A-piece-ment miffs BIFF

DIE HARD III / Herman Tiu Laurel / 8/12/2013 / Daily Tribune

The so-called BangsaMoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) are reported to be miffed over the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)'s monopolization of all the pieces of the Mindanao pie from BS Aquino III's policy of "a-piece-ment," i.e. for being left out of the loot. But can we be sure that this is the real reason for the BIFF'S beef with the rest of Philippine society, so much so that this alleged breakaway group has now been rocking innocents to their core with its improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The personalities behind this "rebel terror" group, as well as their real identities and motives, are as a myriad and labyrinthine as the international networks of al-Qaeda, which US intelligence services organized (and continue to utilize) for terror destabilizations and destructions all over the world — from Libya to Syria, and to our very own Mindanao. Last I heard from a most competent source, the Uighur al-Qaeda branch is already in Central Mindanao.

The nerve wracking IED bombings in Mindanao should compel all Filipinos to rethink government's approach to the Islamic separatist problem — the same used by Fidel Ramos, then adopted by Gloria Arroyo and, now, BS Aquino III — which can be summed up as "a-piece-ment," that is, to give way to rebel demands and parcel away, piece-by-piece, more and more of Mindanao and its rich resources to these separatist groups. And as this happens, Malaysian and US-British sponsors of these "a-piece-ment" talks wait in the wings to get control of these resources as they always have, as in the case of their tyrant-run client states in the Middle East. This "a-piece-ment" strategy was disrupted briefly by President Joseph Estrada's "only one flag" policy that led to the bulldozing these separatists' claimed camps and headquarters.

Back then, Estrada already had the MILF on the run, with its leader fleeing to the bosom of Malaysia to ponder the end of his separatist and tribal ambitions — but not before he thought of writing to the great imperialist infidel, George "Dubya" Bush, in meek supplication to lift his defeated force. Thus, on the wings of the great eagle, the MILF was lifted back to life while Estrada was deposed by a conspiracy of US-backed corrupt military putschists and "civil socialites" that paved the way for the decades-long "a-piece-ment" negotiations and, now, the final 75/25 percent slicing of those parts of Mindanao and the Sulu Sea in favor of the MILF. Other groups understandably cried foul — most notably the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) for the treacherous terms over North Borneo (Sabah) and other aspects of the deal. Thus, the MNLF has threatened a new war over these issues.
Security expert Rommel Banlaoi informs us that there are even more groups — most likely Jemaah Islamiyah (JI)-linked al-Qaeda — that may be considered suspect in the bombings.

In my interview with Banlaoi, cut short by the arrival of the station crew from Solar News, I was being shown documents pointing to another group that read like "Indama," although I could not be sure because of the rush. For sure, future discussions and analyses with Banlaoi will be reported in this space. What is incontrovertible about the situation in Mindanao is that after President Estrada's policy of "one country, one flag" was dismembered by the succeeding Edsa II governments of Arroyo and BS Aquino, separatist-terror now seems to proliferate, with Malacañang having no alternative policy to its "a-piece-ment."

Whatever defense policy emanating from Malacañang these days only centers on a build-up of weaponry in relation to the China-Vietnam-Philippine maritime territorial disputes. US navy cutters are bought with Malampaya funds to defend the seas but are immediately brought to the repair docks, while attack helicopters are on the purchase orders, etc. But the West Philippines Sea, or South China Sea, or what others now call the Asean Sea, is all acoustic and no war—while a real war with IED terror and savage BIFF-MILF renegades and other paramilitary forces is raging. Is Malacañang going to send the rickety BRP Ramon Alcaraz to Cotabato or Cagayan to Oro to hunt down the terrorists? Wouldn't the hundreds of millions for weaponry be better spent for intel to wipe out such separatist terror forces first?

The territorial waters issue with other claimants is better resolved through honest interaction and dialog, as we have seen in the resolution of the imbroglio with Taiwan. Manila-Taipei relations have normalized with the objective National Bureau of Investigation investigators releasing their findings and recommending the appropriate filing of charges against erring Philippine Coast Guard members. The saber-rattling of the past could not have produced any good. Now, thousands of overseas Filipino workers are able to leave purgatory and go on with their productive employment in Taiwan (where the minimum wage is around P28,000 a month).

The same beneficial results would definitely arise from a dialog on RP's West Philippine Sea claims with China, especially with Ambassador Ma Kequing's call for both sides to "meet halfway." But what's keeping productive peace with Asian neighbors from being actualized? It's clearly Malacañang's fear of the US and some quarters profiting from RP arms purchases.

Lessons must be learned: "A-piece-ment" in Mindanao is a failure; a comprehensive national security strategy is needed to define priorities; and the free reign of separatist terror groups must be eliminated as Estrada did by shifting national focus to that through a quick resolution of disputes with China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, and other claimants by sharing in the disputed territories' economic benefits while agreeing to disagree peacefully over sovereignty issues.

(Tune in to 1098 AM, Tuesday to Friday, 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.; watch GNN Destiny Cable Channel 8, Saturday, 8 p.m. and replay Sunday, 8 a.m., this week on "Mindanao or WPS: Security priority"; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com; and text reactions to 0923-4095739)