DND eyes terror tag on MILF

The Department of National Defense (DND) pushed yesterday for the inclusion of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the United States terror list following the attacks in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte and in Korona-dal City, South Cotabato last Saturday.

The government, however, has not yet decided if it will declare the MILF as a terrorist organization, diplomatic sources said yesterday.

Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said the MILF’s continued terrorist activities showed its leaders were not sincere in negotiating peace with the government.

"We have long wanted that the MILF adopt a more serious attitude toward the peaceful settlement of this conflict, but if it is indeed established that they are once again perpetrating these incidents, then the government might be constrained to really examine their terror status," he said.

Reyes said the MILF deserves to be included in the US list of terrorist organizations, lumped together with the Communist Party of the Philippines, its armed wing the New People’s Army, and the Abu Sayyaf Islamist group.

"Well, if they will be designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US, then that is how it is. If they deserve it (then) they’ll get it," he said.

The MILF has been observed to connive with the Abu Sayyaf in past bomb attacks, Reyes said.

"We’ve known all along that there is this switching of membership — sometimes they are Abu Sayyaf, sometimes they are MILF, sometimes they are criminals — so it’s difficult, it’s not a homogeneous group," he said.

Reyes’ calls for the MILF to be included in the US terror list came in the wake of the release of artists’ sketches by the Philippine National Police (PNP) of two suspected bombers in Koronadal that left at least nine people dead last Saturday.

Witnesses described one of the suspects as about 5’4" tall, of medium build and with brown complexion. The suspect was seen by witnesses to be roaming the vicinity of the blast site just before the explosion, said PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil.

According to Armed Forces vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia, authorities were able to recover fragments of a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank at the scene, which could have been used in the explosion.

"The LPG tank was filled with explosives. We were able to secure fragments of the LPG tank. This is the first time (that an LPG tank was used in a bomb attack), if I recall correctly. It’s still being analyzed," he said.

Garcia refused to directly link the MILF or the Abu Sayyaf to the Koronadal blast.

"Wala pa talagang siguradong (There is no definite) evidence pointing to the MILF, although the MILF and the Abu Sayyaf are suspects. But we can’t be sure as this is still being investigated," he said, noting that both groups have the capability to conduct such attacks.

Meanwhile, another bomb was discovered in Koronadal yesterday morning.

An improvised explosive device was found at about 8:30 a.m. by authorities near the Koronadal public market, where the recent bombing occurred. Police bomb experts detonated the bomb before it had a chance to explode.

On the other hand, sources said some Mindanao congressmen, as well as representatives from different sectors of society, are reportedly holding President Arroyo back from declaring the MILF as a terrorist organization.

"(The government) can follow the (lead of the) United States or we can go ahead of the US," a source said.

Diplomatic sources added that the government may start lobbying with other countries to declare the MILF as a terrorist organization.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople made a similar move when he and other officials requested foreign governments to declare the CPP-NPA and the Abu Sayyaf as terrorist organizations.

"We have not decided as a (matter of policy) whether to tag the MILF as terrorists or not. Like in the case of the CPP-NPA, we declared them a terrorist organization, but we still have back channels. That is why we are being criticized (for negotiating) with them for peace when we have already declared them as terrorists," another source said.

The Philippines, according to sources, will not bring the matter to the attention of the entire Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which has 56 member countries.

"We are not in favor of going to the OIC for the MILF (problem). It is enough we committed a mistake with the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front). The MILF should never be in the OIC’s agenda," a source said.

President Fidel Ramos signed a peace agreement with MNLF leader Nur Misuari under the auspices of the OIC in September 1996. The MNLF, however, has repeatedly violated the agreement.

The source added that the government may instead have bilateral consultations with three countries that are members of the OIC’s Committee of the Eight and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The government’s problem with the MILF, sources said, is better discussed with countries like Indonesia, which chairs the Committee of the Eight, as well as Brunei and Malaysia, also members of the committee.

These three countries can help the Philippines better compared to the OIC, an organization where the Philippines does not even hold an observer’s status, they said.

Sources added Indonesia is also not in favor of bringing the MILF problem to the OIC, telling officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs that the matter should be limited to the Committee of Eight "because Indonesia is the chairman and we were told they can help."