Rebels admit attacks on AFP targets, banana plantation

Islamic militants justify the move as legitimate on the part of the aggrieved people
 
COTABATO CITY: The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) hierarchy on Friday issued a statement taking full responsibility for attacks on both military targets and a banana plantation in Tulunan, North Cotabato on Sunday.

At the same time, MILF officials belied an earlier statement attributed to its spokesman that the secessionist movement had nothing to do with those attacks.

Khaled Musa, deputy chairman of the MILF committee on information, said the attack was actually a form of retaliation to the ongoing artillery attacks perpetrated by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in several towns in Maguindanao.

Musa’s statement was in sharp contrast to the earlier statement attributed to Eid Kabalu, the MILF General Staff Civil-Military Relations officer, who said that the MILF has completely disowned the attack on the banana plantation.

“How can you disown a legitimate retaliation that also badly damaged a plantation squatting on lands of our people?” Musa asked.

Instead, Musa went to the extent of justifying the MILF attack on the 92 hectares banana plantation in Barangay Kanibong, Tulunan that is owned by North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol.

The MILF deputy of chair on the committee on information said the attack on the banana plantation was a legitimate action on the part of the aggrieved people whose lands were alleged­ly allocated by Pinol for his private use.

As this developed, The Manila Times immediately contacted Piñol but he did not make any reply or gave comment regarding the burning of his banana plantation which the military estimated the damage to have reached P10 million.

During the attack, the MILF rebels, who were claiming that they were just avenging the burning of their relatives’ houses in Maguindanao by the Army soldiers, also burned heavy equipment found inside Piñol’s banana plantation that included tractors, bulldozers, and hauling trucks.

Besides burning equipment, after the firefight that lasted for more than three hours, the government side suffered one casualty, who was identified as Tano Kurada, and three wounded—Richard Dellia, 49; Tito Arguelles; and Jean Rey Amar, Jane Tongkwa, 29.

The three wounded were members of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGUs) who also served as security guards of said banana plantation. On the other hand, the MILF rebels also burned some 100 houses belonging to the banana plantation. –Julmunir I. Jannaral, Correspondent, Manila Times