Misuari: I am innocent

Amid heavy security, detained Muslim leader Nur Misuari maintained yesterday his innocence of the rebellion charges against him even as his arraignment was postponed anew due to issues raised by his lawyers.

"I am innocent of the charges," a defiant Misuari, former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), told a brief press conference after the court hearing.

He insisted that he did not want to take up arms again. But the former rebel leader was vague when asked by reporters if he would go back to the hills if the court hands down a decision not to his liking.

"I hate war and I don’t want bloodshed. All I want is a simple autonomy for my people which this government refused to give," Misuari said, making it clear that he doesn’t expect a favorable decision.

"If I will not obtain justice here, I reserve the right to bring my case before the international courts of justice," he said. "If I don’t get justice here, I will get it somewhere. I will defend my people by any means available."

As for the unprovoked attack by hundreds of his armed followers on an Army base in Sulu last Nov. 19, Misuari said, "What I did was nothing but a mere wake-up call for the government."

Security was tight at Fort Sto. Domingo, a training camp of the crack Philippine National Police Special Action Force in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, where Misuari – considered a high security risk – is being detained.

The court hearing was held in a special courtroom built inside the camp, 50 kilometers south of Metro Manila. Journalists were allowed inside the camp only after being subjected to a rigid security check.

Everything was normal outside the camp. Instead of the expected dozens of Misuari supporters to show up outside the gates, only about 25 loyalists held a peaceful rally protesting the trial.

"We are not here for anything but in support of Chairman Nur’s call for the peaceful resolution of this case," Misuari supporter Samer Edris said.

Misuari, 60, faces up to 10 years in prison if found guilty of inciting his followers in November to mount a failed armed rebellion in Jolo and Zamboanga City. The revolt claimed nearly 200 lives, mostly Misuari followers.

A week before the ARMM election on Nov. 26, about 600 Misuari supporters attacked an Army base in Jolo, Sulu after President Arroyo refused to support his re-election bid as governor of the region, which he had ruled since 1996.

Prosecutors claim the attack was meant to derail the polls. Misuari was not eligible for re-election after his four-year term.

In 1972, Misuari launched a separatist rebellion in which over 120,000 were killed. His group, the Moro National Liberation Front, signed a peace settlement in 1996 brokered by the Organization of Islamic Conference.

Misuari later claimed the government reneged on the accord. "On trial here is not only Nur Misuari but the Philippine government and the OIC because this case accrued from the failure to implement the peace agreement," he said yesterday. "If there is anyone who is guilty, it is the state."

"The arraignment has been deferred because of pending motions that still have to be resolved by the court," Misuari lawyer Salvador Panelo said after his client’s brief court appearance. The arraignment was reset to May 30.

Panelo said they told Judge Norberto Geraldez, of the Calamba regional trial court, their client could not be arraigned while leaving unresolved certain issues related to the case. The postponement was the second in two months.

"If we don’t get favorable rulings on our motion, we will elevate the issue to the court of last resort, the Supreme Court. This is just the beginning," Misuari’s lead counsel, Homobono Adaza, said.

Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño accused the defense of delaying the trial.

The court must rule first on Misuari’s petition to have the charges against him thrown out for lack of merit. Adaza said he would seek the transfer of the trial to a regular court in Manila, instead of inside the police camp, and to allow full media coverage of the proceedings.

Geraldez had earlier barred television crews and photographers from the courtroom, and Adaza said both issues smacked of discrimination.

"Is it because he is a Muslim and he is from Mindanao?" Adaza asked.

Geraldez gave the prosecutors five days to file their opposition and three days to the defense to submit their reply.

Meanwhile, a group of armed men reportedly loyal to Misuari has allegedly occupied several islands off Zamboanga City, according to police.

City police director Supt. Mario Yanga said the so-called Misuari Renegade Group, led by a certain Samson Akbari, occupied seven islands of a small island group and robbed local residents. At least 30 terrorized families fled their homes.

Yanga said he has sent police officers, accompanied by soldiers, to verify the evacuees’ claims. — With AFP, AP, Roel Pareño