Randy David: "It’s an outrageous way of calling attention to one’s lingering presence. But that is what the arrival the other day in Zamboanga City of armed groups identified with Nur Misuari, the founding leader of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), amounts to. The plan to march in formation through the city’s streets and hoist the MNLF flag in front of city hall is the desperate scream of someone who refuses to be sidelined as a spectator to an unfolding process in which he once staked his whole life." The MNLF did it in Sulu, in Bukidnon, in General Santos, in Iligan, in Davao City, all peacefully successful. The intel community knew it that there will be another march in Zamboanga City and the AFP do not want that to happen. It is such an affront to them. The MNLF can do it peacefully anywhere in Mindanao but Zamboanga City, the seat of the "greatest symbol of colonization" and the Southcom or WesMinCom. The exaggeration of alleged hoisting the MNLF flag in City Hall was the most palatable propaganda that the AFP ever come up with. If there is a right place that MNLF can freely and peacefully hoist its flag for whatever political essence it can gain, it should be in Davao. The good Mayor Duterte categorically stated that he will allow the hoisting of the flag, not just in City Hall but in any area of its jurisdiction! But that was not the point of the MNLF peaceful march of Independence. This concocted exaggeration was taken as a bait by the City Mayor Climaco who is also directly involve with P28M worth of Pork Barrel issue with partners-in-crime in the NCMF that she needs to get rid of at least from the attention of the people. All the spices above mixes up, resulted to violent confrontation that led to the 20-day siege of Zamboanga with an estimated economic loss to trillions of pesos! What the AFP and the City Mayor wanted to portray is the MNLF attacked the Muslim settlements of Rio Hondo and the other 4 communities. This was not the case. The AFP started the siege by deploying massive troop movement with the apprehension that Muslims, Christians and Lumads are converging in the city for the peaceful independence march the like of it was realized in other areas. Not satisfied, they started illegal arrest of civilians and presented to media as "ARMED" rebels to further their provocation. But in line with the peace mechanism known to the AFP and the government, they totally set it aside despite Malacanan pronouncement that they are not throwing away the FPA or at least the Tripartite Review. The fact is they want confrontation, a military one because to them the MNLF is a "spent force" and totally wrecked that the AFP can easily bully. But they were surprised and caught red-handed by the result of their adventurism!
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 13:54:02 +0000
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