21 April 2009

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) troops raided the government – MILF Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Post (JCMP) and several civilian residences in Barangay Kitango, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao yesterday.

Reports said elements of the 46th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army raided JCMP - Kitango and civilian houses around 3:30pm. Some household belongings were taken away by the raiding government soldiers, who also took the names and identities of the occupants. These are classic cases of direct offensives and violations to an existing ceasefire agreement between the government and MILF, human rights and international humanitarian laws.

The Ceasefire Committee of the MILF expressed total dismay on the raid by AFP troops to the joint GRP - MILF ceasefire outpost and civilians.

Toks Ebrahim, Chairman of the MILF Ceasefire Committee, conveyed he will file the necessary protest on the ceasefire violation inflicted against the ceasefire mechanism per se, even as he said “it would seem that even the ceasefire mechanisms and personnel are no longer safe with the ongoing AFP operations.”

JCMP – Kitango was established in 2004 by the government and MILF ceasefire committees as local ceasefire mechanism being manned by both elements of AFP and MILF. According to ceasefire agreement, all ceasefire mechanisms and personnel must not be harmed, restrained, raided and accorded with safety and security guarantee by both government and MILF.

The raid on the civilian residences in the same barangay station of JCMP-Kitango, was no longer a surprise given the class act by the AFP of raiding even the ceasefire outpost.

Meanwhile, the relentless artillery shelling by the AFP went on its third day. Countless of artillery fires from 105mm and 155mm mortars were launched yesterday until this morning hitting several villages and marshy areas in Datu Saudi, Mamasapano, Shariff Aguak, Guindulungan, all of Maguindanao.

The motive for the unabated AFP artillery strikes for the past successive three days or so is difficult to comprehend, opined civilians in the area, adding their believe that the government cannot withstand doing it for straight weeks due to depleted government resources.

In Zamboanga Sibugay, elements of the 904th Provincial Police Mobile Group under SSupt Federico Castro Jr opened fire using various rifles at Muslim residences at Barangay Tenan, Ipil municipality around 130m last April 18, 2009. A 7-month baby girl identified as Nurilie died after sustaining multiple gunshots fired by the government police elements. Some houses and belonging were also damaged by the police attackers.

Seven related cases of police attacks against Muslims residences perpetrated allegedly by the same group were reported by the victims to government authorities since October last year.  “Unfortunately, no action not even an investigation was done by the government authorities on these cases that’ why atrocities against the Muslims continues with impunity,” MILF source said.