Thousands in parts of Mindanao welcome 2016 in evacuation sites

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – About 4,000 people from Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat welcomed the new year in temporary evacuation sites, amid threats of more attacks by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) on their communities.

The families have taken shelter in gymnasiums since the BIFF launched attacks on Christmas eve.

During the last few hours of 2015, the BIFF launched simultaneous attacks on the nearby Shariff Aguak, Shariff Saydona, and Datu Piang town army detachments of the 601st Brigade.

No death was reported in the New Year’s Eve attack, but on Christmas Eve, 11 people were killed, including 6 farmers. The BIFF, a breakaway group of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), has owned up to the attacks as part of its Jihad or holy war.

Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu visited the evacuees in  Kauran gymnasium ahead of the New Year to distribute relief goods.
 
Mangadadatu also gave P10,000 in burial assistance and a sack of rice each to the family of the slain farmers. He said he would arrange educational assistance for the children of the slain breadwinners under Maguindanao’s MagPeace scholarship program.

Maguindanao gov to MILF: Help fight vs BIFF
 
Mangudadatu, who was emotional during his visit, said he remembered his own family tragedy when he saw the photos of the slain farmers.
 
“When I saw the photos of those killed, it reminded me of the carnage of my family in 2009, in this town also. These beasts, these people who took the lives of your loved ones, how could they sleep at peace with what they did?” he said as he clenched his fist.
 
In his speech at the front of hundreds of families gathered at the gym, he condemned the BIFF’s brutality.  “These BIFF rogues just wanted to sow terror,” he said.
 
Mangudadatu also called on the MILF to help stop the vicious activities of its breakaway group.

“I am appealing to the MILF leadership. They should help the government in running after these rogue elements. They should be one with us in government in putting an end to these violent activities of BIFF and let peace [reign] in all communities in the Bangsamoro land,” he said.

Jabib Guaibar, the MILF’s Local Monitoring Team representative in North Cotabato, said the MILF is not mandated to do this.

Responding to journalists’ questions, he said: “Our hands are tied here. We have no mandate or authority to run after them unless we are now part of the government. That is one issue indicated in the BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law),” he said.

Under the agreement creating the Ad Hoc Joint Advisory Group (AHJAG), the MILF committed to run after criminal elements but only in their known areas or near their territories.

The BIFF broke away from the MILF as it did not support its peace negotiations with the government.

Meanwhile, the military said it would deploy more troops to areas prone to attacks.

“There is no let-up in running after these BIFF rebels. We will provide more troops to areas where civilians are prone to attacks,” 6th Infantry Division Commander Major General Edmundo Pangilinan said in a meeting with local government officials from Mlang, North Cotabato, Ampatuan, Maguindanao, and Esperanza, Sultan Kudarat. – Rappler.com