Sulu explosion spells 'doom' for VFA - Biazon

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 17:03:00 09/29/2009

Filed Under: Defense, Licensing Agreements, Military


MANILA, Philippines - Muntinlupa Representative Rufino Biazon urged the suspension of military exercises between the Philippines and the United States after a landmine explosion that killed two American soldiers and member of the local Marines.

The explosion took place near a Marine detachment between the villages of Kagay and Luamsaing in Indanan, Sulu Tuesday morning.

Biazon called for the immediate pull out of American troops from combat zones while the incident is being investigated.

He said the incident could prompt the government to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the US that governs the conduct of military exercises in the country.

“Because of this incident, the fate of the VFA may just have been doomed,” Biazon said.

Biazon said American soldiers should not have been deployed in combat zones, where they would be exposed to the threat of enemy fire.

The soldiers, who did not take part in military operations, were on board a militay vehicle when the explosion happened, a military spokesman said.

Sulu is the hotbed of the Abu Sayyaf rebel group and is also a known hiding place of Muslim extremist group Jemaah Islamiyah.

Two US troops killed in Philippines: military
Published: 29/09/2009 at 02:01 PM
Online news:

Two US soldiers and a Filipino marine were killed on Tuesday in a landmine explosion on the restive southern Philippine island of Jolo, a spokesman for the Philippines military said.


Humvees with US soldiers on board secure the site of a bomb blast in Jolo, on the island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. Two US soldiers and a Filipino marine have been killed in a landmine explosion on the restive southern island, a spokesman for the Philippines military has said.
Two Philippine Marines were also wounded in the blast near a local Marine outpost outside the town of Indanan, said spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner in Manila. He did not elaborate.

The US embassy said it was looking into the incident but gave no details.

However police sources in the south said that the landmine explosion came while Philippine soldiers in the area were carrying out operations against local Muslim extremists with ties to the Al-Qaeda network.

Troops in Jolo have been battling members of the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim group known for carrying out bombing and kidnapping attacks that have often targeted Christians and foreigners.

The head of military forces in the southern Philippines, Major General Benjamin Dolorfino, confirmed there had been an explosion involving the US troops but gave no details.

Asked if the Americans were involved in combat operations, he said: "No, they were just there to help in building a school."

A small contingent of US military advisers has been based in the southern Philippines since 2006 to help train local troops in battling the Abu Sayyaf.

Under an agreement between the two nations, the US forces are allowed only to train and advise the Philippine soldiers, and are banned from engaging in combat operations.

An American soldier, taking part in military exercises in the south, was killed and another seriously wounded when a bomb, believed to have been planted by the Abu Sayyaf, went off in a bar in the port city of Zamboanga in October 2002.

The Abu Sayyaf was established in the early 1990s, allegedly with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network, to fight for a Muslim state in the south of this mainly Roman Catholic nation.

It has kidnapped dozens of foreign aid workers, missionaries and tourists and was blamed for the country's worst terrorist strike, the bombing of a ferry in 2004 that killed more than 100 people.

And let China, NPA and the Muslim extremists take over.

Imagine the Philippines divided into many parts like Mindanao and Palawan controlled by the Muslims extremists, Luzon controlled by the NPA and the Spratlys controled by China and if the Philippines is lucky enough the Philippines will just be the Visayas.

What the Mindanao and Luzon war is all about

I wish that we could survive without the US but the enemy forces are to strong and well funded by the foreign forces.

Before when Cory was still president Gringo staged a mutiny and there was a war outbreak in Manila and it was even called Mutiny in Manila. Our house in Makati got damaged by high calibre bullets because we got caught in the crossfire and I had war trauma. Gringo's forces were bombing military camps and government buildings in Metro Manila with planes, tanks, cannons, etc... and Cory ordered the US to intervene and US jets from Clark came to Manila and intercepted and shotdown Gringo's Jets and Tora Tora planes.

What if the US didn't intervene? Sometimes I kept on thinking if the US did the right thing?

And let China, NPA and the Muslim extremists take over.

Imagine the Philippines divided into many parts like Mindanao and Palawan controlled by the Muslims extremists, Luzon controlled by the NPA and the Spratlys controled by China and if the Philippines is lucky enough the Philippines will just be the Visayas.

What the Mindanao and Luzon war is all about

We can live without the US and the workers going abroad we just need to work together...

A Philippines with no US aid and no OFW....

