Pro-Misuari cops refuse to leave Jolo

JOLO, SULU — Policemen loyal to jailed former governor Nur Misuari of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) have refused to leave Jolo and surrender their firearms unless the Marines and Army Scout Rangers are withdrawn.

The Misuari loyalists ambushed soldiers in a public market the other day, killing three Scout Rangers and pushing the confirmed death toll in two days of unrest to 21.

At Malacañang, Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao told reporters President Arroyo has instructed Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes and Interior Secretary Jose Lina Jr. to fly to Jolo to assure the residents that the government is on top of the situation.

"And if there are any military or police personnel who had been found violating the law that triggered the incident, they should be prosecuted," he said.

Reyes and Lina met yesterday with Armed Forces chief Gen. Diomedio Villanueva and Philippine National Police chief Director General Leandro Mendoza to "sort out" the incident, he added.

Up to 50 members of the 400-strong police special mobile group — former rebels drawn from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) — were to have been shipped out of Misuari’s stronghold Wednesday night.

"If their demands are not met, they may return to the hills," a military official, who asked for anonymity, said.

ARMM police chief Senior Superintendent Akmad Omar said he was to fly to Jolo later yesterday to meet military officials and persuade the policemen to leave the island.

"I am saddened by what happened and we are now trying to find out who started the fighting," he said. "We will do everything to bring peace back to Jolo."

At Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya, Armed Forces deputy chief, told reporters the police special mobile group and Marine Battalion Landing Team 2 will be shipped out of Jolo.

"The PNP integrees will be transferred to Parang, Maguindanao," he said. "The (Marines) will be moved to Luuk town, also in Sulu and later transferred to Palawan. Things are okay. There are no more incidents after these two incidents. At the moment, all units are now inside their barracks."

In Patikul town, 11 soldiers were wounded Wednesday when combined forces of Abu Sayyaf bandits and Misuari partisans ambushed them.

Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, military Southern Command chief, told reporters the platoon from the Army’s 4th Infantry Battalion was ambushed in Barangay Buanza at around 12:45 p.m. while on their way to reinforce troops in the field.

Cimatu identified eight of the wounded soldiers as Sgt. Abarquez, Cpl. Defenio, Cpl. Avila, Pfc. Dela Cruz, Pfc. Clarion, Pfc. Marquez, Pfc. Saripada, and Pvt. Caloyloy.

With heavy casualties, the rebels were forced to withdraw after the 30-minute firefight when reinforcing troops linked up with the main body of the government forces, he added.

Cimatu said the ambush occurred barely three hours after three Army Scout Rangers were attacked and killed in Jolo market by policemen loyal to Misuari.

Two Air Force helicopters strafed the fleeing rebels and Army artillery shelled their positions to prevent them from eluding pursuing troops, he added.

Cimatu said there were no immediate reports of casualties from the air strikes but that ground forces reported that the Abu Sayyaf "suffered a lot" from the offensive.

Military field commanders immediately flew to Sulu with ARMM Gov. Parouk Hussin to assess the situation and draft plans to prevent violence from spilling over to other towns in Sulu, he added.

The former rebels have been restricted to camp since Wednesday when members of the unit allegedly ambushed three Army Scout Rangers at the Jolo public market.

The unit was also involved in a firefight with Marines in Jolo last Tuesday that left 21 people dead, including nine Marines.

Military officials moved yesterday to ease the tension in Jolo, which was virtually turned into a ghost town–no military patrols were seen as they were confined to barracks to prevent further fighting.

"We need to defuse the tension in the province and we are all concerned about the situation, but there have been no new reports of clashes overnight," said Col. Roland Detabali, Southcom operations chief. – Roel Pareño, Marichu Villanueva, Paolo Romero