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Rising crime could undermine the Mindanao peace process, experts warn, amid a recent spike of incidents blamed on rogue rebels.
"These concerns are being placed on the negotiating table," said Teresita Deles, the government's chief adviser on the peace process, citing concerns about former fighters of the 12,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) turning to crime as both sides struggle to come up with a mutually agreeable peace deal.
An example is the recent abduction of a Filipino businesswoman in the southern city of Cotabato by armed bandits, who took her to a sprawling marshland controlled by the MILF.
Police and military units rescued Angelina Suken Chew-Mantigue, 54, on 25 May, more than 10 days after she was seized, when MILF fighters joined the manhunt, adding pressure on the kidnappers.
Chew-Mantique is the third member of the local business community kidnapped by rogue MILF elements since last year.
She was only freed after the government invoked terms of an agreement it had signed earlier with the MILF, whereby the rebel force had agreed to go after criminals and terrorists who strayed into its areas of the island.
According to police and military officials, those behind the abductions were rogue MILF rebels who no longer follow the direct chain of command.
And with a 2003 ceasefire still in place and many restless and heavily armed guerrillas - mostly younger men - roaming the vast Mindanao countryside, the potential for more violence is significant, they said.
"We know that while we are resolving this [insurgency] through the peace process, there is a potential for another stream of violence to happen," Deles stressed, noting, however, that the MILF leadership was responding positively.
"We are cognisant of this fact, and are very serious in trying to end this problem," MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said.
"It is a complicated situation," he said, alleging that some government soldiers were also encouraging these rogue elements in exchange for certain favours or a cut of their profits.
Longstanding conflict
In 1978, the MILF began its push for the establishment of an independent Islamic state on Mindanao, where Muslims are a minority. The violence, while confined to a small portion of the region and mostly in areas where Muslims come into contact with the Christian settlers, left tens of thousands dead and undermined economic growth. Today, the area remains one of the poorest in the country.
The MILF began exploring a possible peace treaty with the government about a decade ago, signing a ceasefire in 2003. And while the truce has largely held, there have, however, been serious deadly violations.
In August 2008, two rogue MILF rebels launched coordinated attacks across parts of the island after a Supreme Court decision struck down a proposed deal with the government that would have given the rebels control over large parts of the south.
In the violence that followed, nearly 400 combatants and civilians lost their lives, and more than 700,000 people were displaced.
Almost three years on, the two rogue rebel leaders are still at large, while two other restless MILF commanders this month have became engaged in an internal blood feud over land that has already resulted in nearly 10,000 people being displaced in Sultan Kudarat Province.
"It is these incidents which lessen public confidence in the ability of a political settlement [being reached] between the Philippines [government] and the MILF," added Brigadier General Restituto Aguilar, a senior military adviser to the peace panel. "Since MILF commanders are involved, it also unfortunately [casts] doubts on the ability of the MILF to resolve disputes within its ranks."
President Benigno Aquino, who took office in June 2010, resumed talks with the MILF in February, vowing to end the decades-long insurgency during his term.
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This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
