Government gives 24 hour ultimatum to MILF to vacate the “occupied” lands in North Cotabato

Miami
August 7, 2008
Story 1: Government gives 24 hour ultimatum to MILF to vacate the “occupied” lands in North Cotabato

Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno has announced in the joint pres conference of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), DILG, Department of National Defense (DND) and Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (PAPP) that they are giving the Moro Islamic liberation Front (MILF) 24-hour ultimatum to vacate the places that they already occupied.

The joint press conference was held at around 9:30 am at the Main Conference room of PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame. Aside from Puno, those who attended the press conference were PAPP Secretary Hermogenes Esperon, DND Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, and PNP Chief General Avelino Razon.

The 24-hour ultimatum will end at 10:00 am of August 8.

“We are giving those individuals that have forcibly occupied theses areas 24 hours to vacate. Otherwise, they shall be forcibly separated from the area. We cannot allow these things to happen, I know that everyone involved in the peace process does not want this to happen,” Puno said.

They come up with this decision after the National Security meeting they had on Wednesday night.

Puno added that based on the report that they gathered, there are a number of municipalities in Mindanao particularly in North Cotabato that in the recent past, couple of days, have been forcibly occupied allegedly by element of ht MILF.

The affected municipalities are the town of of Aleosan, the barangays of Bagolibas with population of 1,048, Dualing with 2,611 residents and Pagangan with 2,806 residents. In the municipality of Libungan, the barangays of Cabpangi with 2,171 residents; Gumaga with 4,132 residents. The town of Midsayap in Central Labas with 1,267 residents; Upper Labas with 1,564 residents; Rangeban with 1,877 residents; and Baliki with 1,464 residents.

Puno said that some 1,500 families or more than 6,500 individuals have been displaced in the towns of Midsayap and Aleosan alone as a result of atrocities committed by forces illegally occupying the said areas.

They also estimated that there are about 800 MILF individuals in North Cotabato mostly from the 105th Base Command under Commander Umbrakato initiating atrocities “like burning houses, destruction of plantations, looting of properties and cattle rustling, among others which force the civilians to leave the area,” Puno said.

Puno also cleared that there are only three barangays from North Cotabato that will be under Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE), “I would like to point out that in the barangays that I mentioned only the barangays of Bagangan, Central Labas, Upper Labas and Rangaban are part of the intended to be expanded BJE. The others that are occupied are not even part of the areas of the areas under consideration.”

With the 24-hour ultimatum, they said they are not declaring war against the MILF. “That does not mean to say that after the 24-hour period something will be immediately happen. We exhaust all possible means to prevent conflict. However, the rule of law must be enforced in the area,” Teodoro said.

Teodoro even added that the main objective of the 24-hour deadline and exercise is to return those dispossessed of their lands to go back to their homes, to be allowed live normal lives back where they were forcibly ejected from. “And after that is done, there's nothing more to talk about anymore. So it is very far from a declaration of war or anything like,” he said.

They said that the operations will stabilize the situation in North Cotabato.

After the 24-hour ultimatum and the MILF will be still on the alleged illegal occupied areas, Puno said, “After this 24-hour period we shall consider ourselves in compliance with all of the obligations with and the ceasefire agreement in placed and the peace process that is ongoing, therefore, entitled and authorized to undertake whatever action is necessary.”

Puno also sstated that another alarming fact in the area is that there are about 400 civilian volunteer organizations (CVOs), particularly in the municipality of Aleosan, moving around with firearms. Puno tasked the PNP to enforce ban on firearms being carried by the CVOs.

Meanwhile, AFP Chief of Staff Alexander Yano is already in North Cotabato to see the situations and to coordinate with the operational commanders.

Also, the PNP already deploy three battalions at the area that will implement and enforce the law. In three battalions, one battalion came from Special Action Force, two battalions from augmentation from Regions 9, 10, 11, 12 and ARMM.