Talking points on sporadic MILF attacks
The hostilities in Lanao del Norte clearly shows the government is facing a two-faced enemy. One side of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) engages in peace negotiations while the other side continues to carry out aggressive attacks against innocent civilians and government units without any clear provocations. This exposes the MILF's underhandedness with regards to the peace process.
MILF inconsistency with their bargaining agreements on securing peace by holding down arms perpetuates one inevitable and ironic fact that the aid group is still boxed within Islamist mentality and practice. Despite the fact that the group is structured as semi-secular with its regard of treaty/accord with the government with the government by 1997, its fundamentalist mindset to make use of armed threats as pressuring ingredient is no less than an act of blatantly defying the country's constituted laws. Thus, this tags the MILF not just mere "criminals' but terrorist.
Islamist terrorists use sporadic violence to accentuate desired threat/terror escalation in order to vie recognition not just of their cause but their opposing "power." Further, they embrace vehement political reform in light of upholding Islamic laws and governing principles.
Ironically, it is not the Islam laws that pose threat but the vulnerability of these Islamists to corrupt acts and abusive extent toward those they relegate as enemies by sole disparity of spiritual adherence. These concepts constituting the attributes of an Islamist terrorists has been practiced and live-out by MILF commanders leading the 102nd and 105th Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forced (BIAF).
The MILF-initiated attack is already a flagrant rejection of the government's sincere attempt to forge peace in Mindanao. This development also discloses the inherent treacherous streak of the MILF as it undertakes acts of violence which runs counter to any Muslim and human laws.
No political cause can ever assist and justify the immoral acts of the MILF rebels who killed and took hostage innocent civilians, burned, looted houses, ambushed army troopers and sabotaged government properties in Mindanao.
These MILF members are now resorting to banditry as the group's central leadership categorically denied that their actions were sanctioned by the higher leadership.
The occupation of villages in North Cotabato by 105th BC Commander Umbra Kato and attacks in Lanao del Norte towns by 102nd BC Commander Bravo are deliberate acts of terrorism against innocent civilians which will only be counterproductive to any agenda that these groups may have had in mind.
With the sets of atrocities perpetrated by armed components of the MILF's 102nd and 105th BIAF among public locations and civilian residents particularly within Lanao del Norte, the move to place a P5 million bounty upon the arrests of its key leaders Ameril Umbra Kato and Abdullah Macapaar alias Bravo is not just a must but is rational.
The reward and efforts to neutralize Commanders Kato and Bravo sends a clear message that the Armed Forces of the Philippines will not stand back and allow the attacks to continue as it exercise its mandate of protecting the civilians in Mindanao.
The fact that the MILF denied neither these two commanders' "renegade status" nor any move to place disciplinary sanctions to the latter readily regards a fact that the group condones these armed atrocities. Thus, the MILF simply makes it clear that they are incapable to stand forth on what they have agreed with in the peace accord.
The attacks reveal the internal conflict within the MILF as the hierarchy can no longer control certain units of the rebel group. This proves that some quarters within the MILF opposed to the way the peace negotiations with the government is moving. This may lead said quarters to sever ties with the central command and form another armed group in Mindanao.
The hierarchy's inability to discipline and harness their troops in light of advocating unitary cause is a complete display of incompetence. As such, its incompetence in general will conceptualize legitimate skepticism on its role in the establishment of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE). Thus, it will be like "bating a sheep to a pack of hungry wolves"
The hostile actions in Mindanao would not most certainly fail in its attempt to speed up the deliberations on the TROed MOA on ancestral domain but would instead succeed in prompting the government to reassess its position and weigh the advantages of proceeding with the peace negotiations. If these were to happen, only the MILF leadership and its uncontrolled field commanders are to blame.
Thee unruly MILF field commanders are using the impasse on the MOA as an excuse to conduct atrocities in Mindanao as a form of muscle flexing and to specifically assault Christians in areas included in the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.
Furthermore, the disinterest to put a leash on Commanders Kato and Bravo particularly on their indiscriminate attacks against Christian-dominated localities to include arson and hostage taking readily suggest the group's intent to demarcate religious and cultural disparity as means to wage violence. With these escalating threats, feud between two dominating religious affinity in Regions 10, 11, 12 and ARMM is but inevitable.
Thus, it is a possibility that the MILF is not just using Commanders Bravo and Kato to pressure the government for the implementation of the MOA-AD but to craft a scheme directed at straining the relations between Muslims and Christians far south.
The snag in the MOA on ancestral domain is unrelated to the attacks but it is being intentionally used by the MILF leadership to claim a growing unease among its subordinates which is intended to pressure the government to immediately resolve the legal row on the agreement.
The unease centered on the MOA-AD was proved conducive to uncover these MILF rebels' true-skins which are no less than a "masked terrorists" on plight of waging irrational gap between their Muslim brothers and its Christian neighbors under the banner of religious reform and recognition.
If the MILF were true fighters of their claimed "marginalized" Muslim locals in Mindanao, then why would they initiate armed confrontations within areas largely populated by them? Have they not thought of possibilities getting these innocent civilians caught between cross fires or displaced? The MILF rebels with its acts of sporadic terror are not fighters for a cause but of "money boss." Their interest lies on grabbing power to rule a parcel of land and race. They would be tyrants that would take hold of threat making as means to subject people to abide under their rule.