November 1-7 (2009)

The kidnapping of Irish priest Michael Sinnot, 79, and who had four bypass operations, is something the MILF takes very special attention. First --- and as usual --- the MILF condemns kidnapping, not only that the victim, this time, is a priest. Whoever is subjected to an evil act deserved to be helped in every way possible. This is one of the basic principles that the MILF stands for and founded upon. Second, we value very much the personal appeal of the Irish ambassador to the Philippines and Singapore, Dr. Richard A. O’Brien, for the MILF to exert all efforts to help in the rescue of the kidnapped priest. The good ambassador came to Maguindanao early last month mainly for this and to meet key MILF leaders. We also put so much importance to the appeal of Sein Fein leaders, Gerry Kelley and Martin McGuinness, for the MILF to exhaust all efforts, while “noting the difficulty”, to help free the priest. The two gentlemen, who are both members of the Northern Ireland Parliament, had met MILF peace panel delegation in June this year when the latter was invited to visit London and Belfast by the British government. And third, it is to the objective interest of the MILF to help.

But while we are doing this for the sake of justice, humanity, goodwill and friendship, two high government officials, DND Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno, keep on stabbing us on the back. They accused the MILF of being responsible for the abduction of the priest, because they said the ones who did it were MILF “rogue elements”. This is a cheap propaganda mileage and affront to the current efforts to revive the GRP-MILF Peace Talks.

It is a fact that the number of kidnapping cases in Metropolitan Manila outnumbers that of in Mindanao by at least 2-10. But the MILF never argued that because many of these kidnappings were pulled by police or army soldiers the Philippine National Police (PNP) or the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were responsible, even granting that Sinnot was abducted by MILF rogue elements.

Sadly, when the MILF requested for one company of MILF forces to be sent to Lanao Del Norte, where the priest is suspected to be kept now, to effect his rescue, Teodoro objected. What does this mean? The least is to describe his actuation as sabotage to the MILF effort. Puno, on the other hand, is another anti-peace cabinet member, who should have resigned long time ago for being the leftover of the hated martial law days. It is good he decided not to run for vice president, because he would lose anyway.