36 rebels surrender in Zamboanga

Manila: Some 36 members of a pro-autonomy Filipino-Muslim rebel group who renewed armed struggle surrendered to authorities and gave up their 23 high-powered firearms on the 17th day of the hostage-crisis in Zamboanga City, southern Philippines, sources said.

One of them included the aide of Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commander Habier Malik, alleged leader of the MNLF forces that attacked six coastal villages in Zamboanga on September 9, said Lt.Col. Harold Cabunoc, Philippine Army’s Civil Relations Group commander.

“Malik has not surrendered despite being abandoned by his own men today,” said Cabunoc. Malik’s holdout area was not revealed.

This raised to 167 the total number of MNLF rebels who were arrested or have surrendered to government authorities, said Cabunoc, adding that 105 MNLF rebels were also killed by government forces.

Following reports that 300 MNLF rebels had invaded Zamboanga’s six coastal villages at the start of the takeover, about 28 to 30 more MNLF rebels are still holding out in the boundaries of the six villages that they have abandoned since last week, another military source told Gulf News.

The MNLF rebels are holding 10 of the 200 originally held hostages from six occupied coastal villages, said the same source who requested for anonymity.

The surrender of rebel fighters occurred a day after MG-520 attack helicopters, an SF-260 airplane, and a Navy shop fired rockets and machineguns at a coastal area, apparently aiding ground troops in pursuit of the MNLF rebels, said the same source.

After the surrender of the MNLF rebels, a government soldier was killed when clashes between government forces and rebel fighters were resumed at 10:30 Wednesday morning, said Cabunoc.

This raised to 132 the total number of dead, including 105 MNLF rebels, 16 government forces, and 11 civilians, said Cabunoc.

Government forces have since retaken most of the six MNLF-controlled areas. But clearing operations are still ongoing in the villages of Sta. Barbara, Sta. Catalina, Rio Hondo and Mariki and “residents who were displaced from these places were not allowed to return home,” said Cabunoc.

The local government issued an order that evacuation centres must not allow evacuees to return home, following reports that evacuees were found in their homes when government forces launched offensive at remaining MNLF rebels.

Those who reached their homes by walking from the evacuations centres were ordered by the military and the police to leave in two hours, a radio report said.

Schools reopen

Meanwhile, students sang “Zamboanga Hermosa (Beautiful Zamboanga) during opening ceremonies in 149 schools in the city’s safer places, said Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar.

Only 149 out of 167 schools in areas not affected by the hostage-crisis reopened on Wednesday, the education department said in a report.

Parents were reluctant to send students to schools, resulting in low attendance on the first day of the reopening of classes, the report said.

Thirty-three other schools within the conflict zone’s seven-kilometre radius remained closed, the report said.

The conflict zone included four (of six) villages that the MNLF rebels had occupies and several other island-villages.

The MNLF rebels did not occupy the island-villages of Ayala, Cawit, Baluno, Labuan, Limpapa, Lamisahan, Pasonanca, Tetuan, and Zambowood, but residents there were also displaced, and schools were not allowed to reopen.

Soldiers caught looting

At the same time, five government soldiers would undergo disciplinary action after their arrest for looting on September 20, said Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala. They reportedly took a firearm and personal items, but these were eventually returned, said Zagala. He did not give more details. It was the first time that soldiers were arrested for war zone looting.

Nur Misuari, who founded the 44-year old MNLF is widely believed as the mastermind of the armed attacks in Zamboanga City. He signed two pro-autonomy peace deals with the government in 1976 and in 1996.

He felt left out when the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (which became MNLF’s faction in 1978) forged in 2012 a framework agreement on enhanced self-rule for Filipino Muslims, on a wider autonomous area in the southern Philippines.

He also resented the Philippine government’s alleged decision to end a tripartite review, earlier held with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), of the implementation of the 1996 Philippine government-MNLF peace settlement.