Zamboanga City Siege: As in many other conflicts, it is glaringly apparent that there is no quarrel between the soldiers on the government side and the fighters on the side of the Moro National Liberation Front - MNLF. As for the volunteer workers who are in the vicinity where the hostilities are, they do not have any ax to grind vs. either the government or MNLF.
Civilian government officials, particularly from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process - OPAPP, in particular Hon. Secretary Teresita "Qing" Deles, confessed over the national media that they invited Misuari Nur to the talks but he won't participate.
Hon. Secretary Deles however also said they regret having neglected the MNLF and not giving them enough importance. She and her subordinates at OPAPP did not know the full weight of not wholly involving Misuari, she said.
On the other hand, such oversight if committed without malice does not really matter. The Honorable Secretary already made it clear that Misuari did not show interest in participation.
Nevertheless, during the early stages of the effort to usher towards the emergence of a more enduring peace in the Islamic community in Mindanao, millions of dollars were spent in contracting out the task of studying the role of stakeholders in the issue of giving Islamic leaders the autonomy to govern themselves. A large number of scholarly and practical contracting institutions were given the job and all the required results were delivered to the United States Government through an informal working committee that was formed by the POTUS (US President) himself.
The United States Congress participated in deciding about the allocation and release of those funds. Fortunately, the Congress and the US Executive Branch may never have the same problem with the likes of Napoles and Mr. Zaldy Co nor their ilk.
Whatever transpired between the time around 2002-2003 to the present for all those studies funded by well-spent foreign currency to become null, moot and academic, no one will ever know.
Certainly, not all of the contractors must have recommended that the Government of the Philippines will drastically erase the country's collective memory of Misuari.
Select quarters opt for the resolution of the conflict in Western Mindanao using the military option. They defend the current policy of the incumbent administration to wage war and use force, albeit "greater force" against the MNLF.
However, the question remains whether the MNLF should effectively be considered the real enemy. After the 1996 Tripoli Agreement, a number of the conditions set forth in that peace pact, to the exclusion of only a number of provisions were implemented. Among these, is the integration of MNLF regulars into the fold of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Upon the enactment of the Philippine National Police law by Congress in 1992, some of the MNLF absorbed into the armed forces opted to transfer to the Police service.
During the past, on a large number of occasions, the demobilized MNLF members living peacefully as civilians still participated in operations for the benefit of the public peace at the behest of the Government of the Philippines. Much of these operations were directed against the Abu Sayyaf, a group that was born in 1994-1995 and initially operated in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Most of the Abu Sayyaf original members were Moro Islamic Liberation Front, ex-Communist Party of the Philippines cadres, with a smattering of rogue MNLF elements. More MNLF members would be drawn into the folds of Abu Sayyaf later, during the period in late 1998-1999 up to around 2000 and beyond.
When the MILF received, the support and backing of the United States Government to enter into peace negotiations with the Government of the Philippines, the new Islamic negotiating panel became the officials of the MILF.
Despite this development, the Organization for Islamic Cooperation – OIC, did not change its stand over who will be the permanent Philippine Muslim Representative to OIC. It will remain to be the MNLF, with Misuari personifying the organization.
The Honorable Secretary Deles confirmed that this is so and regrets having ignored Misuari over the past several years.
With the record of accomplishment of the MNLF in cooperating with government, it can hardly be said that they are the real enemies in the present state of affairs in Zamboanga.
If the MNLF were sincere in going to war vs. government, no less than several hundreds of government forces would have been dead by now. When the organization helped the AFP and PNP in Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo during the rescue operations vs. Abu Sayyaf kidnappers of the staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross – ICRC, more or less two to three hundred Abu Sayyaf terrorists were killed because of the fierceness of the MNLF volunteers and the sincerity of the Philippine National Police in engaging the terrorist band in non-conventional battle.
