AFP mum on Sabah firefight

The defense and military leaderships are currently adopting the so-called “ostrich policy” over the unfolding security development in Sabah as a result of the three-week standoff in Lahad Datu.

Ostrich policy refers to simply pretending that a real problem never exists, just like the bird being  referred to that buries its head in the sand as its way to escape a predator.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, said the matter is best handled by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Nobody in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is also allowed to speak on the issue.

Peter Paul Valdez, defense spokesman, only said that the defiance of the group of Datu Raja Muda Agbimuddin Kiram to leave Tandou, a coastal village in Lahad Datu, could have triggered the Malaysian to take the harsh action.

A number of military officers and enlisted personnel likewise refused to discuss the issue.

"We are all under orders to shut our mouth on this particular problem in Sabah," a military officer said.

But another officer, speaking on condition that he will not be named, said Friday’s assault on Data Raja Muda and his group in Tandou will have a direct effect on the overall security of entire Sabah.

“From my past combat experiences in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, you cannot just provoke and the harm the Tausogs, without getting more violent retaliations,” he said.

He added that despite the naval blockade in Tawi-Tawi, naval operations could not prevent the Muslims in Mindanao from going to Sabah.