President Aquino has sacked three military officers following the encounter between the Philippine Army Special Forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in Al-Barka, Basilan that left 19 soldiers dead and 14 others injured.
In an interview Friday night after visiting the wake of the slain soldiers at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, Aquino said two military officials, without identifying them, have been relieved from their posts. Prior to this, Lieutenant Colonel Leo Pena, the commanding officer of the 4th Special Forces Battalion where the slain soldiers belong, was replaced by Philippine Army Chief Lt. General Arturo Ortiz.
Ortiz later announced that Special Operations Task commander Colonel Alexander Macario and Army spokesperson Colonel Antonio Parlade Jr. have been relieved from their posts.Ortiz later announced that Special Operations Task commander Colonel Alexander Macario and Army spokesperson Colonel Antonio Parlade Jr. have been relieved from their posts.
Colonel Ramon Yogyog will replace Macario as Special Operations Task Force commander. Macario allegedly committed “operational lapses” that led to the clash.
Parlade, on the other hand, has been very outspoken over television, urging the government to suspend a ceasefire with the MILF in Basilan and allow the military to pursue the rebels behind the deaths of the 19 soldiers.
Sources confirm that President Aquino was not pleased with Parlade’s statements.
Aquino has maintained that he will not call for an all-out war against the MILF as this will only result in a terrible toll on human lives, particularly among the people of Mindanao. He said he would wait for the results of the ongoing investigation on the Basilan clash this week.
Military officials admitted that many of the soldiers were first-timers in the town and were not familiar with the terrain at all.
Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang, Western Mindanao Command Spokesperson admitted that 20 of the 41 soldiers sent to Al-Barka were strangers to the place, having been plucked out of their scuba-diving training program.
Cabangbang said the soldiers were to hunt down rebel leader Dan Asnawi, who was involved in the mutilation and beheading of Marine soldiers in Al-Barka in 2007. Asnawi was arrested in the aftermath of the beheading but he escaped from the Basilan provincial jail, along with more than two-dozen other inmates, in December 2009.
The soldiers were under the 4th Special Forces Battalion.
Reports have quoted Lieutenant General Raymundo Ferrer, Westmincom commander as saying that the Al-Barka operation was not clearly coordinated with his office.
The results of the investigation are set to come out this week. It would be interesting to know its outcome. While we now have an idea on who might have erred, it cannot be denied that the consequences of these officers’ actions are very significant.
Without discounting the possible culpability of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on what happened, the government should also look into the motives of these officers as their actions might have hijacked the ongoing peace negotiations with the MILF.
One response to “Aquino fires three military officials over Basilan clash”
The peace talk have been going on since time in memorial, one peace talk to another yet there was no end to it and there will be no end until the whole Mindanao and Palawan will be declared Bangsa Moro Republic…that’s what these so called MNLF and MILF freedom fighters are fighting for…they want to dismember the Republic of the Philippines so it can be easily conquered particular with a very weak President like Aquino and foreign intervention by Islamic countries. After giving to the demand of the MILF, another Islamic Freedom Fighter Organization will be born, and is now being hatch by no other that the Forces of Kato and the so called MILF Renegades….it like a sarsuela… at the end every island of the country will be declared a republic with its own army. Lets stand and enforce our laws as a Republic, there should only be one AFP…Generals who are now working in the Aquino Administration and who lead coup d’etat and enjoying the perks of being with allies are now saying that the AFP should not do or staged any coup d’etat cause this will only weaken the government and the ends do not justify the means…hehehe look at them, they are like these so called brother Muslims who hide behind their organizations raking from the perks they got from their foreign country sponsors and government funds. To hell with them…This our country and our Republic, if could not stomach being under one government, they should go to the country who are sponsoring them and stay there for good…To Mr. Aquino, the MILF never wanted peace to reign in our country in the first place, they always have excuses every time things or incidents like this one happened.. use the law against these war freaks, they have grown so arrogant and now bigger since they were given their camps way back in the time of a fake RP President in the person of Gloria Arroyo. Hands them what the the laws says….be man enough to stand for the Republic.