The declaring bitter truth is that Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leaders want to establish an independent state made up of the majority of the Filipino Muslims (who see the Philippine Republic as their country) and the minority of militant Muslims here who, like the MILF leaders, despise our Republic. A less painful resolution of the conflict between the government and the various MILF bands and the MILF leaders (who seem incapable of enforcing discipline among their commanders and followers) is the formation of an autonomous Bangsamoro state, or two or several Bangsamoro states, within a new federal system of the Philippine Republic. These Bangsamoro states will have allegiance to the Philippine Republic as the mother juridical entity and to the Constitution of the Philippines. They and their Muslim populations will have all the freedoms, rights and responsibilities to achieve their highest political, civic, economic and spiritual potential—short of declaring themselves independent of the Philippine Republic.

Every non-Muslim Filipino that we have spoken to, even those in the military who have engaged in battles with MILF armies and have lost comrades in arms in these battles, agree to see the Moros happily and prosperously given their autonomous states within a Philippine federal republic.

And many of the Muslim Filipinos, some of whom may not actually want to become “citizens” of the future Bangsamoro state or states, also wish to see that arrangement become a reality.

The GRP and MILF panels in July signed an agreement to resume peace negotiations. They also agreed to have the talks, the Mindanao peace process, and the actual peace situation, monitored by an International Contact Group (ICG) to be made up of diplomatic representatives of Muslim countries assigned by the Organization of the Islamic Conference. The ICG is also to have non-Muslim countries that have been actively involved in Philippine government efforts to promote the economic and social development of Mindanao’s Muslim provinces. Foremost of these are the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan.

All of a sudden, news broke on Monday that the MILF had called on America to be involved in the peace talks. That MILF’s Chairman Ebrahim Murad, the Vice Chairman Ghazali Jaafar, chief of the panel dealing with the Philippine government’s negotiators Mohagher Iqbal, and five others had met secretly with the US Embassy’s Charge d’Affaires Leslie Bassett in the Moro rebels’ Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat.

The US Embassy spokesman, Rebecca Thompson, texted The Manila Times on Monday with the message that Washington continues to support a negotiated settlement between the Philippines and the MILF.

But there is reason to wonder what the Americans are up to. One suspects that, although the latest news is that the Philippine government, Malacañang in particular, is supposed to “welcome the American participation in the Mindanao peace process,” the government was not privy to the preparations of the MILF-US Embassy meeting and is not really privy to the reason for the meeting.

One can glean this from the words of Foreign Affairs Department Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, who is the government’s chief negotiator vis-à-vis the MILF (and Commander Mohagher Iqbal’s counterpart). He claimed to have been told of the meeting before it was held. We suspect he was told indeed but not consulted about it. In other words, the US diplomats had decided to give the MILF rebel group the status of equals of the Philippine Republic by having a meeting with the MILF leaders without asking the host government’s permission.

The US Embassy spokesman told Agence France-Presse that Charge d’Affaires Basset “met with various leaders and officials in Cotabato as part of a familiarization visit.” Of course, the MILF chairman, vice chairman and cadres of the separatist rebel group are “leaders.” Even the Philippine military forces in charge of Cotabato did not know who the American diplomats were meeting.

Undersceretary Seguis is still asking questions. What exactly do the MILF leaders want America’s role to be? Do they want the Americans to support their (the MILF’s) Malaysian friends in acting as peace broker?
With considerable opinion in Philippine circles now seeing Malaysia’s role as questionable, does the MILF feel adding America’s weight behind that of the Malaysians will buttress their favored position in the peace talks.

One cannot help but remember that the United States, in a way, betrayed the Philippines in Sabah, which belongs to the Philippines and which was leased from the Sultan of Sulu by the British and was transferred to Malaysia after a US and British-supported referendum that the Philippines bitterly objected to.

Mindanao is not just an important and large piece of real estate. To us Filipinos it is an integral part of our homeland. But it is also an internationally strategic location in our region—from which the safety of the seas can be assured for international shipping and trade and for the geopolitical strength of the big powers, including our old friend, former colonial master and current source of aid, loans aid and jobs for overseas Filipino workers.

Here’s a legitimate fear:

If American interests will be advanced by having our Mindanao promised land fragmented through the creation of new Muslim states more dependably pro-American than the Philippine Republic—with its fractious and noisy democrats in the media, the legislature and youth organizations and its corrupt would-be dictators—Washington is most likely not going to think twice about balkanizing southern Philippines.

If our government officials had been more worthy of respect, less known to be venal and more seen to be patriotic men and women who care for their own people’s good, maybe powerful friends like the Americans will go out of their way to preserve the Philippine Republic.

