Clashes ‘won’t demoralize military’

Monday, October 24, 2011
MANILA — The government is optimistic that there will be no demoralization within the military ranks following the deaths of 19 soldiers in Basilan last Tuesday and the series of attacks in other areas in Mindanao that target troops.
Gunmen believed to be members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) killed last Tuesday 19 soldiers in a fierce encounter in Al-Barka town, Basilan. The attack was followed by a series of clashes in the same province, as well as in Zamboanga Sibugay and Lanao del Norte.
The series of violent events has complicated already-shaky peace talks between the government and the MILF, the largest of at least four insurgent groups fighting for Muslim self-rule in Mindanao.
The AFP blamed the MILF for the attacks, and some lawmakers have called for a military solution to the clashes.
Several senior military officers, however, were reportedly disappointed with President Benigno Aquino III for supposedly blaming the military for the Basilan clash during the command conference he presided over last Friday.
But deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Sunday that Aquino is not blaming the AFP and the Palace continues to honor the memory of the fallen men in uniform.
“Make no mistake about it (that the morale of the military remains high). We are all sad about what happened and we honor the memory of those killed in the clash,” Valte said.
She said the Palace has not received any report of widespread demoralization in the Armed Forces.
But a former Military Ordinariate believes Aquino’s erroneous statements have further degraded the morale of the AFP.
“I think our soldiers now have low morale because they see that they don’t get the backing of their Chief Executive and they don’t feel that they are being protected by their higher ups,” said Lipa (Batangas) Archbishop Ramon Arguelles.
Earlier, Aquino said he is not keen on pursuing an all-out war against the MILF and, instead, wants the continuation of peace talks.
He also sought for a deeper probe in the clash Tuesday last week.
Sans the probe, however, Aquino already ordered the relief of Colonel Antonio Parlade Jr. as Army spokesman and Colonel Alex Macario as head of the Special Operations Task Force Basilan.
Parlade was reportedly relieved due to his statement pushing for the suspension of the ceasefire with the MILF on the heels of the deadly clash, while Macario was ordered replaced for allegedly committing “operational lapses”.
If it were him, Arguelles said he would have opted to give the soldiers a chance to defend themselves in pursuit of justice.
“Sana hindi na lang siya nagsalita ng ganun na walang all-out war. Sana ang sinabi niya is we will try to avoid war pero siyempre they have to defend themselves (He could have said that he will try to avoid an all-out war, but, of course, they have to defense themselves),” the prelate said.
“To declare it na no all-out war is parang iniiwan mo na yung mga sundalo to themselves,” Arguelles added.
But Valte said while the President remained adamant on not declaring an all out-war against the MILF, he ordered to pursue lawless elements.
“The President has already given the order to go after the lawless elements and the stern warning of the President is that for anybody helping or coddling the lawless elements, they will also be captured. You will also be considered enemies of the state,” she said.
On Sunday, armed men killed four plantation workers and a militiaman and wounded eight other civilians in an ambush in Sumisip town, Basilan, Army chief Lieutenant General Arturo Ortiz said, adding MILF rebels were the main suspects in the attack.
Suspected Moro rebels also ambushed troops in Lanao del Norte province Sunday, killing two soldiers and wounding four others. The military earlier reported that three soldiers had died in the attack in Lanao del Norte’s Sultan Naga Dimaporo town, but later clarified that one soldier was still fighting for his life in a hospital.
In a third attack, about 80 to 120 suspected Moro rebels, apparently starving, ransacked stores and stole poultry and water buffaloes in remote Talusan town in Zamboanga Sibugay province Saturday then withdrew to an abandoned school in a mountainous outskirts of the town, said Army spokesman Major Harold Cabunoc.
The rebels left the school before government troops arrived in the area, Cabunoc said.
Zamboanga Sibugay police chief Ruben Carriaga said the rebels may have staged the attacks in Talusan to divert the attention of military and police forces that have surrounded a separate group of 80 Moro rebels and outlaws in the nearby town of Payao.
Police wanted to arrest seven of the gunmen in Payao for various crimes, including kidnappings for ransom, but they resisted and have been sporadically clashing with government forces in recent days, Carriaga said.
