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President Arroyo on Monday spoke to assure the public
that the Armed Forces will not allow peace and order to deteriorate
in Mindanao. She said the AFP will crush Ustadz Habier Malik who is
waging “holy war” against the government and the Filipino
people.
Malik threatened to convert the
conflict between his group and the military into a holy war after
the government forces on Sunday captured his camp at Panamao town in
Sulu with no casualties on the government side. Malik’s men side
is believed to have suffered many casualties.
Maj. Eugene Batara admitted they
remain clueless as to what triggered Malik’s forces to assault the
Marine outpost.
Executive Secretary Eduardo
Ermita earlier said about three battalions of soldiers from the
Philippine Army and Marines were sent to Panamao to ensure the peace
of the civilians living in the area.
Ermita maintained the military
will remain to be on top of the situation in Mindanao after he
played down recommendation calling for the intervention of detained
former Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari.
The Arroyo administration remains
optimistic that peace and order in the southern Philippines will
generally continue despite this new round of armed conflict. The
government’s move to pursue the MNLF’s Malik faction will not
harm the GRP-MNLF peace accord which was signed in 1996, Ermita
said.
OIC: Stop your fighting
An official of the Department of
Foreign Affairs said on Monday that the influential Organization of
Islamic Conference has urged a cessation of hostilities between the
Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Moro National Liberation
Front.
Foreign Affairs undersecretary
for special concerns Rafael Seguis told reporters that the OIC had
already proposed the creation of a small military monitoring mission
in Sulu province.
According to Seguis, the OIC,
which was winding down its senior officials’ meeting in Jeddah,
has “appealed for a cessation of hostilities and for the
disengagement of military forces” by the two parties.
However, Seguis noted that the
Philippines had not yet agreed on the proposal for a military
monitoring team.
“They [OIC] have not approached
us but I will immediately relay this information to the concerned
higher authorities [at the] AFP and the President,” he said.
Seguis dubbed as
“unnecessary,” the proposal for a military monitoring mission as
the MNLF attacks on Philippine forces was a “criminal act.”
The DFA official said the
Philippine military was in hot pursuit of terrorist groups.
Unicef, MILF to immunize
children in Mindanao
The United Nations Children’s
Fund on Monday launched a massive immunization and health program in
the southern Philippines.
Under an agreement with the
12,000-member Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Unicef is to
provide basic health services to 707 small villages on Mindanao and
other southern islands.
Unicef’s country representative
for the Philippines, Nicholas Alipui, said: “It is time for us to
bridge the gap and reduce the stark disparities that affect children
in the Philippines.”
“We are building bridges that
will help consolidate peace and development as we work together to
bring about more investment in program for children.”
Unicef said some 30,000 infants
would be immunized against preventable diseases between April 16 and
the end of June.
The health services would cover
many of the poorest areas of the Philippines and would eventually
include vitamin supplements (beginning with Vitamin A), a de-worming
program and tetanus shots for 16,500 expectant mothers.
The joint communiqué signed by
Unicef and the MILF also called for the delivery of “additional
basic services” including “birth registrations, malaria control,
educational supplies,” and the setting up of “community-based
health programs in selected areas.”
--Sam Mediavilla, Francis
Earl Cueto and AFP
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