CEBU, Philippines – Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro laughed off claims made by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that its fighters had shot down a military spy plane during a recent encounter with government troops in Mindanao.
What spy plane are they talking about? We don’t have one and obviously this is a desperate ploy by the MILF to mislead the public about the real situation in the south,” said Teodoro when interviewed by newsmen before receiving the 2009 “Ulirang Ama” Awards at the Century Park Hotel Sunday.
“For all we know it’s just a remote-controlled plane, which can be easily bought in Greenhills. This is a preposterous allegation which I refuse to dignify further,” Teodoro said.
The defense chief said there is no need for government troops to use such equipment because in all fronts they have the upper hand against the MILF, particularly in intelligence gathering.
“Government troops are getting much-needed help from civilians themselves, who are providing us with critical information about the movements of the MILF and their armed units,” Teodoro said.
He said the civilians are the most important and indispensable source of information of the military and that no amount of intelligence equipment can equal this in the government’s fight against the atrocities of the separatist group in the south.
According to Teodoro, MILF rebels tried but failed to seize control of the town of Maasim in Saranggani last year because of strong resistance from civilians who fought it out with the rebels in defense of their community.
It was the same town which was rocked by explosions on Saturday. Teodoro said, government troops are now closely monitoring the investigation of the incident for possible link with the separatist group. – PR (THE FREEMAN)