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Don't go to Mindanao
By Mata Press Service A mid growing tension and an unfolding humanitarian crisis due to heightened skirmishes between government troops and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Canada has issued a do-not-travel advisory for Mindanao, The Philippines' southernmost island group. The Philippines quest for peace in Mindanao has been thrown into disarray, with the government saying a deal with Muslim rebels is now unlikely after guerrillas shot or hacked about 40 innocent villagers to death last week. The Philippine government and the 11,000-member MILF have been in on-off talks for more than a decade on how to give Muslims more self-rule in the troubled south. In response to the recent massacre in Mindanao, The Philippine Air Force unleashed an aerial assault against Moro rebel strongholds. Caught in the continuing crossfire, more than 17,000 families have fled their homes for overflowing evacuation centres as 155-millimetre artillery mortar rains down on their ancestral villages. It is the worst violence in decades in the Mindanao region, where Muslim factions continue to demand an expanded autonomous region from the Philippine government. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced concern about the fighting in Mindanao and the "unfolding humanitarian crisis" caused by the displacement of the civilian population. This week he appealed for "restraint, protection of all civilians as well as access for the provision of speedy humanitarian assistance" in the region. Ottawa, meanwhile, has issued a travel advisory for Mindanao. "Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against all travel to the Sulu Archipelago, Basilan, the Zamboanga Peninsula, Zamboanga del Sur, Saragani, Davao del Sur, excluding urban areas of Davao City, South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao," the website of Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade said. The advisory cited the high threat of a terrorist attack that could occur at any time. Canada joins Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand in issuing travel advisories for Mindanao that variably warn of "extreme risk" and advise foreign nationals to "immediately leave" the region. Linda Catubay, an agent at Vancouver's Sampaguita Travel, the oldest Filipino travel agency in British Columbia, says her agency's Filipino customers will only visit the Mindanao region in an "emergency case" where they have no choice. "Otherwise, we don't let them go right now," she told The Filipino Post. "It's a very critical condition and it gets worse. "We don't advise tourists, Canadian people, to go there at all," she added. Ironically, it was the signing of the Malaysia-brokered peace accord last month that sparked the recent violence, including an ambush on Sunday that killed four soldiers and four government militiamen. The agreement, which proposed expanding an autonomous Muslim region in Mindanao, provoked a storm of protest from powerful Christian interests and a challenge in the Supreme Court. The MILF was angered by opposition to the deal and subsequently attacked towns in the south, killing about 40 people. The military retaliation resulted in the deaths of as many as 100 rebels, according to unconfirmed reports. MILF leaders have also said re-negotiating the deal is out of the question. The continuing rebellion has prevented any significant development of some of the richest mineral and hydrocarbon resources in South-east Asia. At least 120,000 people have been killed in 40 years of conflict on Mindanao. In 1979, Philippine infantryman Boni Barcia was posted to Mindanao. It was there, during a skirmish with Muslim guerrillas, that Barcia nearly lost his right eye. Now a Provincial Executive with the B.C. Hospital Employees, the Filipino-Canadian still bears the scar from that long ago tour of duty. "The troubles have been there for as long as every Filipino can remember," Barcia told The Filipino Post. "Hundreds of soldiers, if not thousands, were killed and yet it didn't get any international attention . . . because that was before 9/11. Now that that part of the country has become a haven for Al-Queda, the international community has become interested in what's happening there." Added Barcia: "The troubles in Mindanao will never go away because what (the MILF) wants is to separate and have their own autonomy. The government will never allow that to happen simply because The Philippines, although highly populated, is a very small country. "Right now, this is the No. 1 news." The Philippines' Children's Rehabilitation Centre estimates 130,000 people have been displaced this month alone. The CRC says civilian evacuation centres are overflowing with families in "fear and shock," and lack adequate food and medicine. "As the fighting intensifies, there are more victims and the psychological wounds caused by the war deepen," said CRC executive director Ma. Esmeralda Macaspac. "Children are unable to sleep for fear that something might happen at night. They cannot eat well and of course, they are forced to stop schooling," she said. Meanwhile, the UN World Food Program has committed to sending 575 tonnes of rice to some 23,000 families in the region. "In the current unpredictable security situation, vulnerable victims of these clashes urgently need to receive humanitarian assistance, especially essential food," said Stephen Anderson, WFP's country director for The Philippines. Despite the ongoing violence, an all-out war is not considered likely as neither side has the resources to deliver a knock out blow. But analysts say low-level skirmishes and bombing campaigns could persist, making investors wary of the region. Philippine Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera told the Supreme Court that "circumstances have changed" since the signing of the Malaysia-brokered accord, referring to the recent violence upon innocent civilians. She said that the deal "in its present form must undergo a thorough review" and allowed that the government may pursue further negotiations with the rebels to address issues raised by opponents of the deal. Devanadera also said the government will have more consultations with people who would be affected by an expanded Muslim autonomous region. But chief rebel negotiator Mohagher Iqbal ruled out fresh negotiations, saying both sides had initialed a memorandum. Resuming talks was "like opening a can of worms," he said. "It's going to be a deadlock," Iqbal added. "They would call for a renegotiation, and we will not renegotiate. We have other options." Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno has announced there are $120,000 arrest bounties on two rebel commanders — Abdullah Macapaar, also known as Bravo, who led the latest attacks, and Ameril Umbra Kato, who led the occupation of Christian villages in the south last week. Bravo said in a radio interview that his group had "nothing to do with" the attacks but his fighters were losing patience with the government. "If the government declares an all-out war, we will also declare an all-out war in Mindanao," he said. "We are ready to kill and be killed." Meanwhile, more troops and police were sent to the area to prevent rebel raids and calm jittery civilians. And police in Manila were on alert for bombers.
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