EDITORIAL - Coddling terrorists

Let’s see the Moro Islamic Liberation Front make good on this one. Last week the government furnished the MILF leadership a list of 53 militants suspected to be enjoying the protection of certain members of the separatist group, or at least hiding in MILF-held areas. The MILF has promised to apprehend the militants as part of confidence-building measures in the ongoing peace process.

Whether MILF leaders can deliver on their promise remains to be seen. The separatist commanders have made similar promises in the past, and have in fact cooperated with the government in apprehending certain fugitives. Those instances of occasional cooperation, however, are overshadowed by accusations that the MILF continues to harbor militants of Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda that has been blamed for deadly bombings in Metro Manila, Bali and Jakarta.

Reports persist that JI is turning parts of Mindanao into training camps for the ways of terror. And the training is reportedly conducted with the blessings of certain MILF members. There are also persistent reports that Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khadaffy Janjalani has managed to elude arrest because of MILF protection. MILF leaders deny all the accusations and insist that if there are people claiming to be members of the group who are working with terrorists, these are renegades.

Either MILF leaders are lying and exploiting the peace process to assist an Islamist group, or else they have a weak grip over their members. If the problem is weak control, a peace agreement would be useless. The government will simply find itself giving development and rehabilitation assistance to a handful of reformed rebels, while the bulk of the MILF membership will set up a new group that could turn out to be even deadlier. Recent reports said certain MILF members are forging an alliance with JI and Abu Sayyaf.

Late last week MILF members started emerging for "public consultations" on the peace process. The Organization of Islamic Conference is leaning on the MILF leadership to forge a peace agreement, and most of the rebels could be genuinely interested in peace. Before any agreement can be reached, however, the MILF will have to purge its ranks. You can’t talk peace while at the same time coddling terrorists. Helping the government find those 53 militants will be a good start.