Army overruns MILF camp

ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Government troops overran a large Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camp on the boundary of Balo-i and Munai towns in Lanao del Norte Thursday night, the Armed Forces said yesterday.

Col. Rafael Romero, Armed Forces spokesman, said Camp Bilal was a staging point for MILF guerrillas who attack civilian populations in nearby towns.

As some 4,000 Army troops inched their way into MILF territory they were provided air cover by Air Force planes and backed up by armored vehicles, Romero said

Marines and Army troops were still conducting mopping-up operations in the area, he added.

About 2,000 MILF guerrillas retreated from at least five towns as government troops pushed their offensive in Lanao del Norte.

Reports said the MILF had earlier established shadow governments in the towns of Tambo, Matungao, Tangkal, Balo-i, and Munai.

At least 40 MILF guerrillas have been killed in running gunbattles, which broke out early last week, and 300 casualties have been reported since the fighting in Lanao del Norte erupted last month, the Armed Forces said yesterday.

At least 72 MILF guerrillas and 23 soldiers have been killed and some 21,000 families were displaced following sporadic fighting between government troops and MILF guerrillas, the Armed Forces said.

Romero said militiamen from the Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) will be stationed in Camp Bilal when Armed Forces chief Gen. Angelo Reyes and other top military officials arrive today.

Camp Bilal is the third MILF camp to be captured and occupied by the military this year.

Last month, Marines and Army troops took Camp John Mack in Kauswagan town and Camp Omar, the MILF's largest lair, in February.

National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre said the military offensive was part of the government's four-point policy of asserting its authority while pursuing peace talks with the rebels.

The policy's objective was to prevent the rebels, primarily the MILF, from harassing the civilian population and attacking and occupying remote towns, he added.

In Congress, Bukidnon Rep, Juan Miguel Zubiri urged President Estrada to declare a ceasefire with rebels to allow combatants to observe Holy Week in peace.

"All it takes is an order from Commander-in-Chief Erap," he said.

Zubiri said a unilateral truce declaration by the government should be matched by a similar gesture from the communists and the separatists.

Mr. Estrada's two predecessors, Fidel Ramos and Corazon Aquino, had always declared a Lenten truce, he added.

On the other hand, Bohol Rep. Ernesto Herrera said the government was partly to blame for the Mindanao conflict because of its failure to release funds to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

He said the ARMM's budget in 1998 was P4.94 billion, which was cut to P4.37 billion last year, and then increased to P4.53 billion this year.

"But these figures are only on paper, and I am now inclined to believe Gov. Nur Misuari that a huge chunk of these funds has not been released to the regional government," he said.

However, Herrera said the lack of funds cannot account for the ARMM people's disenchantment with Gov. Nur Misuari.

"Gov. Misuari still has a lot of explaining to do, especially with regard to his foreign trips and his ominous silence on issues pertaining to Mindanao," he said. "He also must give a full accounting of the funds the region received and his accomplishments."--