Nur forces take Zambo villages

MANILA, Philippines - Zamboanga City was paralyzed yesterday after dozens of armed followers of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chairman Nur Misuari engaged government troops in skirmishes and took some 30 villagers hostage after an apparent failed attempt to take over city hall, raise their flag and declare independence.

The clashes, which left at least six people dead and scores wounded, forced the shutdown of the city’s airport, port, business establishments and schools.

Security forces surrounded the villages of Sta. Barbara, Sta. Catalina and Kasanyangan to prevent the gunmen – numbering about 100 – from fanning out across the region. More than 200 villagers were trapped in the standoff, authorities said.

“The main target of the MNLF in encroaching on Zamboanga City is to raise its banner of independence at city hall,” Mayor Isabelle Climaco-Salazar said.

She declared a curfew from 8 last night until 5 a.m. today.

“The enemy side suffered undetermined casualties as the troops clashed with the rebels in intermittent firefight,” Salazar said.

The trouble apparently began late Sunday when policemen arrested five MNLF guerrillas in combat camouflage uniforms and carrying pistols in Rio Hondo, officials said.

Shortly after midnight, a navy patrol spotted a large boat and eight smaller vessels carrying dozens of armed guerrillas off Rio Hondo, sparking a gunbattle at sea that killed a member of the navy special forces and wounded six others, military spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said. “We are trying to contain them, so that this will not spread elsewhere,” Zagala said.

“Our forces are guarding the city so they could not advance,” he added.

MNLF spokesman Emmanuel Fontanilla said in an interview with ANC TV that members of the group merely planned to converge at the city hall grounds to hold a peaceful rally for independence.

But MNLF sources said the group’s members from Sulu led by Habier Malik sailed to Zamboanga after being tipped about a military operation to arrest Misuari.

Malik had figured in a “mini rebellion” with Misuari in November 2001 from Zamboanga City to Sulu when the latter appeared to be losing his grip on power as ARMM governor. While retreating to Jolo, Malik’s group attacked a military camp but was pushed back, forcing Misuari to flee to Malaysia.

In 2005, Malik’s group again went on a killing spree, this time in Panamao, Sulu, leaving 37 soldiers dead.

Condemnation

At Malacañang, President Aquino condemned the MNLF attack and directed Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, and Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista to take charge of the situation.

“(They) have been sent to Zamboanga City where they will further ensure that the President’s directives are carried out and will update him accordingly,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.

He also said the President was in direct contact with the Zamboanga City government.

“It is incumbent on all people of goodwill to reject the violence that has erupted… We ask our fellow citizens to refrain from spreading speculation: fear and alarm spread by disinformation will only help those intent on disrupting the lives of residents of Zamboanga City,” he said.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC), meanwhile, appealed to the MNLF to respect the provisions of the 1949 Geneva Convention as well as local laws against hostage taking. “The PRC intends to remind all actors of the conflict to respect the law of war or the International Human Law.” 

PRC secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang said the rights of civilians should always be upheld in any conflict situation.

The PRC said the Philippines is a signatory to the Principle of Distinction under Additional Protocol II of the Geneva Conventions, which “requires the parties to an armed conflict to distinguish between civilians and combatants and also between civilian objects and military targets.”

In an interview, Pang said a total of 132 families or 1,021 individuals have been displaced in yesterday’s violence in Zamboanga City.

She said PRC volunteers were called yesterday to “retrieve” 11 nursing students and one instructor from the Zamboanga City Medical Center, which the military converted into a command center to prevent it from being seized by the rebels.

Health Undersecretary Ted Herbosa said hospitals in the city and nearby localities were on alert for possible influx of patients.

The United States embassy, for its part, condoled with the families of the fatalities and reiterated its support for the peace process with Muslim rebels.

“We fully support the ongoing peace process and hope the parties can continue to avoid violence as they work toward a final resolution that will last for generations and benefit all the people of the Philippines,” the embassy said.

On his Twitter account, US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. expressed concern over developments in Zamboanga.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the peace-loving people of Zamboanga and their leadership,” Thomas said.

‘Under control’

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said the situation is under control even as it appealed to the public for help to end the standoff.

“We would like to assure the public that your PNP is on top of the situation to ensure public safety and to resolve the conflict in Zamboanga City as soon as possible,” said PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Wilben Mayor.

“Any information can be sent to the PNP hotline 117 and 116 in Zamboanga City, 0906 368 0749 and Twitter @ireportangkrimen,” he said.

Based on initial reports, Mayor said trouble began at 10:30 p.m. Sunday when police arrested two armed MNLF members in a fishpond in Rio Hondo. An hour later, he said police received reports of the presence of 30 armed men in the village.

The following day, at 5 a.m., members of the Special Action Force in Sta. Barbara engaged armed men in a firefight. Two hours later, four armed men were arrested in Zamboanga City Public market, Mayor said.

At 10:30 a.m. yesterday, suspected MNLF gunmen fired four mortar rounds in Barangay Sta. Barbara. An hour later, a policeman, a soldier, and two civilians were confirmed to have died in the attack.

Mayor said that as of press time yesterday, at least 14 people have been wounded, including three policemen, seven soldiers and four civilians.

PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima ordered Western Mindanao regional police director Chief Superintendent Juanito Vaño to stay on alert and closely coordinate all operations with the military and local government units.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), for its part, suspended shipping operations at the port of Zamboanga City to prevent armed groups from coming or leaving. PCG spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said that for additional security, container vans were positioned near the gates of the port.

“Everyone is on security alert at the pier of Zamboanga,” Balilo said.

As a security precaution, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) suspended operations at the Zamboanga International Airport, forcing the cancellation of at least 10 flights.

CAAP director general William Hotchkiss III said the suspension order was valid from 9:50 a.m. to 9 p.m. yesterday.

The long-running Muslim insurgency in the Philippines has left more than 150,000 dead, and led to a proliferation of armed groups that have left parts of Mindanao in a constant state of lawlessness.

Misuari’s faction of the fractured MNLF, which he founded in the early 1970s, has made a renewed call for an independent state in the mainly Catholic Philippines.

The government has been mired in trouble in its peace negotiations with rebel groups.

Last month Misuari again declared he was breaking away from the government because he believed they were sidelining his group.

While some within the divided MNLF respect the peace process, others, including Misuari’s wing, are opposed to it.

Misuari, a former UP professor, signed a peace deal with the government in 1996.

The MNLF dropped its bid for independence and settled for autonomy, although his followers had not totally disarmed.

The government later said that autonomy was a “failed experiment,” with many areas remaining in deep poverty.

The government is currently negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is to take over a new autonomous region by 2016.

“To the Philippine government, I think our message is already quite clear – that we don’t like to be part of the Philippines anymore,” Misuari said in his message last month.

In the message, he called on his forces to “surround and secure all military, police and all other installations, airports, seaports and all other vital government and private institutions.”

“The MNLF has already renounced war but we will act in defense of our communities,” an MNLF official, who declined to be named, said yesterday.

“Armed struggle is already obsolete as proven in Syria and other countries. We will adopt the peaceful strategy used by Kosovo in attaining self rule,” MNLF’s Fontanilla said.

He was referring to the declaration of independence by Kosovo from Serbia in 2008.

Serbia said the declaration of independence by Kosovo was illegal and sought international validation from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which said the declaration did not violate international law. – Aurea Calica, Perseus Echeminada, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Gerry Lee Gorit, Roel Pareño, Pia Lee Brago, Evelyn Macairan, Sheila Crisostomo, Lawrence Agcaoili, Rudy Santos, AP