Is the MILF in control? RODY DUTERTE COULD FIND A LOST CELPHONE IN DAVAO

By Manny Piñol

Very recently, a baby kidnapped by a househelp in Davao City and brought to the province of Maguindanao was recovered through the relentless efforts of men under Mayor Rody Duterte who in turn used his connection with Muslim leaders in the area.

Late last year, a businessman who owned a chain of restaurants in Davao City was stabbed dead in a planned robbery murder by a man and his girlfriend. His car and his body were abandoned in a town in Davao del Sur about 60 kilometers away.

The suspects were tracked down and arrest in less than 24 hours.

In Davao City, if a visitor loses his celphone inside a taxicab, all that he needs to do is to report to the police the color of the taxi and the celphone will surely be recovered.

All of these stories point to one indisputable fact: Mayor Rody Duterte, the leader of Davao City, is in full control of his city and he could deliver.

This is the question which confronts the leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) following the massacre of 44 elite police commandos belonging to the Special Action Force (SAF) on Jan. 25 in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The fallen SAF policemen, who were part of the more than 300 commandos ordered to arrest international terrorist Zulkifli bin hir alias Marwan and his Filipino counterpart, Basit Usman, were stripped of their belongings and guns by the huge group of MILF and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) members after they were killed.

The acting chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Gen. Leonardo Espina, has called on the MILF leadership to order their men who participated in the carnage to return the personal belongings and firearms of the slain SAF policemen.

Espina made the call last week and it could have been a golden opportunity for the MILF to show a degree of respect for the fallen policemen.

Most of all, it would be a proof that the MILF indeed is in control of its people and of the territory which it claims to be its fiefdom.

There has been no response from the MILF so far, not even an acknowledgment that they have received the message from Gen. Espina.

This could be a fatal blow to the credibility of the MILF.

The failure on the part of the MILF to show that they are in control of its people and of its territory will further bolster the claims of the detractors of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, which is bruited to bring peace to the Southern Mindanao area, that the rebel group could not deliver its part in the commitment to peace.

Indeed, how can a rebel organization who could not even control its own people assure the rest of the country that after the signing of the BBL, there will be peace in the southern part of the country?

Perhaps, it would be better for the MILF to get some pointers from Mayor Duterte on how to project the image of a leader who is in control and who could deliver.