By Manny Pinol
While the Philippine government is still grappling on how to deal with the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in order to sign a new peace agreement which peace advocates say will finally end the conflict in the Southern Philippines, a new terror group – the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters – has started attacking military posts and civilian populated areas.
Saying that “the MILF does not represent the real sentiment of the Bangsamoro people,” the BIFF which is under Ameril Umbra Kato is currently locked in an armed confrontation with the Philippine Army in two fronts in Central Mindanao.
A report which appeared in today’s edition of the Philippine Daily Inquirer gave this account of the encounters between the armed forces and the BIFF:
“Government forces on Saturday launched a major assault in Maguindanao to flush out members of the so-called Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a recent breakaway rebel faction.
“Maj. Gen. Romeo Gapuz, commander of the 6th Infantry Division, said the offensive was conducted in coordination with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which is engaged in peace negotiations with the government.
“Gapuz said the BIFF, a breakaway group of the MILF, was “hell bent on derailing the peace process” between the MILF and the government.
“Led by former MILF commander Ameril Umra Kato, the BIFF broke away from the MILF after disagreements on the conduct of the peace talks.
“Col. Dickson Hermoso, 6th ID spokesperson, said the first encounter between forces from the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion and BIFF rebels occurred in Sitio Dam, Barangay Damablas, Datu Piang at around 10:40 a.m. on Saturday.
“It was followed by a clash between the breakaway group and elements of the 45th Infantry Brigade in Barangay Dasawao, Shariff Saydona Mustapha town, about 20 minutes later.
“Another encounter transpired about the same time in Sitio Mapagkaya, Barangay Paidu Polangi, in Pikit, North Cotabato.
“Hermoso believes the BIFF members harassed soldiers in Pikit to divert the attention of the military.
“Clashes were still ongoing as of press time. There were no confirmed casualty reports.”
“Abu Misry Mama, spokesperson of the BIFF, criticized the assault as an “act of terrorism,” explaining that the military trespassed on Moro land.
“In a phone interview, Mama said the objective of the government was to paralyze a major camp of the rebel group in Barangay Ganta in Shariff Saydona Mustapha.
“We are using guerrilla warfare, even if we have the capacity for direct confrontation,” Mama said.
“Last June 19, the BIFF harassed a military detachment in President Quirino, Sultan Kudarat, killing a militiaman and a farmer.
“On the same day, the rebel group used sniper rifles and rocket propelled grenades to attack a patrol base of the 33rd Infantry Battalion.
“On June 21, eight BIFF members were captured by government forces in Barangay Kulasi, Bagumbayan town. Five were turned over to the President Quirino municipal police and charged with illegal possession of explosives, while three BIFF members, who were found to be minors, were turned-over to Department of Social Welfare and Development.
“A website in the name of Ameril Umbra Kato goes under the banner “Islamic Emirate Of The Philippines” and vows to do its part in “establishing the Law of Allah on Earth.”
These developments occurred even as text messages swirled around warning people of an impending outbreak of hostilities allegedly because of disagreements between the Philippine government peace panel and the MILF over annexes in the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB) involving wealth sharing and demobilization.
The text messages, labeled as a hoax by both sources in the government and the MILF, have caused alarm among people, especially when the hostilities broke out in several areas in Central Mindanao including the province of North Cotabato.
People are now starting to ask whether the peace deal with the MILF will just be part of the endless peace deals which the government will have to undertake to address the grievances of every armed group in Mindanao.
In 1996, the Philippine Government signed a peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in what was dubbed as “The Final Peace Agreement” to address the conflict in the Southern Philippines.
Hardly had the ink dried on that signed peace agreement, the MILF, then under Ustadz Hashim Salamat, declared that it would not be covered by the GRP-MNLF Peace Agreement because the group intended to bring about the establishment of an Islamic Republic in the Southern Philippines.
Now, the MILF has softened its stand on the demand for an independent Islamic State in the Southern Philippines and agreed to an expanded ARMM to include several villages in North Cotabato.
The GPH-MILF peace negotiations, however, were bogged down because of disagreements on how much share the MILF will be getting from the wealth and revenue generated from the Bangsamoro area.
The BIFF now has taken up the cause and is calling for the establishment of an “Emirate in the Southern Philippines.”
With the BIFF rearing its head as a new terror ogre in Central Mindanao, people fear that after the MILF Peace Talks, the government will once again embark on a new peace negotiations with Umbra Kato and his group.
(Photo caption: This photo taken in December last year shows me, Mlang Mayor Lito Pinol, Dr. Rod Escudero, my brother Ferdinand and MILF cadres in Dungos, Tulunan, North Cotabato. Photo by John Pagaduan)
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