THE ATTACK on Monday by a disgruntled Nur Misuari and 600 of his renegade Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) followers on army outposts in Jolo caught many observers by surprise. Government forces swiftly hit back, dealt an apparent serious blow to Misuari’s faction. Assuming that the military’s claim of killing more than 100 of Misuari’s fighters was exagerrated, the body count of 48 was bad enough for him, considering that only six soldiers perished in the fighting.

Misuari’s spokesman quickly declared that the landmark 1996 peace agreement between the MNLF and the Philippine government was dead in the water. Whether Misuari still spoke for a majority of Filipino Muslims was rather doubtful. After five years as governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), Misuari had little to show off, the region remaining the poorest one in the republic.

While the ARMM may have one of the smallest share of the national budget — it is being allocated 11 billion pesos in the 2002 budget, according to Sen. Edgardo Angara — but Misuari’s taste for a luxurious lifestyle abroad and in Manila and his desire to control all funds all the way down to the lowest level did not endear him to the local population and politicians. To make matters worse for himself, Misuari was ousted as MNLF chairman this year in a Malacañang-supported insider coup and replaced by a 15-member managing committee.

The Macapagal-Arroyo administration had long withdrawn political support for Misuari, deciding to back Parouk Hussin, another MNLF leader, in the ARMM polls to be held next week. Although the polls had been postponed several times already, Misuari wanted them suspended indefinitely to allow himself to remain in power. When Manila refused and the majority of the MNLF agreed to push through with the election, Misuari perhaps felt he had nothing to lose launching the military attack that he did on Monday.

It is a shame that Misuari has disdained the democratic process in favor of armed rebellion. This sends the totally wrong message to all Filipinos: That if you feel aggrieved or want to cling on to power don’t resort to the ballot box. Instead use brute force and violence.

Misuari launched his attack just when President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was due to meet US President George W. Bush in Washington. Undoubtedly, he was aiming at causing GMA the utmost embarrassment, but the president held steadfast and refused to rush home and direct the military’s response. This despite the fact that the top military brass was with her in the US, in anticipation of the $100 million in US military aid that Bush was about to grant the Philippines. This prompted Sen. Ralph Recto to urge the military brass to return home at once. "Ground Zero is not in Manhattan but in Sulu," said Recto.

What was more worrisome, if his rivals in the MNLF are correct, was that Misuari has joined forces with the Abu Sayyaf, just weeks after he publicly declared that the kidnappings and beheadings by the Abu Sayyaf could not be considered Islamic behavior. Analysts are also worried that the cease-fire the government signed with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last August could also be jeopardized by Misuari’s attacks. The MILF publicly distanced itself from the Misuari attacks, but who knows how long that will last.

For the local population the Misuari attack couldn’t have come at a worse time. Already, the fighting has displaced 10,000 local residents. One Filipino Muslim in Jeddah who hails from Sulu told me he was worried sick about his family and relatives. "They stopped all flights and ferry boats to Sulu and Zamboanga. I’m worried about my family!" he told me. Indeed, the attacks, coming right at the beginning of Ramadan, shouldn’t have been done at a wrong time.

GMA certainly has her work cut out for herself when she lands on Philippine soil today. Quelling the Misuari rebellion, ensuring a smooth ARMM election next week, and dealing with an economy on a nose-dive are just some of the monumental tasks she faces.

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Who killed Nida Blanca?

THE GRUESOME MURDER of actress Nida Blanca a few weeks ago has gripped the nation, with thousands of grieving fans attending her funeral recently.

After the police interrogated a murder suspect, Philip Medel, it seems that Blanca’s American husband, the actor Rod Strunk, became the prime suspect. Medel claims that Strunk hired him to torture Blanca into signing a new will, but that when she refused to do so, he and other accomplices were forced to finish her off. Strunk allegedly offered Medel 50,000 pesos for his "services."

Although the police have charged six suspects with Blanca’s murder, they are keeping mum, not revealing other leads in the investigation. The police did say that they told Strunk to begin preparing his legal defense with his lawyers.

Blanca’s bloodied body was found in the back seat of her car in the car park of the high-rise building in which the MTRCB is located in San Juan. Blanca, a member of the board of censors, had been watching a film the night of her murder. According to what the police found and Medel’s testimony, someone she knew well and trusted, possibly her very own husband Strunk, probably lured Blanca to her death. There were no signs of a violent struggle or that she had tried to run away. This is possibly because she was just simply overpowered and silenced by several people who attacked her and tortured her to death.

As one colleague of mine told me: Most murders involve money and/or jealousy, and those murdered are usually killed by someone they know well.

Blanca’s case, sadly, seems to fit both criteria. In a career that spanned several decades, in which she entertained several generations of Pinoy moviegoers and television watchers, Blanca’s violent and nasty death leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of everyone.