Nur Misuari refuses to plead not guilty

Former governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Nur Misuari, yesterday refused to plead not guilty when arraigned for two rebellion charges which he allegedly committed in the southern Philippines last November.

In an arraignment which was held in a special courthouse inside Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Judge Norberto Geraldez entered a plea of "not guilty" for Misuari and three accomplices.

They were identified as Johan Sawajan Sansibar, Adin Esguerra Ishmail and Gamar bin Adbsayak. The arraignment was held in a police headquarters where Misuari was detained early last year.

Meanwhile, the defence lawyers prevented the court from reading the charges to Misuari's accomplices because they could neither understand English nor Filipino. As a result, the court reset the arraignment of Akeem Abdurahman Abdur, Omar bin Adbullah and Abu Harris Usman for the end of January.

Misuari, a former leader of the Moro National Liberation Front which forged a peace settlement with the government in 1996, was accused of leading two armed struggles in Jolo and Zamboanga City in November 2001.

The prosecutors said Misuari resorted to armed struggle to prevent the holding of the local elections of the ARMM.

He remained ARMM governor from 1996 until 2001, when his rival Parouk Hussin won as ARMM governor.

Meanwhile, the military and the police jointly acted to prevent the resumption of armed struggle by some MNLF members who are still loyal to Misuari.

Sources said some 300 Misuari loyalists have been moving around in Jolo, where they are recruiting followers. They are also instilling fears among other residents in the area.

Last January 4, the government gave a safe conduct pass to some members of the Misuari loyalists to lure other renegade MNLF members to lay down their arms.

"As a result, the military found out about another armed struggle," said a source.

Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya, Armed Forces Southern Command chief, said he has deployed more men to Jolo to prevent the Misuari loyalists from pursuing their plan."We are prepared for it," said Abaya.

Ustadz Bashir Jailani who is based in Basilan is being monitored because of his reported plan to take up arms against the government, said Col. Susulan Salapuddin, deputy commander of the Army's 104th Brigade in Jolo.

Jailani has been telling some Misuari partisans that a delegation from the Organisation of Islamic Conference will arrive in Jolo to work for the independence of Mindanao, said Salapuddin.

"We are preventing this campaign from spreading in the island," he said.

The MNLF forged a pro-autonomy peace settlement with the government in 1996. It waged a separatist war, which killed 120,000 people in the south in the 70s.