Wednesday, August 06, 2008 Military ready for MILF hostility upsurge
THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said it was prepared for an escalation of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) hostilities, with the aborted signing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain between the government and MILF negotiators.
In a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, AFP public affairs officer Ernesto Torres said they were preparing for a worst case scenario with the Supreme Court's (SC) issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the signing of the agreement.
Specifically, Torres said Armed Forces Chief Alexander Yano has directed field commanders to monitor developments in the MILF bailiwick areas in Central Mindanao and Eastern Mindanao for possible attacks that may be waged by the rebels.
"Our chief of staff, upon learning that a TRO was issued by the Supreme Court regarding the signing of the MOA on ancestral domain, his instruction was very clear, for the commanders to continuously monitor the developments in Central Mindanao and some parts of Eastern Mindanao," said Torres.
Torres said the AFP chief has also directed the military commanders "to continuously plan for contingencies and to take appropriate action. This is in order to ensure that law would prevail and that peace reign in Mindanao."
On Monday night or hours after the issuance of the TRO, Torres said the military recorded an atrocity perpetrated by the rebels in the town of Midsayap in North Cotabato Province.
Reports said the rebels attacked troops from the 40th Infantry Battalion who were on "a defensive position, securing the community" of Barangay Baliki, using mortars. No casualty on both sides was reported in the ensuing 30-minute firefight.
"The commanders in the area are looking into this. We still do not know if it's related to that but the encounter happened after the TRO was issued by the Supreme Court," said Torres.
Other than the incident, Torres said they have not monitored any untoward incident involving the MILF, which has been negotiating for a peace accord since the late 1990s. Military estimates placed the MILF strength at over 11,000 men.
"As of this time, we have not monitored any troop movement by the MILF or massing up of forces," said Torres, while assuring that the military has sufficient forces in Mindanao to address any potential threat from the rebel group.
"We are confident that are we are more than capable and ready to address any threat situation in the area that may arise as a result of the ongoing peace negotiation," he said, adding that forces will be redeployed to Central Mindanao when necessary.
Nevertheless, Torres said they do not expect any violent reaction from the MILF arising from the TRO.
The MILF has said they consider the TRO as a "setback" to the peace process but clarified that they were letting the government address the issue.
"As could be gleaned in the papers this morning (Tuesday) they did not react violently. Of course we are still hopeful that nobody would act violent in connection with the issuance of the TRO. We are always hoping for the best while preparing for the worst," he said.
"The worst is escalation (of hostilities). We don't want to hope for worst things to happen. We are hoping for the best things to happen in the area, and that is establishment of, attaining a lasting peace, having peace (in Mindanao)," said Torres. (VR/Sunnex)
