Friday, September 05, 2008 Speak out: Condoning MILF atrocities By Ariel Alonzo
JOSE Ma. Sison has defended the act of members of the CPP-NPA condoning the recent Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)-led atrocities in Northern Cotabato and Lanao areas by saying that: “The alliance prevents the two rebel forces from facing off with each other.”
This means that the MILF and CPP agreed to stay off each others backs.
The CPP has claimed that it is advancing the people’s cause against an abusive bureaucracy, yet it has gone blind to the crimes committed by MILF Commanders Kato and Bravo.
Or does the burning of houses, looting and hostage-taking part of the rebels’ “just” measures in the conduct of their revolt against the government?
The CPP, who professes to be champions of human rights, appear to see only the alleged abuses of the government and its armed forces but intentionally turns a blind eye on the MILF’s obvious violations of human rights.
Has the CPP moved away from its 2002 statement that it and its allied groups are upholding human rights and humanitarian law?
Their silence on MILF attacks means that it is selectively implementing its responsibility as human rights defender.
When one was brought up to believe that a fork is a spoon, he’d die believing it is what it is.
Nothing may be wrong about it, since it is a matter of perception.
Thus, NPA members trained to use threats and holding people against their will at gun just to grab government attention won’t see anything wrong with the MILF doing the same.
The CPP tied-up with the MILF to advance each other’s causes.
Since they uphold each others’ demands, like the MILF’s quest for Muslim self-determination, including the establishment of a Bangsamoro homeland through armed atrocities, wouldn’t the CPP-NPA be a cohort of an obvious terrorists act?
It is easy to arrive at that conclusion because around ten joint attacks were carried out by the two groups in Mindanao in 2000, killing six soldiers and wounding 13 others.
In 2003, MILF elements exchanged fighting skills training with and shared its Al Qaeda-given expertise in bomb making to their NPA counterparts in Mt. Banahaw, Quezon.
The NPA in Metro Manila serves as keepers of MILF rebels deployed for a mission in the National Capital Region by providing safehouses and resources.
On Aug. 17, 2008, the NPA attacked an ambulance carrying six civilians in Masbate City without any clear provocations.
The incident wounded four of the passengers.
The CPP-NPA has established region-wide and provincial guerilla units within Southern Mindanao area alongside the MILF’s 105th and 102nd BIAF.
They both roam the same highways and patrol familiar villages and districts.
The CPP-NPA knows that the cases of arsons perpetrated by Commanders Bravo and Kato were intended to instill fear among the civilian populace, most of whom are the poorest of the poor.
The poor includes farm workers who own no land and plow somebody else’s land for a living.
They were driven away from their homes, while others were brutally murdered.
The CPP-NPA did nothing, said nothing, and clamored for nothing.
