DAVAO CITY – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is now bracing for an all-out war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) after the government decided to cancel the proposed Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).
This even as a senior military officer claimed that the rebel group has been recruiting new fighters in Sulu, promising integration to the AFP.
The Office of the Presidential Assistant on the Peace Process (OPAPP) has reportedly formally informed the Malaysian government, which is acting as a peace process facilitator between the two parties, that the Philippine government is no longer signing the MOA-AD.
As the negotiation process dictates, the Malaysians shall officially relay the information anytime to the MILF peace panel.
Sources in the military community in the south said AFP chief Gen. Alexander Yano has issued guidance for the AFP to anticipate a declaration of an “all-out war” by the MILF as a worst case scenario in reaction to the government’s dropping of the MOA-AD.
“Alert all forces for this possible contingency,” Yano was quoted by military officers in Mindanao.
The AFP chief stressed that while punitive action shall continue against the 102nd, 103rd and 105th base commands of the MILF, the ceasefire and active defense posture with the other MILF groups still stands.
The AFP has also augmented existing troops in Central and Northern Mindanao following the renewed skirmishes with the forces of MILF commanders Umbra Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte.
At least six Army battalions have been moved from the Visayas and Luzon to Mindanao since last month.
Recruitment
Maj. Gen. Juancho Sabban, Joint Task Force Comet chief based in Jolo, said the MILF is collecting a P2,000 membership fee from its recruits and warned civilians that there is no integration of MILF into the AFP.
Sabban condemned the deceit and ploy of the MILF in victimizing innocent civilians who wish to join the AFP organization, citing that the rebel’s strategy is to expand and strengthen their organization in the province.
“Now it is clear what this expansion is for. It is a clear anticipation of some MILF resistance against the Philippine government,” Sabban said.
He said the number of the MILF in Sulu is still insignificant but their presence is already proof of the veracity of recruitment that did not exist before the peace talks began in 2001.
There was no immediate figure on the strength of the MILF, a breakaway faction of the mainstream Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) that signed a peace accord with the government in 1996.
There were reports that the MILF have been soliciting rouge MNLF members to merge with its ranks.
Sabban ordered all the ground commanders to conduct defensive measures to disrupt the MILF’s recruitment activities through massive information in the villages of Sulu.
“The MILF must be stopped from using illusive and false promises to lure membership, while demanding money,” he said. “We are informing the public that there is no signing yet of the final peace agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the MILF.”
However, Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, AFP public affairs office chief, said they have already prepared for any scenario even during the start of the fighting in several areas of Mindanao.
“We are prepared for any eventuality,” Torres said.
He added that combat operations during the past month have greatly degraded the capability of some MILF groups, particularly those who attacked villages in North Cotabato and Lanao del Sur.
Despite this, the military spokesman is optimistic that the move does not mean abandonment of the peace talks, but rather a way of formulating other mechanisms more responsive to the situation in Mindanao.
He said they are hoping the new developments in the peace process would not lead to escalation of hostilities in Mindanao because there are still other peace mechanisms in place, such as the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities and the International Monitoring Team, whose term was extended for another three months.
But he said they are not discounting that MILF base commands on the run are still capable of launching small scale attacks such as ambuscades and harassment on military detachments because of reports that the groups have splintered to avoid detection.
“In accordance with the guidance of our chief of staff, if they would be operating or launching operations in big numbers then it is our commanders’ call to use the full might of the armed forces to thwart such plans to commit atrocities,” he said.
Yesterday, top defense and military officials briefed members of the Senate defense committee on the updates of operations against MILF commanders Kato and Macapaar alias Commander Bravo and their followers.
After the briefing, the lawmakers, led by Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, pledged to support the military’s modernization program and the need to improve operational funds, equipment and increase in manpower.
Travel advisory
Meanwhile, Australia strongly advised yesterday its nationals not to travel to Mindanao due to the continuing armed clashes between government troops and the MILF and the high threat of terrorist attack in some towns and cities in Southern Philippines.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) also issued the travel advisory to advise their citizens who may be in the towns and cities in North Cotabato, Sarangani, and South Cotabato including General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat and Lanao del Norte provinces, including Iligan City, to consider leaving these areas because of a continuing high threat of terrorist attack.
“Credible information indicates terrorists may be in the advanced stages of planning attacks. Attacks may be imminent and could occur at any time, anywhere in Mindanao. Attacks could occur in the lead-up to and following religious celebrations,” part of the advisory reads.
Australian nationals were also advised to exercise a high degree of caution in the Philippines.
“We continue to receive credible reports indicating that terrorists are planning attacks against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners. Some reports suggest that terrorists could target sites in Metro Manila and Mindanao, including the Sulu Archipelago,” the advisory said.
Last month, Australia advised its nationals to avoid sea travel in the Philippines, saying it is hazardous because ferries lack necessary life-saving equipment. – Roel Pareño, James Mananghaya, Pia Lee-Brago