MILF torches houses of 33 Christian families

SULTAN KUDARAT – Thirty-three Christian families lost their homes after Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels set fire to a farming community in this province.

No casualties were reported.

Lt. Col. Julieto Ando, Army 6th Infantry Division spokesman, said the problem in Barangay Sangay in Kalamansig town has something to do with the land conflict between Christians and Muslims.

“The MILF band is claiming that the lands of the Christian farmers belong to their ancestors,” he said.

Ando said followers of “Commander Boyet” and “Commander Jikiri” attacked Barangay Sangay and burned the homes of the farmers so they could claim the land as their own.

They refused to leave the barangay and cordoned off the area to prevent the Christian farmers from returning, he added.

However, Ando said troops were able to drive out the band of Commander Boyet and Commander Jikiri.

Army artillery are now pounding them in the hills overlooking Barangay Sangay, he added.

Ando said before fleeing, the MILF band took with them 60 carabaos, which the Christians have been using to farm their lands.

“The carabaos are the lifeblood of the farmers,” he said. “It is as if they have killed them.”

GMA warns extremists

President Arroyo warned yesterday extremists within the MILF that she would not allow them to derail the peace process in Mindanao.

Speaking over Radyo Bombo in Del Monte, Bukidnon, Mrs. Arroyo said intelligence reports have confirmed that the series of bombings in Mindanao was carried out by a certain Basil Isman, who belongs to the MILF band of Ameril Umbra Kato, Abdullah Macapaar alias Commander Bravo, and Alim Pangalian.

“Our order to the military is to hit hard on the Abu Sayyaf and apply the full force of the law on them to end their terrorist activities,” she said.

Mrs. Arroyo said her administration would not waver on its efforts to find “lasting peace” in Mindanao.

“We hope to be able to push forward the peace process in a way so that it reflects the sentiments of the communities, and in a way that will ensure peace and order and stability in Mindanao, and I hope everybody will be committed to the peace process and to peace in Mindanao,” she said.

Army to reinforce Marines in Basilan

An Army unit will be sent to Basilan to reinforce the Marines fighting the Abu Sayyaf and an MILF band that had been wreaking havoc in that province.

1Lt. Steffani Cacho, Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command spokesman, said the Army unit will run after the kidnap gang operating with the Abu Sayyaf and the MILF.

“There is continuous full action against all the kidnappers and their cohorts,” she said.

The Marines have been hunting down kidnappers in Basilan since November last year on orders of President Arroyo.

Police and military records showed about 33 people were kidnapped last year.

The last victim, a nine-year-old girl, was freed on New Year’s Eve after her family paid ransom in Tuburan, Basilan.

Authorities estimated close to P60 million in ransom payment have been amassed by the kidnapping gangs.

Last week, police foiled an attempted kidnapping in Zamboanga City and arrested a suspect.

Superintendent Jose Bayani Gucela, Zamboanga Peninsula police spokesman, said the gang appeared to belong to a known criminal syndicate.

MILF sets condition for new peace talks

The MILF will only face the new government peace panel under the supervision of the Malaysian facilitator, the chief MILF peace negotiator said yesterday.

Mohagher Iqbal made this point yesterday in response to Malacañang’s pronouncements that the stalled peace talks could start in a month or two.

“Well, there is a facilitator, and if the government has any plans regarding the peace talks, including resumption, then they should pass,” he said.

Speaking to reporters on the telephone, Iqbal said the government has been trying to directly deal with them for the peace talks to resume, “but this wasn’t good because there is a facilitator and if we talk to them directly, then that is against the established procedure.”

“There were some who say that Seguis wants to talk to us officially but I said we’ll just talk in Kuala Lumpur in case the talks resume.”

Iqbal said the government’s pronouncements that the stalled peace talks would push through without any preconditions is nothing but rhetoric.

“To me, that’s about rhetoric,” he said. “How could you talk if there are no guidelines.”

Iqbal said the government and the MILF should settle their differences concerning the botched agreement on ancestral domain.

As far as the MILF is concerned, the agreement on ancestral domain was a “done deal,” he added. - With Paolo Romero, Roel Pareño, Jaime Laude