AFP says operations unhampered

FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City – Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Alexander Yano gave assurances that military operations against other national security threats are unhampered by massive deployment of government forces to Mindanao.

Yano said the AFP still has enough forces even if the military is focusing on the manhunt on renegade commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that led the bloody rampage in Central Mindanao last July.

Yano assured the public there were enough troops in Luzon and Visayas to address the threat of communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and the Abu Sayyaf bandits in the island provinces of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi.

“To some extent (Mindanao operations have distracted the military) because definitely we have pulled out some battalions from Luzon and Visayas, but we have made realignments in the areas that we have vacated,” Yano said.

While there might be thinning of forces in Luzon and Visayas, Yano said its effect is not enough to derail the military’s efforts against these threats.

“Military commanders have very efficiently realigned forces to confront and address these kind of threats as the military has yet to monitor any major untoward incidents in Luzon and Visayas,” he said.

Yano added that there are no serious developments on the national threat board, particularly on the possible tactical alliance between the MILF renegade forces and the Abu Sayyaf.

“As of now, there is no concrete evidence that will point there is a real ground level alliance or partnership between the two (groups) but we are closely monitoring that possibility,” he said.

Aside from these threats, the military has also stepped up operations against the NPA in a bid to defeat the Maoist insurgency by the 2010 deadline set by President Arroyo.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, for his part, said they have started profiling several villagers in the evacuation centers to prevent infiltration by renegade MILF rebels.

Teodoro said the effort was made to validate reports that some of the rebels who have abandoned their commanders, particularly Ameril Umbra Kato and Abdurahman Macapaar, have blended in and also sought refuge from the intensified military offensive.

“It’s accepted that some leakages can occur in evacuation centers but we are continuing the profiling of evacuees through the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development),” he said.

Teodoro said it could also be possible that the MILF fighters have decided to join their families who were also displaced by the fighting.

He said that a rogue member of the MILF found seeking refuge in evacuation centers would be immediately arrested.

Teodoro said the AFP is not losing focus on its pursuit operations against the renegade MILF forces, amid criticisms that the conflict has been dragging for more than two months and yet none of the rebel commanders have been captured.

“The public has been quite impatient about it and there are some commentators who have been goading us to go faster, but as we have said time and again, there is no time limit for us. We will go on a pace (with) which we are comfortable and we won’t bite any attempts to goad us. We’ll just stay focused,” he said.