The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has appealed on the different sectors in Mindanao to be vigilant, as a third party may sabotage the volatile situation in the southern Philippines due to the a breakdown of the peace negotiations between the front and the government. Davao Today’s Keith Bacongco reports.
COTABATO CITY — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has appealed on the different sectors in Mindanao to be vigilant, as a third party may sabotage the volatile situation in the southern Philippines due to the a breakdown of the peace negotiations between the front and the government.
MILF peace panel chief Mohagher Iqbal could not discount the possibility that some parties with vested interests may launch moves that could eventually lead to the collapse of the negotiations.
It happened before several times and it will possibly happen one of these days, he said, adding that the recent bombings could be already among them. He said that there could be some sectors who want to create scenarios to sabotage the relative peace in Mindanao.
The government and MILF peace panels failed to resolve the impasse over territory, the last of the four issues on ancestral domain, during the 13th exploratory talks on Sept. 6 and 7 in Malaysia. The government had asked to be given until Sept. 30 to present a new formula to the MILF through Malaysia, the talks facilitator, but it failed to meet its deadline.
Iqbal said the persistent accusation that MILF has links with Jemaah Islamiya, the Southeast Asian terror network, is part of the militarys campaign drive to sabotage the peace negotiations and continue the war against MILF.
They really want to implicate us in the JI so that they can justify their attacks on our controlled areas, Iqbal said. We have repeatedly clarified that we are not a terrorist organization. We are a legitimate revolutionary organization.
On Wednesday, North Cotabato Governor Emmanuel Piol, a persistent critic of the front, blamed the MILF for the bomb attacks in Makilala town in North Cotabato earlier this week, in which six persons were killed and 29 injured.
But the police and the military had tagged the al-Qaeda-linked groups like the Indonesian-based Jemaah Islamiyah and its local ally, the Abu Sayyaf group for the bombing.
It is a signature of the MILF. The same bomb was used in an attempt to kill me years ago. Same bomb was also used in Kidapawan and other areas, Piol said over a radio interview on Wednesday. He said the attacks could be a way for the MILF to force the government to continue the negotiations.
Reacting to Piols statement, Iqbal said that the MILF still believes that the impasse can still be resolved through negotiations. He added that another war or any violent moves cannot resolve the problem.
Iqbal also described Piols statement as highly unfair, saying that the governor already had made the conclusion before official investigation is finished. There is no political gain for the MILF in terrorism, besides being a crime to God, he stressed.
As this developed, the MILF also condemned the spate of bombings in Mindanao saying. We condemn the bombings in Tacurong and Makilala as the handiwork of Satan and soulless criminals, said Sheikh Mohammad Muntassir, head of the fronts Dawah Committee, the second highest authority in Islam in the MILF hierarchy. We join all peace-loving peoples and groups in denouncing these bombings as acts of barbarism.
In a statement posted in the fronts official website, he said the plotters, aside from being wicked, are saboteurs to the ongoing peace process.
They are taking advantage of the uncertainties facing the peace talks, he said, adding that these plotters want the MILF and the government to go to war once again.
The first bomb blast occurred at the toilet of a public market in Tacurong City at 1:30 p.m. and wounded four persons, all females.
Stall owners saw a man place a box near a toilet in the market, prompting them to call the attention of the security guard, who immediately investigated. Sensing it was a bomb, the guard carried the box away from the crowd, but it immediately exploded, wounding four passersby.
The second blast took place at 8:00 pm in front of the town hall of Makilala. (Keith Bacongco/davaotoday.com)
Peace Process, Terrorism
