "determination to continue to be a player" in Mindanao affairs.
The memo said despite Misuari's return to rebellion that year, he tried to assure Washington that he won't engage in terrorism.
Misuari sent an adviser and close confidante, a Protestant clergyman, to talk to the US embassy's political officer and relay his messages.
"He told us that Misuari has decided that there is no current hope that the [Philippine government] will truly honor its commitments to grant true autonomy to the Muslims. Since that is the case, Misuari has decided to go back to the hills and lead his rejuvenated MNLF faction in the only negotiation the [government] truly understands - armed warfare," the memo said.
The cable, however, said Misuari sent his messenger only because he was afraid of being a target by the US.
"Probably a wise move," it added.
More than a decade later, Misuari and Malik made headlines anew when their MNLF splinter group declared independence of Palawan, Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-tawi, and Sabah, during the rebel group's gathering in August 2013 in Indanan, Sulu.
Misuari has since disappeared from public eye while his top lieutenant was seen this week in Sta. Catalina, Zamboanga City, where hostages are being held by rebel troops that have attacked the port city.
The Armed Forces said Malik is the MNLF's overall ground commander in the Zamboanga City attack.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/09/11/13/wikileaks-cables-mnlf-commander-bad-seed
BIFF warns N. Cotabato residents of attacks
From Rappler (Sep 12): BIFF warns N. Cotabato residents of attacks
As firefights between government forces and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members continue in Zamboanga City and Basilan, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) advised civilians living near military checkpoints and camps in Central Mindanao to temporarily leave their homes.
Abu Misry Mama, spokesman of the BIFF, hinted intensified attacks most especially in the province of North Cotabato. The BIFF is a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is holding peace negotiations with the Aquino government.
“The best thing that the civilians, who are living near military checkpoints, may do is to temporarily leave their homes to avoid getting caught in the crossfire most especially in North Cotabato,” Mama said.
He however clarified that any attacks launched by the BIFF is not related to the attacks of the MNLF.
“If we will attack, this will be because of our struggle and Jihad. It only coincided with the attacks of the MNLF,” Mama said.
Despite reports that the MNLF has created an alliance with the BIFF, Mama clarified that both groups have different frameworks in their Bangsamoro struggle.
“We both want independence, but the BIFF wants the implementation of Islamic governance,” Mama said.
Gov't securing area
“The BIFF wants an independent state governed by Islamic laws even if it will be only as small as a barangay,” Mama said.
Gov Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza gave assurances that government troops will secure the province from attacks.
"Government troops as well as other agencies are on the lookout in our area of responsibility. We do not take for granted any information that reached our office," Mendoza said.
"We do not want violence in our area. We appeal to civilians to be pro-active and vigilant as far as peace and order is concerned," Mendoza said.
Led by former 105th Base commander Ameril Umra Kato, the BIFF splintered from the MILF after serious disagreements over the decision of the MILF to enter into peace negotiations with the government.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/38738-north-cotabato-biff-warning-attacks
As firefights between government forces and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members continue in Zamboanga City and Basilan, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) advised civilians living near military checkpoints and camps in Central Mindanao to temporarily leave their homes.
Abu Misry Mama, spokesman of the BIFF, hinted intensified attacks most especially in the province of North Cotabato. The BIFF is a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is holding peace negotiations with the Aquino government.
“The best thing that the civilians, who are living near military checkpoints, may do is to temporarily leave their homes to avoid getting caught in the crossfire most especially in North Cotabato,” Mama said.
He however clarified that any attacks launched by the BIFF is not related to the attacks of the MNLF.
“If we will attack, this will be because of our struggle and Jihad. It only coincided with the attacks of the MNLF,” Mama said.
Despite reports that the MNLF has created an alliance with the BIFF, Mama clarified that both groups have different frameworks in their Bangsamoro struggle.
“We both want independence, but the BIFF wants the implementation of Islamic governance,” Mama said.
Gov't securing area
“The BIFF wants an independent state governed by Islamic laws even if it will be only as small as a barangay,” Mama said.
Gov Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza gave assurances that government troops will secure the province from attacks.
"Government troops as well as other agencies are on the lookout in our area of responsibility. We do not take for granted any information that reached our office," Mendoza said.
"We do not want violence in our area. We appeal to civilians to be pro-active and vigilant as far as peace and order is concerned," Mendoza said.
Led by former 105th Base commander Ameril Umra Kato, the BIFF splintered from the MILF after serious disagreements over the decision of the MILF to enter into peace negotiations with the government.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/38738-north-cotabato-biff-warning-attacks
New Clash in the Philippines Raises Fears of a Wider Threat
From the New York Times (Sep 12): New Clash in the Philippines Raises Fears of a Wider Threat
The violence raised fears of a widening of the insurgent threat in the area, where the government has for decades been struggling to contain attacks by Muslim-led groups.
A fire raged in a section of Zamboanga City on Thursday as a standoff between rebels and the Philippine military continued. By FLOYD WHALEY
MANILA — Two small, ultraviolent rebel groups joined forces to fight government troops Thursday in the southern Philippines, in a clash that occurred on an island adjacent to the city where several hundred rebels are in a standoff with the Philippine military.The violence raised fears of a widening of the insurgent threat in the area, where the government has for decades been struggling to contain attacks by Muslim-led groups.
Three soldiers were wounded in the firefight, which occurred at 9:30 a.m. in the village of Lamitan on the restive southern Philippine island of Basilan, according to a statement from the Philippine military. Basilan government officials told a local radio station that five people from the area were missing after the attack.
The attack involved combined forces of the Abu Sayyaf Group, which has engaged in kidnappings and beheadings in the area for more than a decade, and the recently formed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a violent offshoot of a larger rebel group.
“According to our sources, the two groups have formed an alliance,” Col. Rodrigo Gregorio, a military spokesman in the area, said by telephone Thursday.
He said the Basilan battle, which involved about 150 rebels, did not appear to be a widening of the conflict in nearby Zamboanga City, where a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front has been holding dozens of hostages, virtually paralyzing the important trading area.
“There is no connection to the situation in Zamboanga City,” said Colonel Gregorio, adding that Abu Sayyaf is active on Basilan and periodically stages attacks. “We are in hot pursuit of them now,” he said.
National government officials have said they are seeking a peaceful resolution to the standoff in Zamboanga City, but on Thursday a presidential spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, said the use of force remained an option in light of the attack on Basilan.
“The forces of the state are ready to exercise the resolve of the government,” Mr. Lacierda said in a statement. “While the government is exhausting all avenues for a peaceful resolution to the situation, let it be clear to those defying us that they should not entertain the illusion that the state will hesitate to use its forces to protect our people.”
On Thursday afternoon, a plume of black smoke could be seen pouring from the rebel-held area in Zamboanga City. Local officials said a blaze had raged out of control because firefighters, concerned about sniper fire, could not enter the area.
