MILF rebels torch day care center, attack 2 villages in Sarangani

KORONADAL CITY – Suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels torched a day care center and attacked two villages in Sarangani province.

The military said the rebels attacked the villages of Kling and Gasi in Kiamba town with rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) late Friday.

The rebels were led by a certain Commander Binago of the MILF’s 105th Base Command, according to Col. Ricardo Rainier Cruz of the Army’s 1002nd Brigade.

Cruz said the rebels initially swooped down on the coconut plantation of Sarangani Vice Gov. Steve Solon, firing RPGs as they set fire to the houses of villagers.

Two villagers, identified as Gloria Barrientos and Jupiter Piquero, were hurt in the attack.

Cruz said the rebels withdrew when responding troops from the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion (IB) closed in.

Kiamba, on the coast of Sarangani, was among the towns attacked by renegade MILF forces last month.

The rebels also attacked Maasim in the province and displaced more than 10,000 villagers.

Cruz said troops were immediately deployed in Kiamba and Maasim to prevent another attack by the MILF.

Reports said Binago and his men launched the attack to divert the attention of government troops hunting down renegade MILF commanders Ameril Umbra Kato and Abdulrahman Macapaar, alias Bravo, who led the bloody rampage in the villages of North Cotabato and Lanao del Sur last July that left scores of people killed and thousands injured and homeless.

The government has put up a P20-million bounty for the capture of the two renegade commanders as police and the military intensified the manhunt.

Officials said Kato is trying to stay below the radar by avoiding contacts as much as possible on fears that even his most trusted men might give him away.

The military’s Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) spokesman Maj. Armand Rico said Kato is screening people who want to meet him and is avoiding Muslim gatherings, even during the post Ramadan celebration.

“He’s (Kato) been avoiding fellow Muslims and when he moves he’s always wearing a disguise. He doesn’t attend gatherings or meetings with fellow Muslims that he doesn’t know,” Rico said.

Intelligence sources revealed Kato, along with 60 of his trusted fighters, moved from his hiding place in Buliok Complex in Pikit, North Cotabato to Maguindanao.

“He conferred with the MILF leadership in Maguindanao,” the source said.

Military sources said they intercepted messages from Kato revising his plan for another attack in North Cotabato.

Instead, Kato reportedly redeployed his fighters to attack Maguindanao before launching another rampage in North Cotabato.

Kato and his men reportedly laid out landmines in many areas they have occupied.

The two renegade commanders led the attacks in Central Mindanao last July after the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order against signing the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD), which could have allowed the MILF self rule over an expanded autonomous region.

President Arroyo scrapped the deal after local leaders in Mindanao objected to what they saw as an unconstitutional move to create an independent Muslim state.

The MILF, who have been fighting for Muslim self-rule in Mindanao, have said that they regret a recent upsurge in violence and that the commanders responsible acted on their own.

MILF chief Al Haj Ebrahim Murad said peace talks should resume, but repeatedly rejected government demands to turn over the two rebel commanders to face the criminal justice system.

Murad said the two rebels would be subject to their revolutionary laws.

Murad had suggested the rebel commanders should face the ceasefire committee involving the government, the MILF and the International Monitoring Team (IMT) led by Malaysia that is keeping tabs on the ceasefire agreement.

Malaysia has been facilitating the on-and-off peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the MILF.

Malacañang said yesterday that they would reconsider changing tact in dealing with the MILF, noting the suggestion of Sen. Rodolfo Biazon to allow Indonesia to replace Malaysia as mediator in the peace talks.

Biazon claimed Malaysia should be replaced as the facilitator because of the country’s claims to Sabah and the Spratly Islands, both of which are also being claimed by the Philippines.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza noted that Biazon, as former Armed Forces chief, has extensive experience in the peace process, particularly with the communist rebels, and so his inputs should be considered.

Dureza said President Arroyo has ordered a shift in the policy of the peace process to directly initiating dialogue with the communities affected by the conflict.

“What we are doing now, in accordance with the President’s directive, is we are holding consultations with the communities. This will provide us with direction about the next steps in the peace process, especially with the MILF,” Dureza said.

Even as the military offensive against the MILF continues, international aid groups are helping in the rehabilitation of villagers displaced by the fighting in Central Mindanao

The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) announced that it is spending $500,000 over the next three months to help children affected by the armed hostilities.

“These children may have witnessed killing or injuring of family members or may even have been attacked themselves,” Unicef country representative Vanessa Tobin said.

“Even the distress of having to suddenly leave their homes and belongings can be very upsetting for young children,” she said.

The Unicef also called on the warring parties to respect the rights of civilians, especially women and children, by allowing them safe passage out of conflict areas. The UN agency said it has received information that some 10 children have been killed in the fighting since August.

A Unicef statement said it would work closely with government agencies and non-government organizations on using the money for “ensuring the safety and unity of displaced families, creating child-safe spaces in the evacuation centers and also ensuring access to clean water and sanitation facilities.” – With Jaime Laude, Marvin Sy, Paolo Romero, Sheila Crisostomo