EDITORIAL - ‘Total annihilation’

Even before government troops could rescue the three remaining hostages of the Abu Sayyaf, there was another kidnapping in Mindanao. The daughter of a local car dealer was in a van with two employees when they were waylaid Thursday noon at the Sta. Ana wharf in Davao City. The kidnappers, who are demanding a ransom of P5 million, are believed to be members of the Pentagon gang, which is still holding Italian priest Giuseppi Pierantoni.

The gang, which may soon rival the Abu Sayyaf in kidnapping notoriety, is said to be composed of renegades from the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is exploring peace with the government. There are suspicions, however, that gang members in fact include active members of the MILF, which is offering to negotiate for Pierantoni’s release. Similar suspicions of collusion were raised in the case of the Abu Sayyaf and Nur Misuari’s Moro National Liberation Front.

Such collusion is among the problems that the government must address in trying to bring peace in the troubled South. The other day President Arroyo vowed she would not rest until she had brought peace to Mindanao. The promise came on the heels of her latest vow: "complete and total annihilation" of the Abu Sayyaf in three months. Since she has been vowing to "crush" the terrorists throughout her first year in office, her latest pronouncement smacks of pure bluster. And she can’t blame the public for greeting her promise of peace in Mindanao with skepticism.

Her apparent tack is to bring development to Mindanao, hoping that easing poverty will kill the roots of insurgency. There are debates on which comes first – peace or development – and whether one is possible without the other. Islamic unrest has festered in Mindanao since the Spanish period, and any national leader who can bring lasting peace in the South will earn a special place in the nation’s history.

The President said peace in Mindanao is the linchpin of her administration. If she wants the people to believe this is more than just political rhetoric, she should tell her troops to finally make good her promise to crush Khadaffy Janjalani, Abu Sabaya, Ghalib Andang and the rest of their ilk. She should also tell her troops to make sure new groups such as the Pentagon gang won’t gain enough strength to take the place of the Abu Sayyaf.