Sporadic gunfire could be heard in the rebel areas. All commercial flights into the city remained canceled. Philippine Air Force transport planes were used to fly stranded passengers to nearby Cebu City to catch flights. City government officials warned against bus travel into Zamboanga, noting that the national highway was not secured. More than 15,000 residents have been evacuated or have fled the area because of the standoff, officials said.
It remained unclear who was leading the group of about 300 armed men holding off military forces in Zamboanga City.
Nur Misuari, the founding chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, told officials on Thursday that a breakaway faction led by Habier Malik, a rebel leader, had taken action in Zamboanga City, and not the main rebel group with which Mr. Misuari is affiliated.
“Last night I was able to talk to Chairman Nur Misuari, hoping that it would pave the way for the peaceful end of this crisis,” Beng Climaco, the mayor of Zamboanga City, said Thursday. “Misuari disowned the actions of Habier Malik, the leader of the hostage takers, with whom I communicated separately.”
Some military leaders were skeptical of Mr. Misuari’s claim. “Nur Misuari is denying his involvement, but all indications point to his running this operation in Zamboanga City from the very beginning,” Colonel Gregorio said.
The conflict in Zamboanga City began Monday when several hundred heavily armed men tried to march to City Hall to raise a flag and declare independence from the national government, according to the police. The rebels claim that it was a peaceful march and that they were attacked by the military.
The group has demanded that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation or the United Nations be brought in to facilitate negotiations, according to Mayor Climaco. The national government has countered that the standoff is a domestic matter.
The Moro National Liberation Front signed a peace deal with the Philippine government in 1996, but its leaders were angered when a separate agreement was forged with the rival Moro Islamic Liberation Front last year that some leaders said would encroach on the original deal.
The Abu Sayyaf Group and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom fighters did not participate in peace talks, and they advocate an armed struggle to establish an Islamic state in the southern Philippines. Security analysts say Abu Sayyaf has lost much of its ideological underpinnings and operates primarily as a kidnap-for-ransom gang.
Key dates of Philippine Muslim rebellion
Posted to the Global Post (Sep 12): Key dates of Philippine Muslim rebellion
A Muslim guerrilla siege of the key Philippine city of Zamboanga is the latest flare-up of a rebellion in the south of the mainly Catholic nation that has claimed about 150,000 lives since the early 1970s.
A faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) attacked the port city as a rival group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) held peace talks with the Philippine government in neighbouring Malaysia, aimed at ending the long conflict.
Here are the key dates in the conflict:
1971: University professor Nur Misuari organises the Moro National Liberation Front aimed at setting up an independent state in the country's southern Muslim homeland, which is collectively known as Mindanao.
1972: President Ferdinand Marcos declares martial law to contain what he says are growing Muslim and communist insurgencies.
1974: As the MNLF gains strength, Marcos unleashes the military against the rebels. It is the start of intense fighting across parts of Mindanao that lasts for more than a decade, a period when most of the 150,000 lives are lost.
1975: The government holds its first meeting with Misuari in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He agrees to explore autonomy as a basis for talks.
1976: Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi oversees the signing of the Tripoli Agreement, providing a framework for autonomy in 13 provinces and nine cities in Mindanao.
1978: One of the MNLF's leaders and fiercest ideologues, Salamat Hashim, splits from the MNLF and vows to press ahead with the fight for an independent Islamic state.
1981: Salamat and Murad Ebrahim, another prominent rebel commander and hardliner, form the MILF.
1986: Marcos is toppled in a "people power" revolution and replaced by Corazon Aquino, who launches peace talks.
1996: The MNLF signs a peace deal with the government of President Fidel Ramos which creates the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao encompassing five predominantly Muslim-populated provinces. Soon after, Misuari is elected as its first governor.
1997: The MILF agrees to explore peace talks with the government.
1998: Joseph Estrada wins the presidency and declares an all-out war against the MILF. Estrada's troops overrun its main camp. Hundreds of people are killed.
2001: Misuari's forces attack key military posts in Zamboanga and Jolo island after he fails to win the support of Estrada's successor Gloria Arroyo in his bid to retain his post as governor of the Muslim self-rule area. The attacks kill dozens of people. Misuari flees to Malaysia, where he is arrested and deported. He is detained in police prisons in the Philippines until 2008, when the government drops all criminal charges against him.
2003: Arroyo brokers a ceasefire with the MILF to pave the way for peace talks.
2008: Arroyo's government announces a peace deal that would have given the MILF control over 700 cities and towns. But it falls apart after the Supreme Court declares it unconstitutional. In response, two MILF commanders lead attacks across mainly Christian areas of Mindanao. About 400 people are killed.
August 4, 2011: President Benigno Aquino holds secret talks with MILF chairman Ebrahim in Japan, reinvigorating the peace process. It is the first time a president and MILF chief have held face-to-face talks.
October 7, 2012: After many rounds of peace talks in Malaysia, Aquino announces a deal with the MILF to create a new autonomous political region. The MILF says it wants a final peace deal before Aquino steps down in 2016.
August 12, 2013: As the government and the MILF negotiate the details of key provisions in the final peace treaty, Misuari alleges that the proposed deal would violate the government's 1996 peace deal with the MNLF. He declares "independence" for the southern Philippines and urges followers to besiege key installations in the region.
September 9, 2013: About 180 armed Misuari followers attack six coastal districts of Zamboanga in a bid to hoist the MNLF flag over city hall. Security forces block their advance, triggering a deadly stand-off.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130912/key-dates-philippine-muslim-rebellion
A Muslim guerrilla siege of the key Philippine city of Zamboanga is the latest flare-up of a rebellion in the south of the mainly Catholic nation that has claimed about 150,000 lives since the early 1970s.
A faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) attacked the port city as a rival group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) held peace talks with the Philippine government in neighbouring Malaysia, aimed at ending the long conflict.
Here are the key dates in the conflict:
1971: University professor Nur Misuari organises the Moro National Liberation Front aimed at setting up an independent state in the country's southern Muslim homeland, which is collectively known as Mindanao.
1972: President Ferdinand Marcos declares martial law to contain what he says are growing Muslim and communist insurgencies.
1974: As the MNLF gains strength, Marcos unleashes the military against the rebels. It is the start of intense fighting across parts of Mindanao that lasts for more than a decade, a period when most of the 150,000 lives are lost.
1975: The government holds its first meeting with Misuari in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He agrees to explore autonomy as a basis for talks.
1976: Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi oversees the signing of the Tripoli Agreement, providing a framework for autonomy in 13 provinces and nine cities in Mindanao.
1978: One of the MNLF's leaders and fiercest ideologues, Salamat Hashim, splits from the MNLF and vows to press ahead with the fight for an independent Islamic state.
1981: Salamat and Murad Ebrahim, another prominent rebel commander and hardliner, form the MILF.
1986: Marcos is toppled in a "people power" revolution and replaced by Corazon Aquino, who launches peace talks.
