June 19, 2000, The Philippine Star, Troops close in on another MILF camp, by John Unson,

June 19, 2000, The Philippine Star, Troops close in on another MILF camp, by John Unson,

PAGALUNGAN, Maguindanao - A dozen more Muslim guerrillas were killed yesterday in continuing clashes with soldiers advancing into the heart of Camp Rajah Muda, the third biggest enclave of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mindanao.

This developed as the military hoisted the Philippine flag at Camp Jabal Thur, a satellite camp of the MILF in South Cotabato which soldiers overran at noon yesterday. The fighting in Camp Rajah Muda forced thousands of residents in six barangays here to evacuate to the town proper for fear of getting caught in the crossfire.

Local authorities said there were reports that seven soldiers had been killed in the skirmishes, but they remained unconfirmed. "We have learned that the dead soldiers have not been retrieved yet from the scene," a barangay official said. Dr. Kadil Sinolinding, the town's health officer, said evacuees are now confined at the town proper and need food, clothing and medicines.

He said that while clashes have been taking place in only four areas -- Kudal, Inog-ug, Talitay and Bago Inged -- hundreds of families in three nearby barangays have fled to safer grounds for fear of being caught in the crossfire.

Residents of two other barangays in Pagagawan town have also left their homes, according to Sinolinding. Maj. Julieto Ando, civil-military relations chief of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said the soldiers breaking through Camp Rajah Muda met tough resistance from the MILF guerrillas.

"The rebels were shooting at our men recklessly. There was a need for continued bombardment of the camp's surroundings," he said. Ando noted that most of the rebels killed in the clashes were young, mostly in their teens. He added that an Army driver was killed when his truck hit a land mine while on the way to retrieve the slain rebels' bodies. Eid Kabalu, spokesman for the MILF, blamed the military's offensive on Camp Rajah Muda for the displacement of thousands of civilians from villages surrounding the camp. The 5,000-hectare Rajah Muda straddles 16 barangays at the boundaries of Pagalungan, Pagagawan and Pikit towns in North Cotabato.

The government has acknowledged that the area used to be a sanctuary of MILF fighters since it was formerly covered by a ceasefire agreement. Col. Hermogenes Esperon, commander of the Army's 602nd Brigade, said there was a need to clear the area which has long been used by the rebels as "springboard" for their terrorist activities.

"If we can fully clear the camp of MILF occupation, we will be putting a stop to kidnapping, extortion, car theft and illegal activities of the rebels there," he said. Since Thursday, Esperon's men have breached 17 well-fortified rebel positions in their assault of the camp.

Satellite camp falls

Meanwhile, government forces captured Friday in Banga town, South Cotabato the satellite camp Jabal Thur which was home to the MILF's 204th Brigade. Members of the Army's 601st Brigade raised the Philippine flag yesterday at noon to mark the successful takeover of the camp.

Col. Delfin Lorenzana, head of the brigade, said they were able to capture the camp without facing any resistance from the rebels who fled before they arrived. Three soldiers, however, were killed in the siege when the jeep they were riding hit a land mine. Jabal Thur is the first MILF satellite camp in the South Cotabato, Saranggani and General Santos (SOCSARGEN) region which the military has captured since it began its offensive against the rebels more than two months ago.

In Zamboanga, suspected MILF rebels ambushed a group of civilians which included a government prosecutor late Friday, leaving at least four men seriously wounded. Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Diomedio Villanueva said Davao Oriental Prosecutor Pableo Baldoza, his driver and at least two others were rushed to the hospital after heavily armed men strafed their vehicle in Mali town.

The continuing clashes between government forces and the rebels are feared to cause heavy damage on Mindanao's economy. Datu Haron Bandila, assistant agriculture chief of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, said the fighting would reset the region's planting season.

"The farmers should be planting by now," he said. "But how can they start if the fighting is ongoing?" Bandila is worried that massive hunger would follow the conflict in Mindanao since farmers would have nothing to eat in the coming months. He said that the government's promise of farm inputs to the farmers has not encouraged them to return to their fields.

"What they want is a ceasefire, not fertilizers or seeds," he stressed. "They have been telling us that what we can extend to them would be useless if their safety is not guaranteed."

At least P134 million worth of crops were left by thousands of farmers when they fled their homes last April due to hostilities. And not even 20 percent of the abandoned rice which is ripe for harvesting has been harvested, Bandila said. Ninety percent of the 1.3 million residents of Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur provinces rely mainly on farming as a means of livelihood. -- With Roel Pareño