Troops, Moro rebels securing Aquino’s visit to MILF camp

DAVAO CITY - Government troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members are joining hands, for the first time in history, in providing security for Monday’s visit of President Benigno Aquino III to the Moro rebels’ Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao.

Aquino, the first President to visit the MILF’s main base since the insurgency began in 1970s, will attend the launching of the "Sajahatra Bangsamoro," a social development program for the 12,000-strong MILF and Moro communities.

At least 5,000 government security forces are deployed in and around the Maguindanao and Cotabato City areas to guarantee the safety of the President. This excludes policemen and members of the Presidential Security Group who will secure Aquino inside the MILF camp.

Aquino’s visit is expected to bring positive results that will pave way for the forging of the final peace agreement between the government and the MILF.

The 6th Infantry Division, which is tasked to secure Aquino’s visit to Maguindanao on Monday, said it is not seeing any security threats that could complicate the event.

No threats

Colonel Dickson Hermoso, 6th Infantry Division spokesperson, said they have not detected any threats even from the "Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters" (BIFF).

He also said that no security augmentation has taken place, adding that only security groups in Maguindanao and the Presidential Security Group will be tasked to protect Aquino.

In a joint security operation send-off held on Saturday at the old Maguindanao Provincial Capitol in Sultan Kudarat town, government soldiers and Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) of the MILF gathered to formally signify their unity toward lasting peace in war-torn Mindanao.

"As they say, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Makakamit na rin natin ang kapayapaan na matagal na nating minimithi (We will finally achieve the peace that we have been longing for)," said General Gilberto Jose Roa, chair of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of hostilities (CCCH) in a statement.

Commander Gordon Zaipullah of the MILF Central Mindanao Task Force, for his part, described the meeting of the two armed forces as historic.

"Ang pag-meet natin dati ay (We used to meet through) singing of the bullets. But now it’s not singing of the bullets anymore because we are cooperating with each other," he said.

Government forces and MILF fighters on Saturday shook hands, hugged like old-time friends and ate on the same table as if they have never fought on opposite sides in battle.

Major General Caesar Ronnie Ordoyo, commanding general of the 6th Infantry Division, underlined the need to forge unity "as we all come from the same nation."

"Tayo ay iisang dugo, iisang kulay. Hinubog tayo ng isang rasa ng Malayo (We are one blood, one color. We were shaped by one Malay race) that everybody should be proud of. Iisa lang ang bansa natin (We are of one country),” he said.

"This is a momentous occasion and I hope we will replicate this," he added.

Sultan Kudarat Mayor Tucao Mastura, who was also present in the gathering, expressed pride for hosting the historic event in their town.

"Ako ay nagagalak na nangyari sa Sultan Kudarat ang mga bagay na magiging sanhi ng katahimikan sa Mindanao (I am happy that these things which will bring about peace in Mindanao are happening here in Sultan Kudarat)," he said.

Zaipullah urged both the government and BIAF forces to respect each other. He also thanked the current administration for extending its hand of peace to the MILF.

"Nagpapasalamat tayo sa gobyerno. Nakikita natin na sinsero ang Presidente sa pagkamit ng kapayapaan sa Mindanao (We thank the government. We see the sincerity of the President in achieving peace in Mindanao)," he said.

"We’ll do everything para mapayapa ang pagdating ng Presidente dito (so that the President will be able to arrive here peacefully)," he added.

’Symbolic visit’

Former North Cotabato governor Emmanuel Piñol, a staunch critic of the MILF who was also responsible for the nullification of the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain's (MOA-AD), said Aquino’s visit on Monday is not a "state visit" but rather a "symbolic visit" to an area that long needs the attention of the National Government.

He said it is also an admission of sorts, for the MILF, that they are still under the sovereignty of the Philippines. Nevertheless, Piñol said, it is a positive thing that will hopefully yield positive results for Mindanao.

Piñol, this time around, is keeping his silence on the forging of the framework agreement between the administration and the MILF.

"I am keeping my silence with the framework agreement now because I want it to succeed because a failure would mean return to the fighting. In my meeting with MILF Ghadzali Jaafar, I vowed to help," he said.

It was learned that 39 barangays in North Cotabato were included in the new framework agreement with the MILF.

Piñol said this happened under the watch of incumbent North Cotabato Governor Lala Taliño-Mendoza, thus it is she who must explain to the people of the province.

He said he sees nothing wrong with several areas placed under the MILF for as long as this would bring in more development to the areas concerned.

He said if they see prosperity in areas under the MILF, in the future, they would not hesitate to be placed under the control of the MILF.

"Improve the lives of the people within the Bangsamoro territory first before widening their territory," Piñol said.

Cibac Party-list Representative Sherwin Tugna also supported Piñol’s opinion, saying there must be strong education and economic development in the said areas for lasting peace to be achieved.

"Peace cannot be achieved if people do not have anything to hold on to. For there to be a lasting peace, there must be education and economic development. It may be a slow process but if we keep on working for it, there will be improvement," Tugna said.

President Aquino will be accompanied by Cabinet officials and representatives of government agencies in his visit to Maguindanao Monday. He will lead the launching of the Sajahatra Bangsamoro at the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI) compound.

“Sajahatra” is an Arabic–Bahasa–Melayu derivative denoting blessings, prosperity and peace.

The program “aims to uplift the health, education and livelihood conditions in MILF communities toward realizing long-term peace and development for Bangsamoro that will benefit all Filipinos,” the primer said.

The project, spearheaded by the Office of the President, is in partnership with the MILF. (With PNA/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)