Gov't troopers killed in MILF fighting now total 101

The number of soldiers killed in clashes between the military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao reached 101 yesterday, the military said.

Reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo also said 495 soldiers have been wounded and 12 Marines were still missing in action.

Sporadic fighting continued yesterday in Maguindanao as the MILF pulled back from Narciso Ramos Highway. The military said 23 rebels were killed and four soldiers were wounded in a five-hour gunbattle.

President Estrada had ordered repairs made immediately on the highway so it can be reopened to traffic by next week. Soldiers have been securing the key road to prevent the rebels from returning.

"We are hopeful that the first buses can get through by the weekend. This is important because the government has been pushing for the opening of the Narciso Ramos Highway, we want to make sure that commerce flows freely in Central Mindanao," Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora said.

A clash also flared up in the town of Isulan, Sultan Kudarat. Two soldiers were wounded, Army 6th Infantry Division spokesman Capt. Noel Detoyato said. There was no report of MILF casualties.

Detoyato said the estimated 100 rebels who attacked the town probably belonged to the group which took over a village in Esperanza town also in Sultan Kudarat last Saturday.

MILF vice chairman for military affairs Al-Haj Murad yesterday said they were ready to discuss with the government a delineation of their forces to prevent clashes.

Murad said they have already informed the government peace panel about their intention.

In nearby Maguindanao, the bodies of nine Army Scout Rangers and 11 Marines were found yesterday in Matanog town, which was the scene of heavy fighting for control of Narciso Ramos Highway.

Murad said they have no intention of retaking the road which borders Camp Abubakar, the MILF main base.

Military spokesman Col. Rafael Romero said they were hoping that the 12 missing soldiers were still alive and were only taken prisoner by the rebels.

The Army also found the bodies of 11 rebels. The military said the MILF may claim the remains by coordinating with the Army.

The military will send two more battalions -- about 1,000 men -- to Maguindanao in the next few weeks to reinforce the six battalions there.

Two battalions based in Eastern Visayas left Tacloban, Leyte yesterday, also for Mindanao.

With the MILF pullout, the governors of the four-province Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao appealed yesterday to President Estrada to order a ceasefire and resumption of peace talks.

"Your people, our people, like most people everywhere, hunger for peace. We believe that you can effectively grant them their wish and profound aspiration now," they said in their letter to Mr. Estrada.

A Muslim-Christian group also asked the government and the MILF to resume talks without setting preconditions.

Three non-government organizations criticized the government for not ordering a ceasefire despite an MILF offer to return to the negotiating table after the withdrawal from Narciso Ramos Highway.

The government, which earlier demanded an MILF pullout for peace talks to resume, is still studying the peace offer.

Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado told a Senate hearing yesterday he would make his recommendation to the President after meeting with top military officials today in Mindanao.

Despite the recent clashes with the MILF -- the worst in recent years -- Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Manuel Yan told the hearing that a peaceful settlement with the MILF was still possible.

"It really depends on the skill of both the MILF and the government panels," Yan said.

But Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, a former defense minister, doubted reaching a settlement because the MILF wants Mindanao to become an Islamic state.

The hearing soured when Senate Minority Leader Teofisto Guingona and Sen. Renato Cayetano learned that the government negotiating panel signed an agreement with the MILF on Feb. 10 last year recognizing Camp Abubakar and 46 other MILF camps as "MILF territories."

"In effect, the Philippines is giving up these areas to the MILF!" Guingona said.

"The MILF has found a sanctuary where they are safe from military attacks," Cayetano said. "What is worse is that the government negotiators have committed to recognize more MILF territories in the future." -- With reports from Lino dela Cruz, Paolo Romero, Allen Estabillo, John Unson, Perseus Echeminada, Efren Danao, Edith Regalado, Christina Mendez, Sandy Araneta, Matthew Estabillo, Ulysses Torres Sabuco