1996: The MNLF signs a peace deal with the government of President Fidel Ramos which creates the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao encompassing five predominantly Muslim-populated provinces. Soon after, Misuari is elected as its first governor.
1997: The MILF agrees to explore peace talks with the government.
1998: Joseph Estrada wins the presidency and declares an all-out war against the MILF. Estrada's troops overrun its main camp. Hundreds of people are killed.
2001: Misuari's forces attack key military posts in Zamboanga and Jolo island after he fails to win the support of Estrada's successor Gloria Arroyo in his bid to retain his post as governor of the Muslim self-rule area. The attacks kill dozens of people. Misuari flees to Malaysia, where he is arrested and deported. He is detained in police prisons in the Philippines until 2008, when the government drops all criminal charges against him.
2003: Arroyo brokers a ceasefire with the MILF to pave the way for peace talks.
2008: Arroyo's government announces a peace deal that would have given the MILF control over 700 cities and towns. But it falls apart after the Supreme Court declares it unconstitutional. In response, two MILF commanders lead attacks across mainly Christian areas of Mindanao. About 400 people are killed.
August 4, 2011: President Benigno Aquino holds secret talks with MILF chairman Ebrahim in Japan, reinvigorating the peace process. It is the first time a president and MILF chief have held face-to-face talks.
October 7, 2012: After many rounds of peace talks in Malaysia, Aquino announces a deal with the MILF to create a new autonomous political region. The MILF says it wants a final peace deal before Aquino steps down in 2016.
August 12, 2013: As the government and the MILF negotiate the details of key provisions in the final peace treaty, Misuari alleges that the proposed deal would violate the government's 1996 peace deal with the MNLF. He declares "independence" for the southern Philippines and urges followers to besiege key installations in the region.
September 9, 2013: About 180 armed Misuari followers attack six coastal districts of Zamboanga in a bid to hoist the MNLF flag over city hall. Security forces block their advance, triggering a deadly stand-off.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130912/key-dates-philippine-muslim-rebellion
Abu Sayyaf joins MNLF
From the Manila Standard Today (Sep 13): Abu Sayyaf joins MNLF
Basilan new battle area; govt issues ultimatum
The terrorist group Abu Sayyaf and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters rebels had reportedly joined forces with the Nur Misuari-led Moro National Liberation Front against government troops, as fighting spread from Zamboanga City to Basilan on the fourth day of the standoff on Thursday.
The new development has prompted Malacanang to issue an ultimatum to Nur Misuari and his men to end the standoff or face the full “force of the state.”
“The forces of the state are ready to exercise the resolve of the government. While the government is exhausting all avenues for a peaceful resolution to the situation, let it be clear to those defying us that they should not entertain the illusion that the state will hesitate to use its forces to protect our people,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
“Instead, it is time for you to cooperate to resolve this situation peacefully at the soonest possible time,” he added.
Laciera said, however, that there was no deadline yet on when the government would order a “military strike.”
“We assess the situation on a day to day basis. That is an option that we are…We are exploring all options.”
Lacierda’s statement came in the wake of reports that a combined MNLF-BIFF-ASG force of 150 armed men engaged government troops in a two-hour gunfight in Lamitan, Basilan, the first instance of a spillover of the Zamboanga attacks.
The gunfight left four dead and 11 wounded.
Col. Charlie Galvez, commander of the 104th Infantry Brigade, said the fatalities include a member of the Civilian Volunteer Organization and two soldiers. Two other CVO members were wounded.
Galvez added that three rebels were killed, and seven were wounded, based on reports by civilians who saw the enemy casualties.
Lacierda also warned the BIFF and the ASG for “taking advantage” of the standoff in Zamboanga City to further their own interests.
“The BIFF and ASG assumed they could take advantage of the situation. They were wrong. As others who will also make similar attempts will be proven wrong,” he said.
The military identified the leaders of the Lamitan attack as ASG commanders Furuji
Indama and Isnilon Hapilon and BIFF commanders Basir Kasaran and Nurhassan Jamiri.
ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman later confirmed the report in a radio interview, saying that the group that clashed with army rangers were members of the MNLF, BIFF and the ASG.
Aside from the Lamitan attack, some 50 armed men believed to be members of the MNLF and the ASG engaged soliders in a firefight Thursday morning in the town of Tipo-Tipo also in Basilan.
Lacierda assured the people of Zamboanga City that even as the standoff has dragged on for four days now, the government is working to ensure that their needs are met.
“The President has directed national government agencies to attend to the needs of the people of Zamboanga City and the BASULTA (Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi) by providing basic supplies,” he said.
Another Palace official, meanwhile, insisted that the attacks in Zamboanga were ordered by Misuari, despite Misuari’s denial that he did not authorize the attack.
“What we believe is that his faction, his group is behind it. The people who seem to be behind this action are clearly doing it at the behest of or are clearly there and identified with the Misuari faction” Carandang said.
Zamboanga City Mayor Isabel Climaco-Salazar said she spoke with Misuari Wednesday evening and “he disowned the actions of (MNLF commander) Habier Malik.
“Last night (Wednesday evening) I was able to talk to Chairman Nur Misuari hoping that it would pave the way for the peaceful end of this crisis. What is of interest is that, Misuari disowned the actions of Habier Malik, the leader of the hostage-takers with whom I communicated separately,” Salazar said.
“I expressed my openness to continue communication with Misuari as well (as) Malik to find peaceful resolution of this conflict,” she added.
Malik, a top aide of Misuari, has outstanding arrest warrants frustrated murder, murder and attempted murder.
Carandang said the Department of Justice is now studying the possibility of filing cases not only against Misuari but also against MNLF spokesmen Absalom Cerveza and Emmanuel Fontanilla.
Meanwhile, Carandang said there is no plan for President Benigno Aquino III to go to Zamboanga soon, contrary to reports that came out in the papers.
In Zamboanga City, a fire broke out in Bgy. Sta. Catalina, one of the five barangays where the MNLF rebels had occupied since Monday.
The fire, of still undetermined origin broke out at around 3:20 pm and gutted the motor pool of the nearby Marine Science Technology and several houses. It was put off after an hour.
The military later said it arrested five MNLF rebels in Bgy. Casangyangan, which is block away from Brgy Sta Catalina.
The rebels were caught by pursuing soldiers who were trying to break the rebels’ position at a row of buildings in Sta. Catalina where dozens of residents were held hostage.
A caliber .45 pistol was recovered from the five rebels whose identities were withheld by officials.
In Basilan, Provincial Police Director Senior Superintendent Mario Dapilloza said the firefight at Bgy. Campo Uno started at around 9 a.m., between Army Scout Rangers and an undetermined number of MNLF rebels.
In Tipo-Tipo, soldiers also encountered a group of 50 armed men believed to be ASG and BIFF rebels, who reportedly attacked a military detachment in Brgy Magcawa.
Capt. Jefferson Somera, spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division said soldiers stationed at Sitio Camalig, Bohe Paho, Ungkaya-Pukan town provided support to the Army detachment at Tipo-Tipo at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday.