But we have for the past many years exhibited all the weaknesses and the vices of a failed state.

And foreign countries, like cruel animals of the jungle, will not bother to save the dying.

Internationalizing our domestic problems, like peace and development in Mindanao, can be a goods thing.
If the officials of our republic were credible and awesome towers of moral strength and brilliance.

With the inferior moral and intellectual qualities of our leaders, having the Mindanao peace process controlled by foreign friends who don’t have good reasons to respect our leaders, we should brace ourselves for the balkanization of Mindanao.

The USA supporting Muslim Separatists to erode the Philippine State ?

And let China, NPA and the Muslim extremists take over.

Imagine the Philippines divided into many parts like Mindanao and Palawan controlled by the Muslims extremists, Luzon controlled by the NPA and the Spratlys controled by China and if the Philippines is lucky enough the Philippines will just be the Visayas.

What the Mindanao and Luzon war is all about

I wish that we could survive without the US but the enemy forces are to strong and well funded by the foreign forces.

Before when Cory was still president Gringo staged a mutiny and there was a war outbreak in Manila and it was even called Mutiny in Manila. Our house in Makati got damaged by high calibre bullets because we got caught in the crossfire and I had war trauma. Gringo's forces were bombing military camps and government buildings in Metro Manila with planes, tanks, cannons, etc... and Cory ordered the US to intervene and US jets from Clark came to Manila and intercepted and shotdown Gringo's Jets and Tora Tora planes.

What if the US didn't intervene? Sometimes I kept on thinking if the US did the right thing?

There are factions whose ideas and deeds are against the principles of their founding fathers. The same faction lead by Schultz with his economic hitmen. The British Imperialists are the defacto rulers of the USA(?)

The same reason they can't side with us with the Sabah question and go against their British masters, who are siding with Malaysia. Malaysia on the other hand was rumored to be supporting separatists movements in Mindanao as squid tactics on the Sabah lease issue.

Hopefully both the Obama administration and GMA's or the coming administration will have the guts and the balls.

btw: Scultz et al are members of Scottish rite Freemasonry, who were infiltrated by the British monarchy and now its titular head. The founding fathers of America were also members of the "Original" Freemasonry including our founding fathers such as Jose Rizal, Mabini, Jacinto, etc.

why should we take what u say seriously...u only have 2 posts

They should move the Capital to Visayas...maybe Cebu

Then we need to beef up our Navy...so China can't push us around

I just started reading a book by Larouche entitled "Dope Inc" download. about British & Chinese organized crime. BTW didn't Rizal have a plan of creating a Filipino "Colony" in Sabah

as to the illuminati, i think some parts are being strengthened against others, while some people are abandoning ship (with lots of gold LOL ) e.g. the Queen of England is suddenly showing a great love of the Vatican etc.

Rizal in a hindsight probably knew the History of the Sabah question in relations to the Sulu Sultanate and had sensed the destiny of the Philippines a century hence in relation to that.

The British Monarchy probably knew about the Jose Antonio Diaz wealth which will default to the Vatican and other countries, if they were no claimers. So, Vatican becoming the richest nation in the whorld?

Borneo first belonged to Dayaks.

Manila Bay Watch on Sun, 23rd Sep 2007 11:13 am


Curiously, Malaysians and non-Malaysians can buy property in Sabah but only on a freehold basis, i.e., 99 year lease while in the rest of Malaysia, one can buy property on freehold basis, i.e., ownership ad vitam eternam.

My suspicion is that Malaysia – which has been telling the world that it “owns” Sabah – cannot deliver deeds of ownership other than a leasehold title to the buyer very likely on account of the standing contention by the Philippines that Sabah belongs to the Philippines! (Also, even if you buy a property in Sabah today, it takes a minimum of a decade to get that leasehold deed…)

When I advanced this theory to friends in Malaysia, particularly to those who live in Sabah, they acknowledge that this could very well be the reason.

Surprisingly (I don’t know if it’s out of politesse or courtesy), no Malaysian I’ve met, neither in Sabah nor in mainland Malaysia, not even officers of the Malaysia defence forces, has ever contradicted me frontally about what I’ve always said, “Sabah belongs to the Philippines.”

Manila Bay Watch on Sun, 23rd Sep 2007 11:16 am


Oops, “Curiously, Malaysians and non-Malaysians can buy property in Sabah but only on a LEASEHOLD basis, i.e., 99 year lease while in the rest of Malaysia, one can buy property on freehold basis, i.e., ownership ad vitam eternam.”