MNLF-LSSRC LAUNCHES
ANTI-KIDNAPPING CAMPAIGN IN SULU
BMnews, Jolo,
Sulu- Chairman Hj. Khaid Adjibon of the Lupah Sug State
Revolutionary Committee (LSSRC) of the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) has recently proclaimed the
launching of an anti-kidnapping campaign against the
lawless elements in Lupah Sug (Sulu), including
trouble-making groups patronized by the colonial Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP) occupation forces in
Sulu to create chaos and terrorize the local populace,
particularly the rural civilian residents.
"The
LSSRC-MNLF will not tolerate anymore any unIslamic
activities committed by trouble-makers making Lupah Sug
a haven of kidnappers. Kidnapping is haraam in Islam and
the MNLF is going to conduct a relentless campaign to
eradicate this anti-Islamic activity that has stained
the integrity of the Muslims in Sulu," said Chairman
Adjibon Khaid. The LSRC chieftain also revealed to the
BMNews correspondent, who interviewed him yesterday,
October 10, this year, that the LSSRC has called a
command conference of all respective municipal and
barrio MNLF committee commanders in launching this
vigorous anti-Islamic drive against kidnapping in Sulu.
He also emphasized that the LSSRC has coordinated with
all MNLF Task Force units, particularly the national and
regional MNLF commands based in Sulu, to conduct joint
operations against the kidnapping groups. The biggest
and most influential MNLF national command based in Sulu
is MNLF Task Force Jabal Uhud under Chief Commader Ustaj
Khabir Malik.
It is
common knowledge in Sulu and in mainland Maindanao that
the Abu Sayyaf group (ASG) was created by AFP former
Generals Aguirre and Ruiz, according to former Senator
Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., to neutralize the MNLF. Since
the creation of ASG taken from 'Abu Sayyaf' being the
alias of Ustaj Abdurajak Janjalani, who founded Al-Harakatul
al-Islami (Islamic Movement) in 1992 to continue the
Bangsamoro struggle to regain freedom from Philippine
colonialism and eventually to establish an 'independent
Islamic State' in Mindanao, series of kidnappings were
successfully committed, despite the much-vaunted
propaganda pronouncements of the Philippine military "to
pulverize the group" to end kidnappings in Mindanao. It
is even most surprising that the Abu Sayyaf group can
easily operate in all areas in Mindanao, including
Palawan and Sipadan island in Sabah, to kidnap both
local and foreign citizens for multi-million dollars
ransom with the Philippine military officials only
cursing the whole mess that the Philippine media always
sensationally report.
It is
recalled last year that the most highlighted kidnapping
in Sulu took place right inside the town of Jolo. This
involved the abduction of three Red Cross workers, a
Filipina and two foreigners. It has lately surfaced that
the kidnappers identified as always belonging to the Abu
Sayyaf group was headed by an "asset" of the Jolo-based
AFP Brigade. After the release of the kidnapped victims
later, the certain ASG headman was reportedly killed by
AFP military operation, but this kidnapping incident
created a startling revelation. The people in Sulu could
not stop from talking and sharing notes until reaching
the Manila press that AFP Marine Brig. General Juancho
Sabban, who was assigned Chief of Task Force Comet in
Sulu at the time of the kidnapping incident, netted
millions of U.S. dollars. They reasoned out that this
was clearly proven how the military general carefully
held on to his shoulder bag when alighting from a plane
in a Manila airport as shown by a TV footage.
Just as in
Jolo in the past, the local businessmen had a field day
sharing jokes that the richest military official that
time was the AFP Brigade Commander General Tolentino,
who always had a share from foreign commodities smuggled
into Jolo and from local politicians, who had to pay him
for getting elected because the counting of ballots
usually after elections, of all places, was conducted
inside the Philippine military brigade. In Jolo during
election period that time, the local politicians
shamelessly lined up themselves in the Brigade camp to
seek audience with the Tabak Brigade Commander, who was
known to them as "godfather", for obvious reason.
Now with
the massive launching of the anti-kidnapping campaign by
the Lupah Sug MNLF, it is expected that high tension
between the colonial Philippine military occupation
forces and the Sulu-based Bangsamoro freedom fighters
would be strongly felt by the rural civilians, who have
experienced off-and-on peace and hostilities even during
the peace process period towards the complete
implementation of the 1996 Peace Agreement signed by the
Philippine government and the MNLF as witnessed by the
57-nation Organization of Islamic Conference. However,
as clearly explained by Chairman Hj Khaid Adjibon,
"although observing strictly the ceasefire agreement,
the LSSRC MNLF have also to conduct the anti-kidnapping
campaign in fulfilling its moral responsibility to stop
once and for the unIslamic activities of groups
tarnishing the integrity of the Muslims and the image of
the MNLF in Sulu." He further emphasized that "our
collective decision is in conformity with the principled
instruction of the MNLF Central Committee Charman Prof.
Nur Misuari." On this new development, the LSSRC
Chairman appealed to all sectors in Sulu society for
cooperation and moral support. BMnews/mnlfnet.com
