Madlos said that the NDFP calls on other legitimate Moro armed groups and the Moro people to strengthen their struggle in two fronts. “First, in the assertion of basic human and political rights, persist and broaden the Moro mass movement by the thousands; and second, strengthen and further intensify the Moro armed revolutionary resistance against our common enemy – the fascist state and its armed forces, and US military interventionist forces.”
By John Rizle L.Saligumba
Davao Today
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – To defend or not to defend?
Issues concerning the armed forces of Moro revolutionary groups came into fore post-signing of Framework Agreement of the Bangsamoro between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Aquino government.
For Sali Hadji Mahmud, Chief of the Sameeden National Task Force of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), they have not really given up arms despite a peace agreement between the Philippine government which was hammered more than a decade ago.
In fact, a firefight between MNLF troops and government forces last Sunday in Sitio Gundungan, Daruma, Patikul, Sulu resulted in five fatalities, three of whom from the government marines. Ten other marine soldiers were said to be wounded, according to Dr. Abdurahman Amin of the MNLF in his account posted in luwaran.com. He also said the group of Vice Chairman Tahir Usman were harvesting their crops when the Philippine Marines stormed the area.
Though MNLF forces have clear instructions from Misuari that they should not instigate attacks against government forces,Mahmud told Davao Today these did not mean they will not anymore defend their territories.
In an interview with davaotoday.com during the MNLF Grand Summit Gathering last October 22 in this city, he said “(S)ince the 1970s I have been involved in the war; the most recent was when we got into battle with the Army’s 104th Brigade in Sulu. We are fully armed till now or until the government entertains us.”
“The peace agreement (between the MNLF and Philippine government) was not fully realized. The first part was the integration and it has been somewhat implemented, but the second part of which was the establishment of our own internal police force did not continue,” said Mahmud, who is based in Sulu along with other 536 fully armed members.
He called on all Moro fighters to “hold-on to their arms,” although adding that even if they have different factions, the Moro people yearn for peace in Mindanao.
Active Defense
Active defense was also the contention of the other rebel group National Democratic Front-Mindanao, addressed to the MILF.
In a statement emailed to davaotoday.com, National Democratic Front-Mindanao Spokesperson Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos said the government security forces aided by US troops “continue to be on the offensive and have no intention to back down until MILF and other Moro armed forces completely fold.”
“Alarmingly, even without the particular ‘annexes’ with regard to the ‘decommissioning’ of MILF armed forces (the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces), the Aquino government has already begun the emasculation, and eventual dissolution, of the MILF’s ‘most important bargaining chip’ by slyly manipulating to place the BIAF in a passive position through long-drawn ceasefire agreements,” Madlos said.
For MNLF chairman Nur Misuari, the framework agreement is a “surrender of MILF arms.”
In his speech before the MNLF’s Grand Summit Gathering in Davao City, Misuari said that people are asking, “can armless people defend themselves in case war of mass extermination or genocide return back to the scene?”
He says that it is a “lesson in every corner of the colonized continent in the world that colonialism if given a chance will resort to all forms of dirty means including genocidal war to perpetuate itself in their colonies such as behind the late dictator’s (Marcos) mind.”
Misuari adds that “to agree to disarm our freedom fighters would be an invitation to another tragedy.”
Learning from past lessons, Madlos said in the statement, “The MILF should not easily relinquish its effective military strength at the whim of the reactionary government and of US imperialism so that it can continue to preserve and defend the interests of its organization and the entire Moro people.”
Sought for reaction, MILF Vice Chairman for Political Affairs Ghadzali Jafaar said that for 15 years the Bangsamoro has been engaging into peace negotiations and because of the framework agreement, the Moro issue will now have a settlement.
“The Bangsamoro has a demand, and that is to have its own government. A government that is of itself and has rights powers of the Moro lands but still under the GPH. The Bangsamoro demands will not be given without a negotiation. The negotiation resulted to an agreement,” said Jafaar.
Madlos said that the NDFP calls on other legitimate Moro armed groups and the Moro people to strengthen their struggle in two fronts.
“First, in the assertion of basic human and political rights, persist and broaden the Moro mass movement by the thousands; and second, strengthen and further intensify the Moro armed revolutionary resistance against our common enemy – the fascist state and its armed forces, and US military interventionist forces ,” said Madlos.
For the long-running struggle of the Moro people since the 1970s, Jafaar said that, the current situation and stage of struggle is different.
“It could’ve been that in the war that we wage with the Philippine government, we would win and achieve military victory. In that case, if we win, we’ll just raise our flags, but that is not the case,” said Jafaar.
Jafaar, who said he can only give general statements as of now because he has not read the NDFP’s statement said that “the NDF has a right to say what it wants.”
“It is free to give unsolicited advice. For the MILF leadership, it can either take or leave it. It is up to us how to take the advice. The Bangsamoro people know what is best for them and this, in turn, will be done by the MILF,” said Jafaar.
“The fight for the right to freedom and self-determination of the Moro people is the essence of our formal alliance with the MILF,” said Madlos.
Asked whether they still have an alliance with the NDF, Jafaar said in a text message sent to Davao Today that the MILF will decide on what is the best interest of the Moro People. But, he said that the Agreement may not be the same once the Bangsamoro is in place.
“If we have a Bangsamoro government, it is another story. The Moro people by then would be on a different standing,” said Jafaar.
But for the NDF, “The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), the New People’s Army (NPA) and all the allied organizations under the NDFP reaffirm their commitment to fight ever more vigorously alongside other legitimate Moro groups and the Moro people for their right to self-determination notwithstanding the result of the Framework,” Madlos’ statement concluded. (John Rizle Saligumba/davaotoday.com)
al hadj murad ebrahim, Bangsamoro, framework agreement, milf, mnlf, nur misuari
