Army official asks MILF: Don’t go to ‘war vs drugs’ on your own

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines – A local commander of the Philippine Army has called for a “joint undertaking” with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to wipe out illegal drugs in known Moro areas.

Col. Gilbert Gapay, commanding officer of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade, made the call for “a joint undertaking with us” as the MILF would soon start its own operation against suspected shabu traders. The rebel group has set Dec. 15 (Tuesday) as kick-off for its ‘law enforcement’ campaign.

Last month, the MILF central committee issued a directive that effectively launched its official campaign against illegal drugs, particularly shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), which has been widely traded in many Moro communities.

“We have issued this same appeal for us to join hands on this matter since the MILF’s central committee came out with its directive against illegal drugs. We hope we get a positive response soonest,” Gapay explained.

Gapay added that his command also sent a protest to the joint ceasefire committee regarding any unilateral action by the rebel forces supposedly for “law enforcement” as an offshoot of the MILF central committee’s directive.

“Together, we can achieve greater results while preventing kinks in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and its related protocols,” Gapay stressed.

He cited the “good results” achieved by previous joint law enforcement campaigns launched through the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).

The AHJAG is a mechanism under the ceasefire agreement between the MILF and the Philippine government. In the past, it was instrumental in the campaign against Al-Qaeda-linked terrorists in central Mindanao as well as in combating the problem of cattle rustling in the hinterlands of Lanao del Norte.

But the mechanism suffered a heavy blow when police commandos skipped utilizing it in the Jan. 25 operation to corner and kill Malaysian terrorist Zulkipli bin Hir, known as Marwan, in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The resulting violation of the ceasefire accord led to the deaths of 44 police commandos, 16 MILF combatants and several civilians.

“We want to cooperate on this common concern (of stopping the proliferation of shabu) within the bounds of the ceasefire accord,” Gapay said.

A source told the Philippine Daily Inquirer the local leadership of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the MILF’s armed wing, had a list of persons residing in specific places who have been identified as the targets of the operation.

Another source said that with the BIAF list as lead, local government officials in Tangkal town in Lanao del Norte already shooed away alleged shabu traders or apprehended them if there was evidence these persons had been engaged in the illegal business.

“Probably, they (local officials) do not want to see an armed scuffle between these suspected shabu traders and the MILF force,” the Inquirer source explained.

Civil society groups that have been following the peace situation in Lanao del Norte noted that the local governments in Matungao and Pantao-Ragat towns have ordered the taking down of tarpaulin posters announcing the MILF’s impending anti-shabu operations.

Tarpaulins bearing messages that warn the public about the dangers of shabu and calling it “haram” or forbidden, have replaced the old posters.  SFM