TRINKLED

Military vows strong action against rebels

The Philippine military chief vowed on Tuesday to chase down Moro rebels who attacked two towns in the south, saying the time to give peace a chance was now over.

At least 34 people, most of them civilians, were killed in Lanao del Norte and Sarangani provinces on Monday after hundreds of Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas attacked two towns, burning homes, raiding banks and forcing thousands to flee, officials said.

There were no immediate reports of fresh fighting on Tuesday in the Mindanao region, where a decades-long rebellion has prevented any significant development of some of the richest mineral and hyrdrocarbon resources in Southeast Asia.

Monday's attack was the bloodiest since a territorial deal with the MILF stalled earlier this month and comes just days after government troops halted an offensive against MILF rebels in another part of Mindanao.

You all know we have bent as far backward to give peace a chance, military chief Gen. Alexander Yano said on radio on Tuesday.

The patience of our soldiers in trying to uphold the primacy of the peace process is very commendable but at some point we really have to act decisively.

The military said 26 civilians and eight soldiers were killed in the fighting in Kolambugan and Kauswagan towns in the province of Lanao del Norte. Dozens of civilians were used as human shields and some of them were shot dead by retreating rebels.

Many of the country's Muslim minority live in Mindanao, but the towns and cities, most of which are on the coast, are dominated by Christians.

The MILF leadership has distanced itself from the latest attacks in Lanao del Norte, whose commercial capital Iligan, less than 20 km from Monday's battles, is an important center for steel and hydropower.

We regret the loss of lives and property in Lanao del Norte, but we would like to emphasize that the MILF leadership has not authorized these actions, spokesman Eid Kabalu said, adding that th MILF remained committed to peace.

Yano said the MILF leaders had no control over field commanders.

If they can't control them, the government will certainly control them and we will undertake our mandate to protect the people and the communities and we cannot renege on that constitutional mandate, he said.

We will pursue and take aggressive action against the perpetrators of the dastardly acts committed against innocent civilians.

More hostilities

Last week, the military bombed MILF positions for four straight days, triggering an exodus of around 160,000 people, after accusations that the rebels had occupied Christian-owned farmlands.

The situation on the ground has deteriorated rapidly since the Supreme Court earlier this month halted a territorial deal between the MILF and Manila that was meant to re-open formal peace talks to end a conflict that has killed over 120,000 people.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza on Tuesday said there is a possibility that the government will renegotiate some of the provisions in the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain with the MILF.

Well, that is a possibility Im not saying that it is at this point in time. The case is still before the Supreme Court, Dureza told ANC television.

The press secretary reiterated that talking about renegotiations at this stage is still very premature as the high court, which stopped the signing of the agreement early this month, has yet to issue a ruling on the MOA-AD.

The MOA-AD grants Muslims in southern Philippines an expanded territory, subject to a law and a plebiscite, plus wide economic and political powers. One of the controversial provisions is the sharing of wealth, in favor of the Bangsamoro state, generated from exploitation of resources, including natural gas and minerals.

According to an /Newsbreak report, the governments peace negotiators would no longer sign the MOA-AD in the face of widespread opposition to it and questions about its constitutionality. Instead, the government would try to renegotiate it with the MILF.

The MILF leadership, however, maintained that the MOA-AD is already a done deal and binding.

'No fast-tracking peace process'

Dureza said the government is assessing the actions of the MILF including whether its leadership has control over its forces or not. Ultimately, how the MILF will take care of its own internal organization also determines how we will ultimately deal with this issue of negotiations with them, he said.

He noted that the unauthorized attacks of MILF commanders in the provinces of North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and Saranggani thrust the issue of whether or not it is good for the government to sign an agreement with the Moro rebels.

If we sign an agreement and then we have these groups like Umbra Kato in Central Mindanao and Bravo in Western Mindanao creating this havoc, these atrocities, how can there be peace even if Mr. Murad signed that? If guys like Umbra Kato and Bravo keep doing this, how can we say there will be peace in Mindanao, he said.

Murad is the MILFs chief military commander.

The press secretary admitted that the skirmishes in Mindanao puts in doubt the future of the peace process between the government and the MILF, saying attacks by armed groups on civilians could not be justified.

He vowed that the groups of MILF commanders Umbra Kato and Bravo that committed atrocities in the south would not be allowed to go unpunished.

He said that the government will not be pressured by the MILF to fast track the peace process by launching various attacks in Mindanao.

They will have to be patient. So, if they are impatient and they are unleashing dogs to create these problems to pressure the government, then I think theyre entirely wrong, he said. With Reuters