SULTAN KUDARAT, Maguindanao, 22 November 2002 — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday disowned reports quoting an aide of their chairman, Hashim Salamat, calling for the release of detained Moro leader Nur Misuari. Muhammad Amin, secretary to Salamat, denied making such a statement and said that the chairman himself has made no such remark.

He said the only official statement that came out from the MILF leadership was when Salamat asked the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) last year to take custody of Misuari pending resolution of his problems with the Philippine government.

Misuari, the founding chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), had been locked up in a detention cell in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, just south of Manila, for almost a year now on charges of rebellion.

The rebellion charges stemmed from a bloody revolt staged by his armed supporters in Jolo and Zamboanga City in November, last year, during which many of them were killed.

Misuari was detained by Malaysian authorities in Sabah as he tried to flee. After weeks of haggling, he was turned over by Malaysia to Philippine authorities.

The armed uprising broke out just before an election of new officials of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) was held.

Misuari, who was elected regional governor in September 1996 after signing a peace accord with the government, insisted that he should continue sitting as governor without the need for an election and that the four-province ARMM then should be expanded to cover most of Mindanao and Palawan without the need for a plebiscite.

During the election, Dr. Parouk Hussein, who led a 15-member committee that ousted Misuari as MNLF chairman, was named governor. The province of Basilan and the city of Marawi also voted to join the ARMM.

Except for Salamat’s letter to the OIC while Misuari was still detained in Malaysia, according to Amin yesterday, the MILF has refused to interfere in the case of Misuari in line with its official policy of not getting involved domestic affairs of the Philippine government.

“It does not mean, however, that we have already lost our sympathy and concern over Brother Nur’s sad plight. In fact we are always hoping as we continue praying to Allah (S.W.T.) that in due time he will be vindicated from all the charges imposed upon him and finally truth shall prevail upon the evil design by those who wanted to eliminate the legitimate cause of which the Bangsamoro people are fighting for,” Amin said.

MNLF integrees

Businessmen in Cotabato City, meanwhile, expressed concern over reports that some of the 116 police personnel scheduled to be deployed as part of the city’s internal security force are all members of the PNP Regional Mobile Group which fought Marine soldiers during their tour of duty in Jolo sometime last year.

The firefights reportedly occurred when two Marine soldiers in civilian clothes were caught with hand grenades during a rally in Jolo in support of Misuari. The two soldiers were mauled by the crowd and when their comrades came to rescue them, they clashed with the policemen, all MNLF integrees, who were guarding the protesters.

With this kind of background, Cotabato businessmen fear a repeat of what had transpired in Jolo, considering that there are also Marines posted in the city.

City Mayor Muslimin Sema’s decision to place the city’s internal security under his full control was based on President Arroyo’s order giving back to governors and mayors some supervision and control powers over the police.