Wednesday, September 03, 2008 Nalzaro: Ilaga resurgence By Bobby Nalzaro Saksi
THE resurgence of the Ilaga (Rat), a dreaded paramilitary force in Mindanao that fought the Moro Blackshirts and Barracudas in the ‘70s will complicate the already deteriorating peace and order situation in some parts of Mindanao.
But we cannot blame members of this Christian group for arming themselves to fight the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). They are merely protecting themselves against Muslim rebel atrocities.
What triggered the Ilaga move were the recent attacks by Muslim rebels in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte. Innocent civilians like Christians and lumads were killed.
The MILF hierarchy accused the military of being behind the Ilaga resurgence. I believe this because in the ‘70s, at the height of the Muslim rebellion in Mindanao, the Ilagas were considered a paramilitary force. The military issued them with firearms being an area’s first line of defense in cases of attacks.
The first Ilaga started in North Cotabato and its acknowledged founder and leader was a certain Kumander Toothpick, whose family was victimized by the Barracudas. His sister, Kumander Ligaya, was abused, her breast lopped off.
According to the accounts of some Ilagas, Ligaya's milk became the source of their “anting-anting” (amulet). The claim was that an Ilaga member would not be wounded by bullets. The amulet was placed in small bottles and tied to the waist.
But the amulets were believed to lose their power when a person who possessed it did something bad. In instances when an Ilaga got killed or wounded in action despite possessing an “anting-anting,” the Ilagas would claim that the person made the wrong stepping.
Ilaga recruitment spread to other parts of Mindanao, including to my home province in Zamboanga del Norte. Some of my high school classmates even joined the group.
After the Muslim rebellion waned, the Ilagas were also utilized by the military in its counter-insurgency campaign. It became a loose organization, with some of its members engaging in criminal activities.
Now, the group is back with a vengeance. Will its resurgence help neutralize the MILF? I think so, but I'm afraid it will also trigger a Christian and Muslim armed conflict.
Indeed, the desired peace in the Land of Promise is very elusive.