Meanwhile, at a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr., said their forces in Mindanao are ready to repel sympathy attacks in areas where the rebels, including ASG bandits and BIFF forces, are active.
Salazar, meanwhile, said that the number of evacuees has already swelled to more than 15,000 after fresh fighting occurred in Barbara and Sta. Catalina early Thursday.
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/09/13/abu-sayyaf-joins-mnlf/
Basilan new battle area; govt issues ultimatum
The terrorist group Abu Sayyaf and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters rebels had reportedly joined forces with the Nur Misuari-led Moro National Liberation Front against government troops, as fighting spread from Zamboanga City to Basilan on the fourth day of the standoff on Thursday.
The new development has prompted Malacanang to issue an ultimatum to Nur Misuari and his men to end the standoff or face the full “force of the state.”
Engagement. Soldiers take cover during heavy fighting with MNLF rebels as the standoff entered its fourth day in Zamboanga City. Below, members of the National Police’s special forces move forward to enemy positions among burning houses.
“The forces of the state are ready to exercise the resolve of the government. While the government is exhausting all avenues for a peaceful resolution to the situation, let it be clear to those defying us that they should not entertain the illusion that the state will hesitate to use its forces to protect our people,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
“Instead, it is time for you to cooperate to resolve this situation peacefully at the soonest possible time,” he added.
Laciera said, however, that there was no deadline yet on when the government would order a “military strike.”
“We assess the situation on a day to day basis. That is an option that we are…We are exploring all options.”
Lacierda’s statement came in the wake of reports that a combined MNLF-BIFF-ASG force of 150 armed men engaged government troops in a two-hour gunfight in Lamitan, Basilan, the first instance of a spillover of the Zamboanga attacks.
The gunfight left four dead and 11 wounded.
Col. Charlie Galvez, commander of the 104th Infantry Brigade, said the fatalities include a member of the Civilian Volunteer Organization and two soldiers. Two other CVO members were wounded.
Galvez added that three rebels were killed, and seven were wounded, based on reports by civilians who saw the enemy casualties.
Lacierda also warned the BIFF and the ASG for “taking advantage” of the standoff in Zamboanga City to further their own interests.
“The BIFF and ASG assumed they could take advantage of the situation. They were wrong. As others who will also make similar attempts will be proven wrong,” he said.
The military identified the leaders of the Lamitan attack as ASG commanders Furuji
Indama and Isnilon Hapilon and BIFF commanders Basir Kasaran and Nurhassan Jamiri.
ARMM Governor Mujiv Hataman later confirmed the report in a radio interview, saying that the group that clashed with army rangers were members of the MNLF, BIFF and the ASG.
Aside from the Lamitan attack, some 50 armed men believed to be members of the MNLF and the ASG engaged soliders in a firefight Thursday morning in the town of Tipo-Tipo also in Basilan.
Lacierda assured the people of Zamboanga City that even as the standoff has dragged on for four days now, the government is working to ensure that their needs are met.
“The President has directed national government agencies to attend to the needs of the people of Zamboanga City and the BASULTA (Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi) by providing basic supplies,” he said.
Another Palace official, meanwhile, insisted that the attacks in Zamboanga were ordered by Misuari, despite Misuari’s denial that he did not authorize the attack.
“What we believe is that his faction, his group is behind it. The people who seem to be behind this action are clearly doing it at the behest of or are clearly there and identified with the Misuari faction” Carandang said.
Zamboanga City Mayor Isabel Climaco-Salazar said she spoke with Misuari Wednesday evening and “he disowned the actions of (MNLF commander) Habier Malik.
“Last night (Wednesday evening) I was able to talk to Chairman Nur Misuari hoping that it would pave the way for the peaceful end of this crisis. What is of interest is that, Misuari disowned the actions of Habier Malik, the leader of the hostage-takers with whom I communicated separately,” Salazar said.
“I expressed my openness to continue communication with Misuari as well (as) Malik to find peaceful resolution of this conflict,” she added.
Malik, a top aide of Misuari, has outstanding arrest warrants frustrated murder, murder and attempted murder.
Carandang said the Department of Justice is now studying the possibility of filing cases not only against Misuari but also against MNLF spokesmen Absalom Cerveza and Emmanuel Fontanilla.
Meanwhile, Carandang said there is no plan for President Benigno Aquino III to go to Zamboanga soon, contrary to reports that came out in the papers.
In Zamboanga City, a fire broke out in Bgy. Sta. Catalina, one of the five barangays where the MNLF rebels had occupied since Monday.
The fire, of still undetermined origin broke out at around 3:20 pm and gutted the motor pool of the nearby Marine Science Technology and several houses. It was put off after an hour.
The military later said it arrested five MNLF rebels in Bgy. Casangyangan, which is block away from Brgy Sta Catalina.
The rebels were caught by pursuing soldiers who were trying to break the rebels’ position at a row of buildings in Sta. Catalina where dozens of residents were held hostage.
A caliber .45 pistol was recovered from the five rebels whose identities were withheld by officials.
In Basilan, Provincial Police Director Senior Superintendent Mario Dapilloza said the firefight at Bgy. Campo Uno started at around 9 a.m., between Army Scout Rangers and an undetermined number of MNLF rebels.
In Tipo-Tipo, soldiers also encountered a group of 50 armed men believed to be ASG and BIFF rebels, who reportedly attacked a military detachment in Brgy Magcawa.
Capt. Jefferson Somera, spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division said soldiers stationed at Sitio Camalig, Bohe Paho, Ungkaya-Pukan town provided support to the Army detachment at Tipo-Tipo at 7:10 p.m. Wednesday.
Meanwhile, at a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr., said their forces in Mindanao are ready to repel sympathy attacks in areas where the rebels, including ASG bandits and BIFF forces, are active.
Salazar, meanwhile, said that the number of evacuees has already swelled to more than 15,000 after fresh fighting occurred in Barbara and Sta. Catalina early Thursday.
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/09/13/abu-sayyaf-joins-mnlf/
BIFF confirms clash with gov’t troops in Basilan
From MindaNews (Sep 13): BIFF confirms clash with gov’t troops in Basilan
An official of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) confirmed Thursday night their forces engaged government troops in a clash in Basilan earlier on the same day.
BIFF spokesperson Abu Bisry Mama told MindaNews on the phone that the skirmish occurred in Barangay Colonia, Lamitan City in Basilan.
Mama said their forces in Basilan are led by one Commander Nor.
He added they were not sure though if MNLF fighters fought alongside the BIFF members.
On Thursday, authorities said members of the MNLF under Nur Misuari, BIFF and the Abu Sayyaf fought together against soldiers and police personnel in Lamitan.
Military reports said the BIFF members who figured in the clash are headed by Basir Kasaran and Nurhassan Jamiri.
Misry admitted Kasaran and Jamiri are their members.
