13,000 people displaced in Zamboanga crisis

MANILA, Philippines - Some 13,000 people have been displaced by pockets of violence in some villages in Zamboanga City where gunmen belonging to the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) have been holed up with hostages and engaging security forces in sporadic gunfights since Monday.

As officials appealed to the MNLF for the release of close to 200 civilian hostages, some 500 men from the elite Scout Rangers have been pulled out from Negros Oriental and sent to Zamboanga to reinforce soldiers and policemen holding the gunmen at bay in at least three villages.

At Malacañang, President Aquino yesterday said the “overwhelming” deployment of troops to the besieged Zamboanga villages was aimed at containing the crisis and protecting civilians.

“We have already airlifted more of our troops, along with our most elite forces, and they are already in Zamboanga City,” Aquino said. “The way I understand it, the situation there will now be calm.”

Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said the rebels were demanding international mediation. 

“They say that it’s an international problem, and no less than the international community, the UN, should come in,” she told television network ABS-CBN.

But Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II said the standoff is “an internal matter” and that “there’s no need for a third party” to resolve it.

He also appealed for patience as the government looks for ways to end the crisis without shedding more blood.

“So we appeal to the people to prolong their patience. It’s too easy to pull the trigger but we have to try other peaceful means,” Roxas said.

There were no immediate reports of anyone hurt in yesterday’s sporadic trading of fire.

At least nine people have been killed since the standoff began Monday.

Secretary Teresita Deles of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process said the buildup of forces “is an option definitely for containment.”

“So if there are actions that endanger civilians, certainly, our military, our police are there. Our government is very conscious of the civilians that are going to be affected,” she said.

She called the MNLF uprising “not unusual” but cautioned officials to handle it carefully.

“In all the peace processes you will find, it is not unusual that there is an outbreak of violence or some violent disturbance. What is important is not that these things happen or do not happen but how we stand up to it,” Deles told Malacañang reporters. – With Delon Porcalla, Rainier Allan Ronda, Edith Regalado, John Unson, Danny  Dangcalan, Gerry Lee Gorit, Ramil Bajo, Alexis Romero