Palace: Military only for ‘containment’

 

President Aquino earlier confirmed that an “overwhelming number” of soldiers and policemen were airlifted to augment government forces tasked to go after Misuari’s armed followers, who killed at least six persons, wounded scores of residents and seized civilian hostages in at least five barangays when they were prevented from marching to Zamboanga City Hall on Monday.

 

 

But when asked if a military operation to end the siege was not an option, Deles replied: “It is an offensive option. It is an option definitely for containment.”

 

She pointed out that President Aquino, in fact, dispatched three ranking members of his Cabinet to Zamboanga City to oversee government operations and make sure civilians are not caught in the crossfire.

 

 

RESIDENTS trapped in one of the barangays that was among those earlier attacked and occupied by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fighters are going hungry, a group monitoring the standoff in Zamboanga City reported on Wednesday.

 

The Mindanao Human Rights Action Center (MinHRAC) said it has received telephone calls from the residents of barangay Rio Hondo, scene of the initial fighting between government forces and the Moro gunmen, that food supplies in the village are running low.

 

“At around 9:45 a.m. [on Wednesday], residents of Rio Hondo called us  to say that they are going hungry but cannot leave their area for fear of getting caught in the crossfire,” said the group.

 

“To reach the evacuation camps in the downtown area, they would need to cross the frontline,” it added.

 

MinHRAC said the standoff was being broken from time to time by bursts of gunfire, especially in Barangay Santa Barbara, where soldiers have cordoned off a public school where the gunmen have holed up.

 

The group said a heavy exchange of gunfire occurred at around 9:40 a.m. on Wednesday at the vicinity of the Zamboanga Lawn Tennis Club at the Masjid in Barangay Santa Barbara, which is several hundred meters away from the Zamboanga City Hall.

 

“At around 11 a.m., a 40mm grenade reportedly exploded on Martha Drive, Santa Catalina,” it also said.

 

 

THE group cautioned the government against “issuing statements that tend to downplay the situation in the city by giving impressions that the security has begun or is beginning to improve.”

 

“Witnesses on the ground are questioning an announcement that things are under control in the downtown area. They are concerned that this might give a false sense of security and thus, endanger lives of people who will move around thinking it is already back to normal,” it said.

 

“MinHRAC is reiterating that the humanitarian situation has not stabilized, that there are, in fact, civilians who are still trapped inside the affected barangays, who wish to make it to the evacuation camps but cannot do so because of lack of guarantees about their security on the road,” it added.

 

 “The frontline in the resumption of heavy exchange of gunfire is approximately 500 meters only to the east of the Zamboanga City Hall, i.e. vicinity of the Zamboanga Lawn Tennis Club and Grand Masjid in Santa Barbara,” it also said.

 

MinHRAC said despite the massing of MNLF members in the outskirts of Sibuco, Zamboanga del Norte, and Jolo, Sulu, there had been no reported encounter with government troops.

 

 

THE military blamed the gunmen for the sporadic gunfires, saying it was the MNLF fighters who were firing at the soldiers who were forced to respond.

 

“It is the Misuari group that is directing the fire, and we are just answering them,” Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, Armed Forces Public Information Office chief, said.

 

 “They are just trying to harass the troops and we just answered,” he added.

 

Marines intercepted a group of gunmen later in the day at Barangay San Roque and killed one of them.

 

On Tuesday the military ordered its troops to stand down in order to possibly give way to the negotiations for the release of the hostages held by the MNLF, which is being worked out by Crisis Management Committee, headed by Mayor Isabelle Climaco Salazar.

 

 

“THERE is a team on the ground. Right now, there are three secretaries on the ground. [Defense] Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, [Interior] Secretary Mar Roxas and [Social Welfare] Secretary Dinky Soliman just flew there this morning to look precisely at this… to take care. The primary concern of government is the protection of the civilians,” Deles told reporters.

 

She confirmed that the government was “very concerned about those residents who seem to not have the freedom of movement to leave their places” because they were reportedly being held as hostages by Misuari’s followers scattered in five barangays.

 

“There is a continuing search for those who may be able to serve as a bridge [between the government and Misuari’s group]. I understand that messages have been sent and we have been receiving them,” she said, but added that the Zamboanga City command there has, so far, not received “any proposals from the other side for actions that can be taken to end this stalemate.”

 

At the same time, Deles disclosed that the administration has “people on the ground—there are several—who have been trying to reach different leaders that are known to be associated to Misuari to find something that shows that they have some idea of how this would end.”

 

Deles indicated that Indonesia, which serves as third-party facilitator between the government and Misuari’s MNLF, could also be tapped to help resolve the standoff.

 

 

THE Department of Justice has created a fact-finding investigation to look into the possible criminal liabilities of MNLF fighters involved in the ongoing siege in Zamboanga City.

 

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said five prosecutors would compose the panel that will conduct the investigation and determine the charges to be filed against the gunmen.

 

In Department Order 636, de Lima named the members of the panel as Assistant State Prosecutors Niven Canlapan and Aristotle Reyes, Prosecution Attorney Cesar Angelo Chavez III, Assistant Regional Prosecutor Ivy Damayo-Elvinas and Assistant City Prosecutor Edwinlino Custodio.

 

De Lima said the panel will be involved in the “case build-up, determination of proper charges to be filed, if any, and evaluation of evidence prior to the filing of cases, if any, against those who may be found liable for the said incident.”

 

She added that the team will coordinate with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the National Police in performing its duties.

 

The panel, de Lima said, has started gathering evidence since Monday in connection with the siege.  “Among the crimes being studied is rebellion. The function of the team is to make sure the proper charges are based on facts and evidence because it would be hard to file rebellion or sedition, for example, without supporting facts and evidence,” she said.

 

 

THE military said two MNLF fighters were killed in a fresh gun battle on Wednesday afternoon in two barangays in Zamboanga City.

 

Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan, Armed Forces spokesman, said another rebel was also wounded during the firefight.

 

However, Tutaan said military authorities in Zamboanga also received reports that the rebels took hostage between 30 to 37 residents at Barangay Santa Catalina, in addition to the 180 villagers that the gunmen were already holding.

 

Tutaan said the fresh fighting, which began at past 3 p.m., occurred at barangays Santa Barbara and Canelar.