Rebel spokesman Von Al Haq said MILF men had nothing to do with the attacks in Basilan and Zamboanga Sibugay. He said he was trying to verify if his comrades staged the Lanao del Norte assault.
The rebel group ordered all its fighters Saturday to halt all assaults, he said.
“Our men will maintain ceasefire positions unless they are provoked,” Al Haq said Sunday.
Al Haq’s group claimed responsibility for the killing of the 19 soldiers in Basilan last Tuesday that also left six rebels dead. The rebels were also responsible for attacks that left seven policemen and soldiers in Zamboanga Sibugay province late Thursday, he said.
With the fresh attacks, the Provincial Government of nearby Zamboanga del Sur formulated Friday a contingency plan to avert similar incidents.
Governor Antonio Cerilles convened the Provincial Peace and Order Council to discuss the plan.
Zamboanga del Sur police director Jose Bayani Gucela said Sunday that the province’s territorial defense was strengthened.
Gucela said checkpoints jointly manned by policemen and soldiers, who were deployed as reinforcement to his command, were also established.
Lanao del Sur Representative Pangalian Balindong, however, called Sunday for maturity, responsibility, and reason in the aftermath of armed clashes between government troops and Moro rebels, saying the public should “remain vigilant against anyone or any group who would take advantage of the situation to sow more fear and disorder.”
Although Balindong called the Basilan clash “an outrage that should be met with unreserved condemnation,” he said pursuit operations must be “against lawless elements, but not against the MILF.”
“We must say no to total war in Mindanao. To wage ‘total’ war is by definition to take huge numbers of innocent lives — and perpetuate the cycle of senseless violence, death, and destruction,” he said.
President Aquino earlier vowed to continue efforts to arrest militants, including those from the main Moro group, who have committed crimes.
Amid reports of apparent demoralized state of the military, Aquino ordered the release of P10 billion to purchase new equipment and aircrafts for the AFP as part of their modernization program.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said his office is preparing for the special allotment release orders (Saro) that will be charged against the 2010 and 2011 appropriations amounting to P5 billion each.
Abad said the P5-billion fund for 2010 will be used to equip the Philippine Army with 14 armored personnel carrier, 272 20-man pack radios and 3,480 force protection which totals to P1.4 billion.
The Philippine Navy will also procure one strategic sealift vessel that costs P2 billion, while the Philippine Air Force targets to acquire one special mission aircraft and two light lift aircraft amounting to P1.6 billion.
The 2011 budget, meanwhile, will be used to purchase vehicles for civil military operations, health services and disaster response activities, among others, said the budget chief.
The Philippine Army will purchase 32 five-ton dump trucks and 55 special purpose vehicles, while the Philippine Air Force will purchase two search-and-rescue helicopters, 30 special purpose vehicles and 15 amphibian vehicles.
The AFP is also planning to purchase weapons and communication equipment, such as for the Philippine Army — 1,376 handheld radios, 210 AV configuration radios and 100 base radios, as well as 150 mortars (60mm); and for the Philippine Air Force — 78 units of audio-video equipment, 160 portable radio receivers, 100 sniper rifle systems and 2,000 standard weapons systems.
“Our President is committed to bring just and lasting peace for the country by bringing all armed conflict to a permanent and peaceful end. One way to achieve this is to ensure an immediate upgrade in our soldiers who are a key factor in achieving peace,” Abad said.
He said the acquisition list, to be funded by the AFP Modernization Program, was based on a review and updating of operational requirements demanded by regional security developments.
Valte said the P10-billion fund for the AFP modernization has nothing to do with the deaths of 19 soldiers.
“This is something that was already in the works,” she said.
President Aquino earlier instructed the release of a total of P5.32 billion, charged against the Malampaya Fund, to beef-up AFP’s territorial defense capabilities, including the purchase of a USS Hamilton-class cutter.
With the funds allotted to the AFP modernization program, the military has been required to submit a comprehensive report on its implementation status. (Jill Beltran/AMN/Jonathan de Santos/Bong Garcia/AP/Sunnex)
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/10/24/clashes-wont-demoralize-military-186707

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