November 8-14 (2009)

There is an alarming rate of MILF leaders or commanders arrested by government operatives. Whatever is the basis of these arrests, real or fabricated, it smacks of the ceasefire agreement, and/or the suspension of all military operations (SOMO) by the Philippine government and Suspension of all military activities (SOMA) by the MILF. What is making it more detestable and repulsive is the fact that it is done at a time the GRP-MILF peace talks is about to resume formally.

The latest, in fact the most dramatic, was the arrest of Laksaw Asnawi, deputy Base Commander of the MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) 114th Base Command on at the Zamboanga International Airport on November 7. Laksaw was already inside the plane that would bring him to Manila where he will depart for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia which falls on November 27, this year. He was with his wife and jamaah or those who will go with him for the journey when arrested by elements of Philippine National Police (PNP) on the pretext of the charges borne out of the beheading of ten Marines in Al-Barka, Basilan on July 10, 2007.

In this bloody encounter, the MILF forces were the aggrieved party; they were attacked right in their own turf. They denied they were responsible for the beheading, which was corroborated by the late Basilan Governor Wahab Akbar, who said the Abu Sayyaf were responsible for the savagery. This was further corroborated by the findings of the joint MILF and government investigation and participated in by both international and local non-government organizations, which found the MILF innocent of the beheading allegation. Their report identified the beheaders, based on testimonies of actual witnesses, as Umair Indama, Nurhasan Jamiri, Buhari Jamiri and Suaib Kalibon.

Meantime, Laksaw was locked up in jail in Basilan – and his dream to go on pilgrimage vanished into the air. He is just the latest in the list of the MILF real or alleged military leaders arrested on silly and fabricated charges. More will fall, as all the cases filed against these leaders, aside from the names charged, bore the legal term “john dos”; meaning, it is a list of persons who are not named, but can allow government so-called law enforcement agencies to randomly include or pick up anyone and jail him.

At present, already in military custody --- and languishing in jail --- on the basis of flimsy or fabricated charges are:

1.Ismael Ting Manalasal (aka as Ismail Mohammad), a military commander of the MILF 7th Infantry Battalion of the National Base Command, who was arrested on June 15, 2009 with no clear charges;

2.Jayson Saligan (aka Commander Aguilar) Commander of the MILF 107th Base Command in General Santos City on June June 21, 2009. When arrested, he was only charged with one or two attempted murder charges but when he was already behind bars, many more charges were added;

3.Zalhy Sultan (aka Commander Dragon), allegedly a right hand man of Commander Bravo; arrested in Marawi City on June 25, 2009;

4.Mohammad Jaafar Maguid (aka Tikboy) alleged member of the MILF 107th Base Command; arrested on July 30, 2009;

5.Ismawatin Basilan, allegedly an MILF commander of the 105th Base Command. He was arrested in his house in Midsayap, North Cotabato on September 5, 2009;

6.Badruddin Dalungan, arrested on September 24, 2009, allegedly a member of the MILF Special Operation Group (SOG); and

7.Imam Alimuddin Tambilawan, who was arrested on September 22, 2009, but mistaken for Camaruddin Hadji Ali (aka Commander Mudi) allegedly of the MILF’s 105th Base Command. Despite the pleas of relatives and friends that he is not Mudi, the military continues to hold him behind bars.

There were others who were arrested, some were instantly executed. We are currently updating our list. And for this reason, we appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other United Nations agencies engaged for the protection of human rights to exert more efforts to stop these excesses of government and its military and police secret death squads.

Clearly, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are engaged in dirty tricks. They are using the so-called legal processes to tyrannize our people and the MILF. This approach is in line with counter-insurgency “enemy-centric approach” which focuses on the insurgent organization. It emphasizes defeat of the enemy as its primary task and other activities as supporting approach. There are many variants within this approach, including “soft vs. hard”, “direct vs. indirect”, “violent vs. non-violent”, and “decapitation vs. marginalization”. This approach can be summed as “first defeat the enemy, and all else will follow”.

We are afraid that if these dirty tricks will not stop and justice will continue to be denied to these detained “rebels”, these will lead us into another military confrontation between the MILF and the government. The patience of the MILF is running thin; and the day of reckoning will surely come sooner or later.