The Mindanao Human Rights Action Center said four civilians were caught in the crossfire in the Lamitan skirmish. One of the victims died in a local hospital, and one was still in critical condition.
While one member of CVO and three members of rebel were monitored as fatalities, according to a military report.
The clash in Basilan occurred on the fourth day of the standoff between MNLF members and government forces in Zamboanga City that has displaced at least 13,000 residents.
Meanwhile, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao officials raised a white code alert after a conference yesterday to assess a possible spillover of the Zamboanga incident owing to the presence of MNLF forces in the region.
The ARMM has donated some 12,000 relief packs for the evacuees in Zamboanga City.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2013/09/13/biff-confirms-clash-with-govt-troops-in-basilan/
An official of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) confirmed Thursday night their forces engaged government troops in a clash in Basilan earlier on the same day.
BIFF spokesperson Abu Bisry Mama told MindaNews on the phone that the skirmish occurred in Barangay Colonia, Lamitan City in Basilan.
Mama said their forces in Basilan are led by one Commander Nor.
He added they were not sure though if MNLF fighters fought alongside the BIFF members.
On Thursday, authorities said members of the MNLF under Nur Misuari, BIFF and the Abu Sayyaf fought together against soldiers and police personnel in Lamitan.
Military reports said the BIFF members who figured in the clash are headed by Basir Kasaran and Nurhassan Jamiri.
Misry admitted Kasaran and Jamiri are their members.
The Mindanao Human Rights Action Center said four civilians were caught in the crossfire in the Lamitan skirmish. One of the victims died in a local hospital, and one was still in critical condition.
While one member of CVO and three members of rebel were monitored as fatalities, according to a military report.
The clash in Basilan occurred on the fourth day of the standoff between MNLF members and government forces in Zamboanga City that has displaced at least 13,000 residents.
Meanwhile, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao officials raised a white code alert after a conference yesterday to assess a possible spillover of the Zamboanga incident owing to the presence of MNLF forces in the region.
The ARMM has donated some 12,000 relief packs for the evacuees in Zamboanga City.
http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2013/09/13/biff-confirms-clash-with-govt-troops-in-basilan/
MNLF rebels attack troops in Basilan; 6 soldiers wounded
From the Sun Star (Sep 13): MNLF rebels attack troops in Basilan; 6 soldiers wounded
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala said the MNLF faction, which he called Rogue Misuari Elements, were aided by Abu Sayyaf terrorists and members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement.
He said around 100 men attempted to enter Lamitan City proper around 9:55 a.m. "but were blocked" by forces from the 18th Infantry Battalion and 9th Scout Ranger Company.
Zagala said the fighting lasted for two hours, "failing to overwhelm an Armm-DPWH satellite building."
Armm-DPWH stands for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao-Department of Public Works and Highways.
"We were subjected by the enemy with mortar fires but we were able to repulse their onslaught," said Colonel Carlito Galvez, commander of the Army's 104th Brigade.
Galvez said the enemy appears to be resolute in entering Lamitan City proper.
On Wednesday, the three groups also clashed with troops in Lamitan City, leaving a civilian volunteer and three Abu Sayyaf men dead. The fighting also left two soldiers, two civilian volunteers and seven Abu Sayyaf men wounded.
"Most probably, it is related to the Zambo issue," the official said, referring to the ongoing crisis in Zamboanga City, where MNLF rebels held captive nearly 200 hostages last Monday.
FOLLOWERS of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
founder Nur Misuari attacked government forces in Lamitan City anew Friday
morning, wounding six soldiers, military officials said.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala said the MNLF faction, which he called Rogue Misuari Elements, were aided by Abu Sayyaf terrorists and members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement.
He said around 100 men attempted to enter Lamitan City proper around 9:55 a.m. "but were blocked" by forces from the 18th Infantry Battalion and 9th Scout Ranger Company.
Zagala said the fighting lasted for two hours, "failing to overwhelm an Armm-DPWH satellite building."
Armm-DPWH stands for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao-Department of Public Works and Highways.
"We were subjected by the enemy with mortar fires but we were able to repulse their onslaught," said Colonel Carlito Galvez, commander of the Army's 104th Brigade.
Galvez said the enemy appears to be resolute in entering Lamitan City proper.
On Wednesday, the three groups also clashed with troops in Lamitan City, leaving a civilian volunteer and three Abu Sayyaf men dead. The fighting also left two soldiers, two civilian volunteers and seven Abu Sayyaf men wounded.
"Most probably, it is related to the Zambo issue," the official said, referring to the ongoing crisis in Zamboanga City, where MNLF rebels held captive nearly 200 hostages last Monday.
As of Thursday, he said, movements in Lamitan City
were a "little restricted." He said residents of Christian communities in the
outskirts have been evacuated to prevent civilian casualties.
4 arrested ‘rebels’ are farmers: group
From the Visayan Daily Star (Sep 13): 4 arrested ‘rebels’ are farmers: group
Jose Luis Blanco of Karapatan-Negros Oriental, in a statement, he issued, denounced what he calls the latest attacks against the civilian population, referring to the four suspected New People’s Army rebels arrested by Army’s Scout Rangers after two recent encounters in the hinterlands of Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.
Blanco claimed they are ordinary farmers, and that the incident also led to the serious injury of another civilian.
The suspected rebels, identified as Ricardo Seniagan, 37, of Linantuyan and Thomas Carello Isugan, “alias Jamis”, 19, of Barangay Buenavista, all in Guihulngan City; Jessie Gamay Bongcawil, 19, of Barangay Nasunogan, La Libertad, Negros Oriental; and Dandy Manuling Pemerin, “alias Daniel”, 18, of La Castellana, Negros Occidental, are now in jail and have already been charged by the police with illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
The arrest of the four who were left behind by their fleeing comrades after an encounter with Army Rangers in Brgy. Plagatasanon, Guihulngan City, yielded an M14 assault rifle, two fragmentation grenades, combat packs containing subversive documents and medical equipment, among others.
Blanco, however, said the four civilians were arrested separately in locations far from the supposed encounter site.
Pursuit operations against the fleeing rebels also led to another encounter in Brgy. Linantuyan, Guihulngan City, military records show. Several days after the gun-battles, suspected rebels also harassed a military outpost in Brgy. Sandayao, Guihulngan City. However, no casualty was reported on the government side.
Blanco alleged that Ricanillo complained to Karapatan that he was manhandled by Scout Ranger troopers, while Demerin claimed he was forced to admit his involvement with the NPA, ands threatened with more criminal charges, if he refuses to cooperate with the military.
Karapatan has demanded the release of the four alleged civilians, and is scheduled to send a fact-finding team at Brgy. Plagatasanon, Guihulngan, to investigate the alleged abuses of the military.
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2013/September/13/negor1.htm
Jose Luis Blanco of Karapatan-Negros Oriental, in a statement, he issued, denounced what he calls the latest attacks against the civilian population, referring to the four suspected New People’s Army rebels arrested by Army’s Scout Rangers after two recent encounters in the hinterlands of Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.
