Military moves in to curb violence in Moro-Ilonggo land dispute

From the Manila Bulletin (Nov 14): Military moves in to curb violence in Moro-Ilonggo land dispute  

Cotabato City – Government forces have been ordered to stand between two warring sides in a land dispute in Datu Abdullah Sangki (DAS), Maguindanao in an effort to curb further violence that has so far claimed five lives, injured many others and displaced dozens of families.

Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, head of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division (6ID), said military contingents have encamped at DAS, Maguindanao  to secure the area and prevent further armed confrontation between armed Moro resident-peasants and Ilonggo settlers who are reportedly backed by elements of the once-dreaded “Ilaga” cultist group.

The two groups are disputing ownership of a 40 hectare rice farm in the town.

Soldiers from the 33rd Battalion of the 601st Brigade, a 6ID unit, have occupied the vicinity of the disputed land on the tri-boundary of Barangays Banaba, Talisawa and Guinibon southwest of DAS town.

Violence erupted a week ago when members of the two rival camps, armed with high-caliber rifles and grenade launchers, traded shots that  resulted in the reported killing of five protagonists.

The incident also wounded other clan members and sent dozens of families from the town scampering for safety for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

One of those killed was identified as a certain “Kumander Badoy,” said to be a local leader of the cultist “Pulahan (red)” group of Ilonggo migrants from the adjacent town of Tulunan in North Cotabato. Followers of the slain leader reportedly vowed to avenge his death, while the native Maguindanaon  residents also beefed up forces, field reports said.

Pangilinan said the presence of military and police forces will prevent a resurgence of the cultist “Ilaga” group that may taint the gains made by the government’s peace agreements with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

“We will not let it (revival of intruding cultist settlers) resurface and cause trouble. The military has been painstakingly helping nurture the normalcy being brought about by the peace process in Central Mindanao,” he told reporters last Wednesday at his headquarters in Awang, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.

The “Ilaga” movement, composed mostly of migrants from the Visayas, gained notoriety during the Martial Law era when its forces enjoyed military backing in repulsing the so-called “Blackshirt” rebellion, which later evolved into the formation of the then unified MNLF. The MNLF had eventually splintered into factions including the MILF.

http://www.mb.com.ph/military-moves-in-to-curb-violence-in-moro-ilonggo-land-dispute/