Sulu memorial to US troops forgotten

JOLO, Sulu (AFP) — In a grassy lot inside a neglected government compound in the southern Philippine island of Jolo, 72-year-old retired teacher Milbahal Ismul pays tribute at a forgotten memorial to US troops who died at the hands of Moro freedom fighters more than a century ago.

The hexagon-shaped stone monument — now cracked, unpainted and obscured from the roadside by a chain-link fence — was erected in the 1940s to honor the fallen soldiers of the US 2nd Cavalry under the command of General John "Black Jack" Pershing who quashed Muslim resistance shortly after the islands were ceded to the US by Spain in 1899.

Inscribed on its facade are names of several soldiers whose violent deaths were applauded by the Muslim community and honored as heroic by the Americans.

His eyes glassy with cataracts and most of his lower front teeth missing, Ismul moves slowly around the monument, clearing away dirt and pulling out weeds that sprouted from the cracks.

Like it or not, he says, American soldiers played a major part in the history of Jolo, where they are now returning for joint civic work with the local military in a campaign to win the hearts and minds of the locals in Washington’s global war on terrorism.

And he hopes that this time, the Americans will bring peace to this island province rich in natural resources but still ruled by political warlords and where Muslim extremists with links to the al-Qaeda network operate.

The Americans, Ismul stresses, are here to be largely engaged in civic work, from road infrastructure to rebuilding schools and mosques.

Instead of guns, the Americans would be bringing much needed medicines to help the poor who can’t afford to consult doctors in this island of almost half a million people.

"It is good they are here now, and somehow they are helping provide a calming effect," Ismul tells AFP as a small US transport plane roars overhead. "The Americans have not been seen around these parts for a long time, and while some may remember the massacres in the early 1900s, any help for development should be welcomed," he says.

Ismul was referring to Pershing’s campaign to subdue the local Tausug Muslims who refused to assimilate or bow to American rule and give up the lucrative trades of piracy and slavery.

The Muslim resistance spread like wildfire and in 1906, the US cavalry slaughtered some 600 Muslim fighters who were holed up at the crater of Jolo’s Mount Dajo.

Unbroken, the Moro fighters continued the fight and in 1913 fortified the crater of Mount Bagsak forcing Pershing to push for a final assault that left at least 300 Muslims and only 14 Americans dead, according to US military accounts.

In one historical account in the local archives here, after the five-day battle Pershing wrote to his wife that it was "the fiercest" he had ever seen.

In another letter to his superiors before he launched the attack, Pershing said the Muslim fighters in Jolo "were not overawed or impressed by an overwhelming force" and predicted a blood bath.

Uswalda Cabel, a local historian and the honorary curator of the Jolo museum, notes that Pershing’s name and that of the 2nd Cavalry would be forever connected to Jolo.

And she warns that young Muslim radicals could exploit the fact to stir up trouble during the joint exercises called Balikatan, a Filipino term meaning to jointly share a load.

To the Muslims, who make up more than 95 percent of the island’s population, domination by outsiders, whether foreigners or Filipino Christians, has always been a sore point.

"People here are divided in their attitude towards the Americans. When the Muslims lost in the 1913 battle, they agreed that they had to compromise, but they never conceded defeat," she says, adding that old defeats could be resurrected to rouse anti-American sentiment.

While the Americans should be credited for introducing a democratic way of life in Jolo and for introducing a Western-style education system, their renewed presence "could open up old wounds," she says.

"There is so much influence from the Middle East radicals that could foment anti-Western feelings among the young Muslims in Jolo," Cabel says.

"These young radicals here could rekindle old hatred," she adds, advising the American soldiers to respect local cultures and sensitivities.

It could however be a little too late. A trigger-happy US Navy commando who is part of an advanced team for the joint war games several days ago shot and killed a stray dog, triggering an outcry, the Philippine military said.

And even the pro-US Ismul says he is dismayed by such behavior.

"I know they want to help our community, but they should watch their actions," Ismul says. "Remember, there are still many guns left in the hands of Muslim militants up in the mountains," he warns.