Blanco claimed they are ordinary farmers, and that the incident also led to the serious injury of another civilian.
The suspected rebels, identified as Ricardo Seniagan, 37, of Linantuyan and Thomas Carello Isugan, “alias Jamis”, 19, of Barangay Buenavista, all in Guihulngan City; Jessie Gamay Bongcawil, 19, of Barangay Nasunogan, La Libertad, Negros Oriental; and Dandy Manuling Pemerin, “alias Daniel”, 18, of La Castellana, Negros Occidental, are now in jail and have already been charged by the police with illegal possession of firearms and explosives.
The arrest of the four who were left behind by their fleeing comrades after an encounter with Army Rangers in Brgy. Plagatasanon, Guihulngan City, yielded an M14 assault rifle, two fragmentation grenades, combat packs containing subversive documents and medical equipment, among others.
Blanco, however, said the four civilians were arrested separately in locations far from the supposed encounter site.
Pursuit operations against the fleeing rebels also led to another encounter in Brgy. Linantuyan, Guihulngan City, military records show. Several days after the gun-battles, suspected rebels also harassed a military outpost in Brgy. Sandayao, Guihulngan City. However, no casualty was reported on the government side.
Blanco alleged that Ricanillo complained to Karapatan that he was manhandled by Scout Ranger troopers, while Demerin claimed he was forced to admit his involvement with the NPA, ands threatened with more criminal charges, if he refuses to cooperate with the military.
Karapatan has demanded the release of the four alleged civilians, and is scheduled to send a fact-finding team at Brgy. Plagatasanon, Guihulngan, to investigate the alleged abuses of the military.
http://www.visayandailystar.com/2013/September/13/negor1.htm
Fighting spreads as Palace warns Nur’s men of use of force
From the Daily Tribune (Sep 13): Fighting spreads as Palace warns Nur’s men of use of force
The armed conflict in Zamboanga City has apparently spilled over to Basilan province where Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) forces engaged government security forces in Lamitan City and Tipo-Tipo town, initially resulting in the wounding of three soldiers.
MNLF spokesman lawyer Emmanuel Fon-tanilla claimed that MNLF members in Basilan were supposed to peacefully march but were fired upon by government troops. “Those were MNLF forces who peacefully massed up to march but were shot and were forced to defend themselves,” he said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), however, tagged members of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group as the encountered armed men, and downplayed the participation of MNLF forces in the Basilan fire-fights. At a press briefing, AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr. said the military is assessing if the Basilan firefights were connected to the ongoing crisis in Zamboanga City where MNLF forces have infiltrated five barangays and now holding 180 civilians hostages.
Tutaan said the intense fighting in Lamitan City erupted around 9:30 a.m. yesterday between elements of the Army’s 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion and armed men.
“What we are trying to do right now is to assess if this incident in Lamitan is one way or another connected to the incident in Zamboanga City. We do not want to speculate on the incident that happened,” he stressed.
Initial results showed that three soldiers were wounded during the firefight.
The military said that the gunbattle occurred in Sitio Burgos and Sitio Campo Dos in Barangay Colonia, Lamitan City.
Capt. Jefferson Somera, spokesman of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division (ID), tagged the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group and members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) as the encountered armed band.
Somera identified Isnilon Hapilon, Furuji Indama, BIFF commanders Basir Kasaran and Nurhassan Jamiri as the leaders of the encountered group in Lamitan City.
Somera said the firefight lasted for about two hours.
In Tipo-Tipo, more or less 50 combined elements of the MNLF and the Abu Sayyaf harassed Valentine Detachment in Barangay Magcawa at around 7:10 p.m. The military responded by firing artillery to the enemy position. No casualty was reported during the incident.
Fontanilla scored the Aquino administration for ignoring MNLF calls for “political players” and international organizations like the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to mediate in the conflict instead of sending soldiers in Zamboanga City and other affected areas.
“The government is not listening... this will drag on, and we are ready,” he noted.
“To be able to achieve permanent solution to this, the OIC and the UN should step in,” he added.
Fontanilla said the MNLF wanted a ceasefire in Zamboanga City to pave the way for the release of the hostages but the government ignored such call.
Zamboanga Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar said she contacted Misuari by telephone late Wednesday after three days of trying, and asked him to call off the siege.
She added Misuari told her he had given his men on the ground “a free hand” in deciding their fate.
But Malacañang believes Misuari was behind the ongoing standoff in Zamboanga City.
Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang told a media briefing that reports they have been receiving indicate that Misuari’s group was behind the attack.
“There are many statements that have been attributed to him in the last few weeks, even months, that sometimes they feel convenient... it’s convenient to disown,” Carandang said.
“What we believe is that his faction, his group is behind it. So what he’s saying right now, if he’s really saying that, is not consistent with what we know (had) happened,” he added.
The government also issued an ultimatum to the alleged members of the MNLF holding many hostages in Zamboanga City, saying it is ready to use the full force of the law to end the ongoing standoff and armed men must cooperate immediately.
In a statement, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government is prepared to exercise its resolve by using force.
“While the government is exhausting all avenues for a peaceful resolution to the situation, let it be clear to those defying us that they should not entertain the illusion that the state will hesitate to use its forces to protect our people,” he stressed.
“Instead, it is time for you to cooperate to resolve this situation peacefully at the soonest possible time,” the Palace official added.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/19104-fighting-spreads-as-palace-warns-nur-s-men-of-use-of-force
The armed conflict in Zamboanga City has apparently spilled over to Basilan province where Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) forces engaged government security forces in Lamitan City and Tipo-Tipo town, initially resulting in the wounding of three soldiers.
MNLF spokesman lawyer Emmanuel Fon-tanilla claimed that MNLF members in Basilan were supposed to peacefully march but were fired upon by government troops. “Those were MNLF forces who peacefully massed up to march but were shot and were forced to defend themselves,” he said.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), however, tagged members of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group as the encountered armed men, and downplayed the participation of MNLF forces in the Basilan fire-fights. At a press briefing, AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr. said the military is assessing if the Basilan firefights were connected to the ongoing crisis in Zamboanga City where MNLF forces have infiltrated five barangays and now holding 180 civilians hostages.
Tutaan said the intense fighting in Lamitan City erupted around 9:30 a.m. yesterday between elements of the Army’s 3rd Scout Ranger Battalion and armed men.
“What we are trying to do right now is to assess if this incident in Lamitan is one way or another connected to the incident in Zamboanga City. We do not want to speculate on the incident that happened,” he stressed.
Initial results showed that three soldiers were wounded during the firefight.
The military said that the gunbattle occurred in Sitio Burgos and Sitio Campo Dos in Barangay Colonia, Lamitan City.
Capt. Jefferson Somera, spokesman of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division (ID), tagged the terrorist Abu Sayyaf group and members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) as the encountered armed band.
