There has been plenty of action this week with the AFP fighting terrorists.
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| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/979382/news-npa-quezon-cafgu-lopez-army |
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| http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/30/18/biff-sub-leader-shot-dead-in-north-cotabato-town |
But the real action this week has been in talking. Duterte has been in Mindanao speaking to the Muslims about the BBL and his sincere intentions to pass it soon and very soon. He spoke in Sulu to a group of Muslims about these intentions.
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| http://cnnphilippines.com/news/2018/03/26/duterte-wants-bbl-before-end-of-2018.html |
"I want to finish it this year," Duterte said during his visit in Jolo, Sulu. "I want to have a result of this at the end of the year."
Duterte inspected loose firearms surrendered by the local government and witnessed the presentation of surrendered members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).
The President has repeatedly stressed that the BBL will help satisfy the Moro people's aspirations for real autonomy.
Even as he pushes for the law's passage soon, Duterte admitted he has some concerns about its implementation specifically on governance issues among different groups.
He also expressed concern on who will lead the Moro region should the BBL pass.
"Yan ang problema ko ngayon while the BBL is being processed in Congress. Pagdating ng panahon, who heads what? Magkanya-kanya ba o ilagay mo sa isang governing authority and who would it be?" Duterte said.
[Translation: That’s my problem while the BBL is being processed in Congress. When the time comes, who heads what? Would they act on their own or assign a governing authority and who would it be?]
To help resolve the BBL-related concerns, the President said he will meet with stakeholders for a whole day next week.
He also expressed openness to working with the ASG.
"Wala akong galit sa inyo. Wala akong galit sa Abu Sayyaf. I understand the situation...If there's a way that I can help you help me make it through the night sa presidency ko, magpasalamat talga ako kasi wala ako ibang hangarin kundi bigyan ng kapayapaan ang Moro sa Mindanao,” Duterte said.
[Translation: I’m not mad at you. I’m not mad at the Abu Sayyaf. I understand the situation...If there's a way that I can help you help me make it through the night in my presidency, I would be really thankful because I want nothing but peace for the Moro in Mindanao.]
There are two astounding revelation in this speech. One is that Duterte is finally wising up to the fractured nature of the ARMM and the various Muslim groups within the region. When the BBL is passed they will all be vying for power. MILF, MNLF, BIFF, Abu Sayyaf, etc. In fact here is list of some of the various Muslim groups in Mindanao who would love to lead the new Islamic State Duterte wants to create.
Duterte having doubts about who will lead the BBL is a good thing. But it is doubtful he will call the whole thing off.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/03/26/1800631/duterte-worried-bangsamoro-law-might-not-address-ethnic-rivalries |
He said solidarity between the rebel groups has not been addressed before and will remain a problem if the BBL will be implemented.
"That is now my problem while the BBL is being processed in Congress and when the time comes, who heads what? Whether it will be to each his own or you will place it in a governing authority and who will it be?" Duterte, whose office endorsed and presumably reviewed the draft BBL before submitting it to Congress, said.
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| https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/03/28/prrd-appeals-for-muslim-unity-support-for-bbl/ |
The BBL won't address these deep-seated ethnic and religious rivalries amongst the population. It is a political solution that lumps all these groups together in one pot. And everyone wants to call the shots. Literally!
The second revelation is not much of a revelation nor is it so astounding. Duterte claims he is willing to work with ISIS aligned Abu Sayyaf declaring that he is not mad at them and he understands the situation. This may seem shocking following the Marawi siege and the role Abu Sayyaf played in it but to any one paying attention it should come as no surprise.
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| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/795092/duterte-abu-sayyaf-are-not-criminals |
The thing is Duterte reversed this stance just a few weeks after absolving them of criminality.
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| http://gulfnews.com/news/asia/philippines/duterte-vows-to-eat-abu-sayyaf-terrorists-1.1891942 |
Duterte on Monday offered a particularly vivid description of how he would like to eat Abu Sayyaf terrorists, who killed 15 soldiers last month and are accused of a bombing in his home city last week that claimed 14 lives.
“I will really carve your torso open. Give me vinegar and salt and I will eat you. I’m not kidding,” Duterte said, according to an official video of his speech posted on Tuesday.
“These guys are beyond redemption.”
Abu Sayyaf beyond redemption? I think everyone would agree with that. They are terrorists who have kidnapped for ransom, hold villages hostage through fear, and sieged a whole city for 5 months. ASG is a threat to the security of this nation and they must be eradicated. Any hopes at redemption went out the window long ago. But then we get another reversal of attitude.
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| http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/978708/duterte-offers-free-housing-aid-to-asg-bandits-who-surrendered |
He said he did not exactly know what the Sulu surrenderers wanted to do with their lives but in the meantime, he was offering them houses and livelihood, similar to the assistance that communist rebels in Mindanao who had surrendered were getting.
“For those interested, [the] government is ready. Houses. Sulu is big. I can build small houses here. I can accommodate you,” the President said.
He said he wanted a peaceful resolution of the Abu Sayyaf problem in particular and the Moro problem in general because seeing young people die pained him.
