COTABATO CITY, 14 January 2004 — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday strongly denied allegations that weapons recovered by authorities from the vicinity of power plant in Calaca, Batangas which included rocket propelled grenade rifles, came from MILF arsenal.
Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita made the accusations saying the RPG rifles left behind by the communist rebels on Saturday night’s attack is similar to that of the RPG rifles being used by the MILF fighters in Mindanao.
Eid Kabalu, MILF spokesman described Secretary Ermita’s accusations as absurd and without basis. He told media that RPG rifle is not exclusive to the MILF and it could be considered an ordinary weapon considering its global prevalence — and it is being produced locally in Mindanao.
He believes the accusations as being part of government propaganda led by Ermita himself aimed at destroying the MILF credibility by lumping it with the Communist Party of the Philippines-New Peoples Army (CPP-NPA), which has been listed by the US government as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.
Efforts had been made by Philippine government emissaries to have the MILF included in the list but no less than President George Bush himself acknowledged the legitimacy of the cause being pursued by the MILF through internationally accepted and democratic avenues.
Bush even extended diplomatic and financial assistance for the peaceful resolution of the problem in Mindanao, Kabalu recalled.
Kabalu said the existing relationship between the CPP-NPA and MILF was confined only at avoiding encroaching into one another’s sphere of influence especially in areas where both fronts maintain ground forces.
It does not include exchanges of supplies and war materiel, he explained.
Kabalu also alleged that Ermita was the author of the military offensive on Liguasan Marsh on Feb. 11, 2003, the objective of which was to “eliminate the person of the late MILF chairman Hashim Salamat”.
