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The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) denied planting land mines
in villages it had recently occupied in North Cotabato Province, as
alleged by the military.
In a statement posted on its website, the
MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces chief of staff, Sammy Al-Mansoor,
said the rebels are complying with the military code of conduct and
with Protocol I and II of the Geneva Convention that prohibit the
use of land mines.
Al-Mansoor added that the MILF had signed a
“Deed of Commitment” with the Geneva Call, in tandem with the
Philippine campaign to ban land mines.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines claimed that
soldiers in North Cotabato have conducted operations in various
villages that were occupied by the MILF to remove land mines and
booby traps planted by the rebels before they left.
Referring to the MILF, military chief Alexander
Yano earlier said, “We assume that they have left something
hostile in the area like unexploded IEDs [improvised explosive
devices]. That is a very logical assumption on our part, [and] so
that is part of the clearing [operations].”
More trouble ahead
On Sunday, the Filipino-Muslim Democratic
Alliance warned that the MILF would create more trouble if the
memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain is not signed.
During the weekly forum Tinapayan sa Dapitan
on Sunday, alliance Director Andy Andogan said recent developments
aggravate the bad feelings that Muslims already have against the
government in Manila.
The government and the MILF were set to sign the
agreement on August 5 in Malaysia to end hostilities in Mindanao.
But the Supreme Court issued a restraining order, after local
officials filed a petition asking government to first disclose the
terms of that agreement.
Andogan urged the government to sign the
agreement on ancestral domain, allaying fears that the Constitution
will be violated.
Nueva Ecija Rep. Edno Joson, member on the House
Committee on Peace negotiations, also attended the forum. He said
the only solution to the impasse is to resume peace negotiations,
not to walk away, which the MILF leaders have said is likely if the
agreement is not signed.
-- Jefferson Antiporda and Ruben D. Manahan 4th
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