Somera identified Isnilon Hapilon, Furuji Indama, BIFF commanders Basir Kasaran and Nurhassan Jamiri as the leaders of the encountered group in Lamitan City.
Somera said the firefight lasted for about two hours.
In Tipo-Tipo, more or less 50 combined elements of the MNLF and the Abu Sayyaf harassed Valentine Detachment in Barangay Magcawa at around 7:10 p.m. The military responded by firing artillery to the enemy position. No casualty was reported during the incident.
Fontanilla scored the Aquino administration for ignoring MNLF calls for “political players” and international organizations like the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to mediate in the conflict instead of sending soldiers in Zamboanga City and other affected areas.
“The government is not listening... this will drag on, and we are ready,” he noted.
“To be able to achieve permanent solution to this, the OIC and the UN should step in,” he added.
Fontanilla said the MNLF wanted a ceasefire in Zamboanga City to pave the way for the release of the hostages but the government ignored such call.
Zamboanga Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco Salazar said she contacted Misuari by telephone late Wednesday after three days of trying, and asked him to call off the siege.
She added Misuari told her he had given his men on the ground “a free hand” in deciding their fate.
But Malacañang believes Misuari was behind the ongoing standoff in Zamboanga City.
Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang told a media briefing that reports they have been receiving indicate that Misuari’s group was behind the attack.
“There are many statements that have been attributed to him in the last few weeks, even months, that sometimes they feel convenient... it’s convenient to disown,” Carandang said.
“What we believe is that his faction, his group is behind it. So what he’s saying right now, if he’s really saying that, is not consistent with what we know (had) happened,” he added.
The government also issued an ultimatum to the alleged members of the MNLF holding many hostages in Zamboanga City, saying it is ready to use the full force of the law to end the ongoing standoff and armed men must cooperate immediately.
In a statement, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the government is prepared to exercise its resolve by using force.
“While the government is exhausting all avenues for a peaceful resolution to the situation, let it be clear to those defying us that they should not entertain the illusion that the state will hesitate to use its forces to protect our people,” he stressed.
“Instead, it is time for you to cooperate to resolve this situation peacefully at the soonest possible time,” the Palace official added.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/19104-fighting-spreads-as-palace-warns-nur-s-men-of-use-of-force
AFP downplays new movement in military
From the Daily Tribune (Sep 13): AFP downplays new movement in military
The military leadership has dismissed a supposed disgruntled group within the uniformed services calling itself as Reformist Officers United (ROU) which came out with a statement last Wednesday criticizing the Aquino administration.
Armed Forces of the Philippines-Public Affairs Office (PAO) chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala expressed belief that ROU’s “Article of Faith” did not originate from the military.
“It appears the tone of the letter is not military,” Zagala told the Tribune.
Aside from non-military issues tackled in the “Article of Faith,” Zagala also noted non-military style of writing names and ranks of the supposed leaders of ROU who were signatories of the article.
The letter used comas and period in the names of the supposed signatories which is not the practice in the AFP.
The names were also written in sentence case, contrary to the all capitalized style in the military.
Another notable mistake was the used of “Capt.” as ranks of two of the supposed signatories the Philippine Army and the Marines. The Army and Marines use “CPT.”
The Tribune also tried to seek other military and police sources regarding ROU but they were one in dismissing the group as non-existent and bogus.
The manifesto, called an “Article of Faith,” carried the signatures of representatives from all the military commands, the Philippine Army, the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Marines and the Presidential Security Guard, and civilian security agencies Philippine National Police, Coast Guard and the National Bureau of Investigation.
The names in the manifesto, however, are all likely pseudonyms.
The ROU said it reached a “crucial decision,” which it did not state clearly, after many of its supposed members attended the recent rally at the Luneta Park or the Million People March last Aug. 26.
The decision was arrived at “after much contemplation of the political, social, economic and national security situations that turned from bad to worse, after we have vetted our organization, purged its ranks of opportunists and fake nationalists and after we have consulted some of our elders in the military, legal profession, farmers and those from the business, church, academe, labor and civil society groups.”
“Rest assured, together we will win this battle if possible with less bloodshed,” the ROU said in the manifesto.
Zagala, however, stressed the 120,000-strong military organization’s chain of command remains strong and professional.
“The AFP remains professional and loyal to the chain of command. We don’t engage in partisan activity,” he said.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/19107-afp-downplays-new-movement-in-military
The military leadership has dismissed a supposed disgruntled group within the uniformed services calling itself as Reformist Officers United (ROU) which came out with a statement last Wednesday criticizing the Aquino administration.
Armed Forces of the Philippines-Public Affairs Office (PAO) chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala expressed belief that ROU’s “Article of Faith” did not originate from the military.
“It appears the tone of the letter is not military,” Zagala told the Tribune.
Aside from non-military issues tackled in the “Article of Faith,” Zagala also noted non-military style of writing names and ranks of the supposed leaders of ROU who were signatories of the article.
The letter used comas and period in the names of the supposed signatories which is not the practice in the AFP.
The names were also written in sentence case, contrary to the all capitalized style in the military.
Another notable mistake was the used of “Capt.” as ranks of two of the supposed signatories the Philippine Army and the Marines. The Army and Marines use “CPT.”
The Tribune also tried to seek other military and police sources regarding ROU but they were one in dismissing the group as non-existent and bogus.
The manifesto, called an “Article of Faith,” carried the signatures of representatives from all the military commands, the Philippine Army, the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Marines and the Presidential Security Guard, and civilian security agencies Philippine National Police, Coast Guard and the National Bureau of Investigation.
The names in the manifesto, however, are all likely pseudonyms.
The ROU said it reached a “crucial decision,” which it did not state clearly, after many of its supposed members attended the recent rally at the Luneta Park or the Million People March last Aug. 26.
The decision was arrived at “after much contemplation of the political, social, economic and national security situations that turned from bad to worse, after we have vetted our organization, purged its ranks of opportunists and fake nationalists and after we have consulted some of our elders in the military, legal profession, farmers and those from the business, church, academe, labor and civil society groups.”
“Rest assured, together we will win this battle if possible with less bloodshed,” the ROU said in the manifesto.
Zagala, however, stressed the 120,000-strong military organization’s chain of command remains strong and professional.
“The AFP remains professional and loyal to the chain of command. We don’t engage in partisan activity,” he said.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/19107-afp-downplays-new-movement-in-military
Misuari: Audio--A Call to the Ummat Islam of Bangsamoro from Sheikh Habier Malik
Posted to the Facebook page of Nur Misuari (Sep 13): Audio: A Call to the Ummat Islam of Bangsamoro from Sheikh Habier Malik
Alhamdulillah! in guru natuh Mujahid Usatdz Haber, yaon da masi ima-agpang. Pag datung hi PINOY nag order all-out assult pagsakali naka retreat in parinta, dihilan damag sin Allah kaina, sah nag balik!
Allahu Akbar....Duaa in sanjata sin Muslim - Allahu Akbar!
