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Philippines: Moros Want New Army Chief To Apologize For Atrocities
by Kazi Mahmood
KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 (IslamOnline) - The appointment of General Diomedio Villanueva as the new army chief in the Philippines once again came under attack on Wednesday. This time, the Moro-Christian People's Alliance has taken Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration to task on the issue.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was the first organization to show its disappointment over the nomination, saying that, with the appointment, it had lost faith in calls for peace by the newly established civilian regime in Manila.
The Moro-Christian group, through its representative Amirah Ali Lidasan, asked Villanueva to publicly apologize for the alleged atrocities he and the military committed in Mindanao when he was still chief of the military's Southern command.
The group joined the MILF in saying that it was disappointed over the appointment since Villanueva was responsible for the all-out war policy against the MILF. They said the war brought sufferings and pain to the Moro people in Mindanao.
In addition, Dante Jimenez, president of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, another group that has joined voices against Villanueva, on Thursday went to the Department of Justice to seek assistance in addressing the crimes committed by the continued military operations in the southern region.
Muslim men and women, claiming to be relatives of human rights violation victims inflicted by the military on the populace of Mindanao, joined them.
Arroyo named the army general, who led a yearlong campaign against Moro separatists, as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines after a series of lobbying efforts from the Army coupled with hesitations by civilians in Manila.
The MILF has offered strong criticism that Arroyo's regime seems to be controlled by the military. They said that ex-President Joseph Estrada's regime collapsed only after Villanueva pulled out his support for the embattled and tainted president.
Muslims in Mindanao believe that it is Villanueva who brought Arroyo to power and that his nomination as chief of staff will not better the lot of Muslims in the region, nor bring peace between the warring factions.
Arroyo apparently ended weeks of wrangling among military top brass with Villanueva's appointment, stating that it was not a political decision, and expressed confidence that Villanueva would be able to unite the military in defending the Constitution.
Arroyo's critics believe that Arroyo will have to continue to deal with this issue and that in the coming weeks, it will be apparent how much stronger the military will be in its control of political decisions coming from the Palace.
Arroyo said Villanueva, a seasoned combat veteran, "has served the Filipino people with distinction in many and diverse assignments."
Villanueva, 54, welcomed the appointment, but said daunting challenges lay ahead of him.
"It's an uphill battle. You have to hit the ground running because there are so many problems and issues that are waiting," he said.
In addition, in recent weeks, the military has been rocked by allegations of corruption in its Marine Corps. The Filipino military, one of Asia's most ill-equipped, has also been at the forefront in the fight against Muslim and communist insurgents.
A plan to modernize and re-arm the military has been stalled for years because of lack of funds.
The MILF, meanwhile, on Wednesday reopened its liaison office in Kudarat. It had shut down the office on April 28th of last year; a day after Estrada's former government launched a massive offensive against the separatist group.
The office in Kudarat is located at the junction of two vital road arteries - the Cotabato-Davao and Secretary Narciso Ramos highways - and will within mortar range of no fewer than three Filipino military positions.
Last month, Arroyo declared a unilateral ceasefire and withdrew charges against top MILF leaders in connection with the bombings in Metro Manila that occurred on December 30th.
And Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs, said the group was confident that the military would not embark on something that could derail Arroyo's efforts to revive the stalled peace talks.
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