Give them bloody hell

If war is what the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) want, then I say give it to them. After the MILF ambuscaded and pillaged Lanao del Norte, North Cotabato, and Saranggani, they deserve nothing less than to be bombed to bloody hell. Wake up-- the peace talks were dead the minute MILF troops adopted a scorched earth policy for Christian towns which happened to be in the wrong part of Mindanao.

Here's a brief recap of what happened: The Philippine government and the MILF concluded a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that would give the Bangsamoro people even greater autonomy than that under the present Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) regime. Shortly after this was announced, Christian politicians in Mindanao and Manila objected to the MOA, eventually getting the Supreme Court to issue a restraining order against the MOA's signing. In response, MILF commanders Bravo and Ombra Kato attacked and occupied several towns in Lanao del Norte, North Cotabato, and Saranggani, looting businesses, burning houses, and killing civilians. The military responded by driving out the MILF in Christian towns and pursuing the commanders. Politicians in Manila and Mindanao are now running round like headless chickens.

When I first heard of the MOA I actually thought it was a good idea. It was about time the Bangsamoro people were given a greater degree of autonomy and were allowed to have a greater say in their own destiny. I agreed with the MOA in principle even if I thought it had legal infirmities and a plebiscite should first be conducted in the concerned areas. Given Manila's piss poor job in governing Muslim Mindanao, it was just understandable that they will want to govern themselves. Constitutional issues aside, giving the Bangsamoro people federal state-like status will solve a lot of problems especially for Manila.

But everything changed when Bravo and Kato launched their raids on civilan towns. Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF's chief negotiator, maintains that the attacks weren't sanctioned by their leadership. If that is so, then MILF should take the lead in rounding up and punishing Bravo and Kato-- that's what happens to military commanders when they engage in unauthorised movements. Instead, the the MILF are coddling these two commanders and haven't even categorically condemned them. And now they're threatening even more violence if the MOA isn't signed.

Iqbal's claim that they didn't authorise Bravo and Kato's ambuscades is nothing but hogwash. The attacks were instigated to silence opposition and to pressure Manila into signing the MOA; claiming "lost command" and adventurous commanders is just meant to avoid responsibility while reaping the benefits. But, for the sake of argument, let's take Iqbal's word at face value-- they really had nothing to do with Bravo and Kato's actions. In that case, why should anyone enter into an agreement with the MILF leadership? They basically just said that they have no command and control over their forces on the ground. What's the use of signing a peace pact with an MILF leadership that cannot control their commanders? We can only conclude two things about the MILF leadership: either (1) they're pigs willing to order (or condone) attacks on civilian towns to pressure the signing of the MOA, or (2) they're lame ducks who cannot control their own commanders and are thus unable to guarantee the peace. Either way, why the hell would anyone still want to sign a peace pact with them?

The MILF say that there will be war if the MOA isn't signed. Well, we're already in a war-- it started when MILF commanders occupied and looted civilian towns. If the MILF want to salvage the MOA, they should show that they do not condone such attacks on civilians and hand over Bravo and Kato to the government. Or, better yet, do what should be done and spare us the paperwork.