In sum, whatever is now happening in Zamboanga City, only the native population will be the losers. Between the government forces and the MNLF, there is really no contest unless there are unseen hands moving pawns and officer pieces here and there in a cruel game of death and devastation.
Civilian government officials, particularly from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process - OPAPP, in particular Hon. Secretary Teresita "Qing" Deles, confessed over the national media that they invited Misuari Nur to the talks but he won't participate.
Hon. Secretary Deles however also said they regret having neglected the MNLF and not giving them enough importance. She and her subordinates at OPAPP did not know the full weight of not wholly involving Misuari, she said.
On the other hand, such oversight if committed without malice does not really matter. The Honorable Secretary already made it clear that Misuari did not show interest in participation.
Nevertheless, during the early stages of the effort to usher towards the emergence of a more enduring peace in the Islamic community in Mindanao, millions of dollars were spent in contracting out the task of studying the role of stakeholders in the issue of giving Islamic leaders the autonomy to govern themselves. A large number of scholarly and practical contracting institutions were given the job and all the required results were delivered to the United States Government through an informal working committee that was formed by the POTUS (US President) himself.
The United States Congress participated in deciding about the allocation and release of those funds. Fortunately, the Congress and the US Executive Branch may never have the same problem with the likes of Napoles and Mr. Zaldy Co nor their ilk.
Whatever transpired between the time around 2002-2003 to the present for all those studies funded by well-spent foreign currency to become null, moot and academic, no one will ever know.
Certainly, not all of the contractors must have recommended that the Government of the Philippines will drastically erase the country's collective memory of Misuari.
Select quarters opt for the resolution of the conflict in Western Mindanao using the military option. They defend the current policy of the incumbent administration to wage war and use force, albeit "greater force" against the MNLF.
However, the question remains whether the MNLF should effectively be considered the real enemy. After the 1996 Tripoli Agreement, a number of the conditions set forth in that peace pact, to the exclusion of only a number of provisions were implemented. Among these, is the integration of MNLF regulars into the fold of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Upon the enactment of the Philippine National Police law by Congress in 1992, some of the MNLF absorbed into the armed forces opted to transfer to the Police service.
During the past, on a large number of occasions, the demobilized MNLF members living peacefully as civilians still participated in operations for the benefit of the public peace at the behest of the Government of the Philippines. Much of these operations were directed against the Abu Sayyaf, a group that was born in 1994-1995 and initially operated in the Zamboanga Peninsula. Most of the Abu Sayyaf original members were Moro Islamic Liberation Front, ex-Communist Party of the Philippines cadres, with a smattering of rogue MNLF elements. More MNLF members would be drawn into the folds of Abu Sayyaf later, during the period in late 1998-1999 up to around 2000 and beyond.
When the MILF received, the support and backing of the United States Government to enter into peace negotiations with the Government of the Philippines, the new Islamic negotiating panel became the officials of the MILF.
Despite this development, the Organization for Islamic Cooperation – OIC, did not change its stand over who will be the permanent Philippine Muslim Representative to OIC. It will remain to be the MNLF, with Misuari personifying the organization.
The Honorable Secretary Deles confirmed that this is so and regrets having ignored Misuari over the past several years.
With the record of accomplishment of the MNLF in cooperating with government, it can hardly be said that they are the real enemies in the present state of affairs in Zamboanga.
If the MNLF were sincere in going to war vs. government, no less than several hundreds of government forces would have been dead by now. When the organization helped the AFP and PNP in Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo during the rescue operations vs. Abu Sayyaf kidnappers of the staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross – ICRC, more or less two to three hundred Abu Sayyaf terrorists were killed because of the fierceness of the MNLF volunteers and the sincerity of the Philippine National Police in engaging the terrorist band in non-conventional battle.
In sum, whatever is now happening in Zamboanga City, only the native population will be the losers. Between the government forces and the MNLF, there is really no contest unless there are unseen hands moving pawns and officer pieces here and there in a cruel game of death and devastation.
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