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When asked about where the next phase of the US war on terrorism
would take place, Sam Brownback, member of the US Senate Foreign Relations
said the Philippines is to be the “next Afghanistan.” Washington
has sent 660 military troops who began joint exercises with the Philippine
Army in the South; Mindanao. 150 Special Forces are expected to go to
the southern island of Basilan in a mission to expel the Abu Sayyaf, a
group that allegedly is linked to the al-Qaida network.
Abu Sayyaf, an 800-strong person group, have become a gang of bandits,
after kidnapping tourists and mercenaries. They currently hold the missionaries
Martin and Gracia Burnham of Kansas hostage for ransom.
In a six-month agreement with the Bush adminstration, President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo invited the American forces to fight against “terrorists”
and fight back in self-defense.
Many however have protested the Manila government’s decision to have
American forces return to Mindanao after a bloody and repressive past.
“This is an attack on our sovereignty – the Americans don’t
really intend to leave,” said a woman in a protest (Christian Science
Monitor). Indonesian politicians worry that Americans may take unilateral
action against alleged terrorists there and also in Malaysia. Philippine
Vice President Teogisto Gungona, Jr., has accused the US of violating
the restrictions set by the agreement. In the past, Americans have taken
unilateral actions in Luzon by not consulting with the Filipino government.
While helping fight Abu Sayyaf, America is overlooking the New People’s
Army who represent a force of over 12,000 fighters. This group has been
forming a Communist counterattack in the north for the last 30 years,
in which 40,000 people have been killed so far, including an American
hiker and his German friend (iviews.com).
Many see America’s decision to enter the Philippines as a provactive
move in order to dissolve the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and
masking the campaign by going after Abu Sayyaf. Others find it odd that
Arroyo is asking the US army to solve the problem of a small bandit group.
Peace treaties between the MILF and the government in the past years have
been broken when the government tried to solve “the problem of Mindanao”
capturing 40 of the MILF camps in 2000. The recent move by President Arroyo
is seen by many as a breach on treaties and a threat to the Moros. •
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