Allahu Akbar....Duaa in sanjata sin Muslim - Allahu Akbar!
MNLF: Editorial--Aquino Government (has) no Respect for September 2, 1996 GRP-OIC-MNLF Jakarta Peace Agreement
Posted to the MNLF Website (Sep 12): Editorial: Aquino Government (has) no Respect for September 2, 1996 GRP-OIC-MNLF Jakarta Peace Agreement
CAUSES OF THE SUDDEN ERUPTION OF FILIPINO-MORO WAR INZAMBOANGA CITY
Showing total disrespect to the 1996 Peace Agreement forged during the Ramos administration, Predsident Benigno S. Aquino III disregarded the advise of former President Fidel V. Ramos to engage in peace dialogue Chairman Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) regarding the complete implementation of the peace accord. He also altogether sidelined the 58-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in conspiring withMalaysia
Consciously or unconsciously, President Aquino might have forgotten the fact that the original ARMM was the creation of his mother's government and that it was completely rejected by both the MNLF and the OIC.
Thus, once the MNLF leadership was informed by the OIC of the tactical move of the Aquino regime to terminate the peace process with the Moro National Liberation Front, the MNLF Chairman in consultation with the various MNLF leaders decided to prepare a revolutionary government constitution towards the establishment of the United Federated States of Bangsamoro Republik (UFSBR) during last week of July, 2013.
DAVAO
CITY PEACE RALLY IN SUPPORT OF
MINDANAO INDEPENDENCE
Davao City
After the successful peace demonstrations in the town ofJolo
and in Davao City , the MNLF leaders decided to continue the
momentum of peace rally in Zamboanga
City Mindanao under Philippine colonial hegemony..
http://mnlfnet.com/Articles/Editorial_12Sept2013_Aquino%20Govt%20Have%20No%20Respect.htm
CAUSES OF THE SUDDEN ERUPTION OF FILIPINO-MORO WAR IN
Showing total disrespect to the 1996 Peace Agreement forged during the Ramos administration, Predsident Benigno S. Aquino III disregarded the advise of former President Fidel V. Ramos to engage in peace dialogue Chairman Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) regarding the complete implementation of the peace accord. He also altogether sidelined the 58-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in conspiring with
Consciously or unconsciously, President Aquino might have forgotten the fact that the original ARMM was the creation of his mother's government and that it was completely rejected by both the MNLF and the OIC.
Thus, once the MNLF leadership was informed by the OIC of the tactical move of the Aquino regime to terminate the peace process with the Moro National Liberation Front, the MNLF Chairman in consultation with the various MNLF leaders decided to prepare a revolutionary government constitution towards the establishment of the United Federated States of Bangsamoro Republik (UFSBR) during last week of July, 2013.
BANGSAMORO CONSTITUTION AND BANGSAMORO
REPUBLIK
The declaration of the Bangsamoro
Constitution and proclamation of an independent Bangsamoro Republik with Davao City
In Talipao, Sulu on the first week of
August, 2013, MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari formally declared the freedom,
liberty and independence of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan (MINSUPALA),
including North Borneo ('Sabah '). In history,
North Borneo is always included in the sovereign domain of the Sultanate of
Sulu and North Borneo (SSBN), comprising specifically of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan,
Zamboanga Peninsula ,
Palawan and North Borneo .
JOLO PEACE ASSEMBLY CALLING FOR BANGSAMORO
FREEDOM AND UNITY
After the declaration of independence of the Federated States of Bangsamoro Republik invo However, the colonial Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) occupation soldiers used, as usual, force and firepower to drive them out of Zamboanga City. But the MNLF freedom fighters stood their ground engaging the Philippine military troops equipped with tank reinforcements and helicopter gunships beginning on September 9, 2013.
After the declaration of independence of the Federated States of Bangsamoro Republik invo However, the colonial Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) occupation soldiers used, as usual, force and firepower to drive them out of Zamboanga City. But the MNLF freedom fighters stood their ground engaging the Philippine military troops equipped with tank reinforcements and helicopter gunships beginning on September 9, 2013.
After the successful peace demonstrations in the town of
HARASSMENT AND ARREST OF MNLF MEMBERS IN ZAMBOANGA CITY
Clearly, it is noted that another factor that led to the Filipino-Moro war now raging inZamboanga City Zamboanga City
The alarming turn of events just dismayed the MNLF freedom fighters in Zamboanga peninsula, Basilan and Sulu. Thus, they decided to come to the aid and rescue of the persecuted MNLF civilian members, who have come toZamboanga
City from all over Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan .
Demonstrating to the Philippine colonial government that the Bangsamoro people have the legitimate and historical right to proclaim their independence and national self-determination by any possible peaceful means, the MNLF freedom fighters entered the four areas of Rio Hondo, Sta. Catalina, Talon-Talon and Sta. Barbara to press their claim to a peaceful rally and raising publicly the MNLF-Bangsamoro national flag.
However, the colonial Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) occupation soldiers used, as usual, force and firepower to drive them out of Zamboanga City. But the MNLF freedom fighters stood their ground engaging the Philippine military troops equipped with tank reinforcements and helicopter gunships beginning on September 9, 2013.
On September 10, it is reported that six (6) soldiers have been killed and twenty four (24) have sustained injuries, including some innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
In the continuing 2-day firefight between Filipino and Bangsamoro combatants, five (5) civilian houses in Sta. Barbara have been razed to the ground. Using theZamboanga City Medical
Center
On one hand, the entire city ofZamboanga
On this tragic event though, the people ofZamboanga City have expressed both anxiety and hope that peace
should be the priority of the Manila
government and MNLF to achieve.
Clearly, it is noted that another factor that led to the Filipino-Moro war now raging in
The alarming turn of events just dismayed the MNLF freedom fighters in Zamboanga peninsula, Basilan and Sulu. Thus, they decided to come to the aid and rescue of the persecuted MNLF civilian members, who have come to
Demonstrating to the Philippine colonial government that the Bangsamoro people have the legitimate and historical right to proclaim their independence and national self-determination by any possible peaceful means, the MNLF freedom fighters entered the four areas of Rio Hondo, Sta. Catalina, Talon-Talon and Sta. Barbara to press their claim to a peaceful rally and raising publicly the MNLF-Bangsamoro national flag.
However, the colonial Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) occupation soldiers used, as usual, force and firepower to drive them out of Zamboanga City. But the MNLF freedom fighters stood their ground engaging the Philippine military troops equipped with tank reinforcements and helicopter gunships beginning on September 9, 2013.
On September 10, it is reported that six (6) soldiers have been killed and twenty four (24) have sustained injuries, including some innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
In the continuing 2-day firefight between Filipino and Bangsamoro combatants, five (5) civilian houses in Sta. Barbara have been razed to the ground. Using the
On one hand, the entire city of
On this tragic event though, the people of
http://mnlfnet.com/Articles/Editorial_12Sept2013_Aquino%20Govt%20Have%20No%20Respect.htm
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