In Self Defense
covering burma and southeast asia
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Magazine

REGIONAL

In Self Defense


By Mars W Mosqueda Jr JULY, 2003 - VOLUME 11 NO.6


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Worn down by an endless cycle of violence, civilians in war-plagued Mindanao are now taking up arms. For vendors and frequent shoppers at the bustling public market in Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte in the southern Philippines, May 4, 2003 began as an ordinary Sunday. By day’s end, however, the place was littered with fifteen dead bodies. An alleged member of the secessionist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), planted a homemade bomb near a busy fruit stand. The blast killed over 20 people and seriously injured several others. On May 10, suspected MILF guerrillas attacked again, bombing a market in Koronadal City. The blast killed 13 and injured 49. Authorities believe the bomb was fashioned out of an 81 mm mortar shell and placed inside a gas tank. Unhappy with the continual violence, civilians in the southern Philippines are starting to take action. Residents in predominantly Muslim Mindanao are arming themselves and preparing to fight the rebels if necessary. The pair of market bombings followed a familiar pattern. Similar attacks took place at Davao International Airport and Sasa Wharf, resulting in 20 casualties. The aim of all the attacks is believed to be the destabilization of the government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Nonetheless, civilians have suffered the most—over 50 were killed in May—in what appears to be an unending war between the government and the MILF. The two sides use different ammunition in their war of words over the bomb attacks. Government spokespeople say the insurgents have been launching "terrorist attacks." The rebels deny terrorizing innocent people. "We are targeting military camps and not civilians," MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu says repeatedly, dismissing civilian casualties as "collateral damage." "Civilians are the usual victims of this war," said Kahlid Sali, a 35-year-old father of two. "We might as well die defending ourselves." Gun sales increased following the government’s recent issuance of an ultimatum stating that the secessionists must renounce terrorism. President Arroyo earlier warned that if the rebels don’t stop attacking and killing civilians, her administration would ask the US to include the MILF on its list of foreign terrorist organizations. The date Arroyo issued in her ultimatum was identical to the deadline MILF leaders gave the government for meeting its demands. The government’s failure to comply would mean the resumption of the rebels’ bombing campaign, said MILF leaders. Many residents believe the tough talk is likely to trigger more violence in the region. "We don’t want to get caught in the crossfire with no means to defend ourselves," said a Muslim resident of Mindanao. Strong-armed Return Thousands of evacuees from the town of Pikit, North Cotabato, are also asking if they can bring guns home when they return to rebuild their lives in the province’s so-called "zone of peace." Twenty-eight barangay (local political units) leaders from Pikit raised the arms issue with social workers during recent meetings, said Social Welfare Secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman. "They feel they can be safer if they have arms," she said, recalling the March 10 dialogue which addressed the "zone of peace" concept and the issues surrounding the return of Pikit residents. The village chiefs believe they have a greater chance of being "left alone" by MILF forces if the rebels know that residents are armed and capable of defending their families, Soliman said. Residents of other villages in North Cotabato are also concerned with how to protect themselves from rebel attacks. Men from Pikit’s neighboring barangays either make their own guns or join vigilante groups allegedly financed by a high-ranking local official. Pikit’s parish priest, Father Roberto Layson, says the situation is reminiscent of Mindanao during the 1960s and 1970s, when many civilians procured guns after war broke out between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front, the organization from which MILF split in 1977. "As the violence escalated and more civilians were affected by atrocities of both [government forces] and [insurgent forces], civilians started to arm themselves," Layson said. The situation in the small village of Dalengaoen in North Cotabato bolsters Layson’s assertion. The village has been the site of three battles between government forces and MILF since 2000. After a MILF attack in November 2000 killed eight residents, at least five Christian households sold their work animals in order to purchase small arms. Vigilante Justice Several vigilante groups and shadowy paramilitary organizations have also emerged in the aftermath of skirmishes between government forces and the separatist guerrillas. Volunteers are reportedly flocking to the groups, which defend towns and cities against retaliatory attacks from the secessionist forces.


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