COTABATO CITY, 2 March 2003 — A separatist official yesterday said the 200 armed men who “defected” to the government side are recycled “opportunists” who have nothing to do with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the group led by a Kenti Matalam, which claimed to be members of the 7th Brigade of the MILF’s National Guard Division, had actually surrendered to the government in July 2001.
He said Matalam was also reported to have affiliated with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) faction that split from Nur Misuari.
"They are not in the roster of troops of the MILF," Kabalu said, adding that the hype over the supposed surrender “ is part of the army's psy (psychological) war."
Regional army spokesman Maj. Julieto Ando earlier said the gunmen have holed themselves up in a village in Maguindanao province pending negotiations on the turnover of their guns, which include Armalite assault rifles and rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launchers.
"They have defected because they said they could no longer follow MILF policies, which have led to violence and sufferings for Muslims," he said.
Kabalu said there’s nothing new with the surrenders being trumpeted by the military. He said the public should already know by now that most of the reported surrenders of Moro and communist guerrillas over the last three decades were part of a money-making scheme involve corrupt military officers and local politician s.
Under a present government amnesty policy, a rebel who returns to the mainstream gets livelihood assistance of 12,750 pesos ($236) and cash for his gun.
For an Armalite rifle handed over, a rebel gets 18,000 pesos. RPGS and other heavier weapons fetch 36,000 pesos each.
Kabalu urged MILF supporters not to be distracted by the military’s “psywar.”
He said MILF fighters will continue to fight, no matter how numerous the government troops are.
He said that MILF fighters yesterday killed at least 10 more soldiers and many others were wounded in a three separate attacks in the provinces of Davao Oriental, Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao.
Early on MILF Chair Salamat Hashim called on the MILF fighters to intensify their attack on military targets as a means to repel the ongoing aggressions carried by the AFP against known MILF areas or communities in Mindanao.