He said that contrary to what jihadis had been claiming, the government’s campaign against lawlessness in Sulu was not about religion.
“There is no war of religion in this country. It is not an issue and has never been,” the President said.
Giving terrorists aid and comfort in the midst of an on-going war on terror isn't just madness, it's treason. Likewise his statement that there is no war of religion in this country is also misguided. The government may not be fighting a religious war but the Muslisms are. That is what jihad is. That is what the Islamic State is all about, establishing an ISLAMIC STATE! What does he think the "I" in MILF and BIFF stand for? (It stands for "Islamic" FYI)
Even the DND supports these plans for reintegrating Abu Sayyaf terrorists back into society.
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| http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2018/03/27/dnd-backs-armm-reintegration-program-abu-sayyaf-surrenderers-595869 |
The interventions include psychosocial sessions, medical check-ups, introduction to farming systems, and expository tours outside the island provinces, which are designed to usher the complete reformation of the former combatants into decent and productive members of society.
The returnees will be provided with farm implements as livelihood support and housing from the Armm-Bangsamoro Regional Inclusive Development with Growth and Equity Program.
How about integrating these terrorists into a jail cell instead? Or a grave? Is there a war on terrorism or not? Are these men to be held responsible for their crimes or not? The Philippine government should craft a coherent policy towards dealing with terrorists and it should not include free housing and other assistance. You can't fight a war on terrorism and say to the terrorists "I'm not mad at you" and "I understand the situation." Duterte needs to get his policies straight and quit wiffle-waffling.
Given what happened to Marawi and the large number of refugees these remarks from Duterte understandably drew much ire from those who are remain homeless and displaced because of the siege.
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| http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/03/29/18/marawi-evacuees-to-duterte-focus-on-our-needs-first-before-surrendering-rebels |
Families displaced during the Marawi siege last year are asking President Rodrigo Duterte to prioritize their housing needs, not those of former rebels.
Some families have been living at a multipurpose building in this town, with only polyester tents helping them live through harsh weather.
Their living conditions have been this way for 10 months now since losing their homes to the conflict. They said they blame the Maute and the Abu Sayyaf groups for their predicament.
Which is why it's hard for some of them to accept the president's gesture offering housing benefits to Abu Sayyaf members who will surrender.
Rebels and terrorists who surrender have dined with the president, received free trips to Hong Kong, received job training, and have been promised housing and money. All the while their victims languish in refugee camps being forced to sleep in tents. If that's not bad enough the government is apparently leaving out Marawi citizens in the rebuilding of the city.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/03/30/1801509/group-maranaos-asks-duterte-stop-plan-build-ecozone-military-camp-marawi |
In a statement Friday, Ranaw Multi-Sectoral Movement lamented that the residents of Marawi have been “largely left out” in the plans to rebuild the city laid out by the Task Force Bangon Marawi during a consultation last week.
“Plans have been made without our participation. Plans that neither bear the stamp of our will nor reflect our culture. Plans whose mechanics and implementation are not clear to us,” the group said.
It added: “Those who came to present the plan dismissed our comments, recommendations and protestations as though we knew nothing and have no business getting involved in rebuilding our very own city.”
The group said the folks of the lakeside city have resisted many invaders throughout the years but the proposed plan of building an economic zone and a military camp is an invasion that “threatens to rob our souls.”
Ranaw Muti-Sectoral Group, moreover, appealed to President Duterte, who often claims that he is of Maranao blood, to stop the government’s plan.
“We appeal to you to let Marawi be rebuilt the way our ancestors did: one house at a time, one masjid (mosque) at a time. One village at a time. We welcome those who are willing to help us in this endeavor, for the challenges are daunting and the costs are high. We appeal though that please help us rebuild according to our will in pursuit of the will of Allah (swt). Stand with us, help us, please be one of us,” it said.
Even Senator Kiko Pangilinan has raised his voice in support of these refugees.
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2018/03/30/1801507/allow-marawi-residents-rebuild-homes-same-site-says-kiko |
The government should allow Marawi residents to rebuild their homes on the same site where they are situated prior to the siege of the city, Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan said Friday.
The senator further called on the government to give Marawi residents resources, particularly to those whose houses have been flattened or damaged from the fight between government troops and local terrorists.
"Their home is where their families converge, where their Islamic faith has been grounded, where their value systems have been established," Pangilinan said in a statement.
Let's sum up here. The government knew in April 2017 of a plan to siege Marawi but they ignored this intel and a whole lot of other intel they had been given from foreign countries about the presence of ISIS in the country. In May the AFP made a move to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, the leader of Abu Sayyaf, instigating the siege by Maute and Abu Sayyf. For five months the city was bombarded and reduced to rubble while citizens were forced to flee for their lives. Now almost a year later the government has pledged to give Abu Sayyaf terrorists who surrender free housing and assistance while Marawi citizens remain in refugee camps. At the same time plans for rebuilding Marawi are underway and Marawi citizens have no say in the matter. Part of these plans include seizing land and building a military camp.
If the growth in terrorism is rooted in distrust and hatred for the government then it seems the Philippine government is doing everything in its power to foster that growth.
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