MILF training facility in Iligan City dismantled

ILIGAN CITY—A joint team, made up of representatives from the government, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and civil society organization among others, supervised on Saturday the dismantling of an MILF training facility in Barangay Rogongon here.

The dismantling in Sitio Limunsudan, which was not among approved rebel structures under the peace agreement, was agreed upon after government and Moro rebels conducted a joint inspection and validation on March 29.

Soldiers from the 2nd Mechanized Brigade, led by Col. Gilbert Gapay, and local Higaonon tribesmen also helped put down the structures built inside the compound.

Gapay described the training facility as quite elaborate with “tiger jump, monkey bar, obstacle course, cottages, wooden training firearms and front gate watch tower.”

“The dismantling of the MILF facility is a victory for peace efforts. Collectively this demonstrated that this is a delicate issue that if not properly handled would become a big problem,” he said.

The MILF training camp first came to the military’s attention after Deodato Abugan Sr., a chieftain of the Higaonon tribe, complained about the alleged “continued recruitment and the conduct of military-like training exercises by the MILF.”

Gapay said that based on the complaint lodged at the city council, at least 85 Higaonon members and Maranao from Bukidnon had trained in the facility last year. Ninety other persons had been recruited in January.

“One of the training committee members was identified as Datu Saripada, a member of the local MILF ceasefire team,” Gapay said.

“As an assessment, the action initiated by MILF may be considered provocative acts under the implementing and operational guidelines of the GRP-MILF agreement on the General Cessation of Hostilities as it endangered the safety and security of the people and disturbed the tranquility of the community particularly the Higanonon tribe” Gapay said.

It was not immediately known if the government panel has plans to lodge a formal complaint against the specific MILF unit involved in the building of the unauthorized training facility. Richel Umel, Inquirer Mindanao