“No one will win the war. See, families only die; and birds won’t soar the sky and there’ll be no sun to shine.… The grass won’t grow the same, the moon won’t shine at night and there’s a losing fight. Nobody wins a war…”—Raheem DeVaughn
“Ladies and gentlemen, I hereby declare Marawi City liberated from the terrorist influence that marks the beginning of rehabilitation,” President Duterte said on Tuesday on his seventh visit to Marawi City.
His resonating declaration was anchored on the deaths of Abu Sayyaf subleader Isnilon Hapilon and Maute Group leader Omar Maute from the relentless push of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to clear the area of terrorists who have declared allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Hapilon is touted to be the ISIS emir in Southeast Asia. He left his den in Basilan last year to join the Maute Group in Butig, Lanao del Sur, where Omar Maute and his brother Abdullah led a siege of Butig’s town center.
As congratulatory messages poured in heralding our soldiers as heroes, credit grabbing marred what could at best be considered as the beginning of peace in this war-torn city. Pro-Duterte groups heaped praises on the president “for his resolute action in declaring martial law and his unwavering support to our armed forces.” They claimed that this victory “would not have happened if not for his leadership.” Interestingly enough, nowhere in the congratulatory message sent by the US Embassy to the Philippine Military was Duterte’s name mentioned.
Victory? Nobody wins in a war. The economic cost and emotional and psychological trauma wrought by the war in Marawi are just too staggering. In August the military reported spending an estimated P3 billion in the Marawi war. Back then, the military had not yet made a definitive cost assessment. Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana, however, said that P1.3 billion had already been spent for the army, with an estimated P2.5 billion for the air force and marines.
More than the economic cost, people have been displaced, and families, bereaved. The rebuilding of Marawi may take years, and the wounds of war may not totally heal. The stench of the decaying bodies of soldiers, rebels and civilians is a grim reminder of a war that former President Fidel V. Ramos said could have been avoided.
The five-month war, starting on May 23, caught the government off-guard. It was a simple police operation to snare Hapilon, who was spotted in a safe house in Basak Malutlut, a barangay only several meters away from the military’s brigade headquarters in the area. Just a few weeks before, the government shrugged off reports in a security summit in Singapore that around 1,200 ISIS operatives have been spotted in the Philippines. When the Marawi siege began, Indonesian Defense Minister General Ryamizard Ryacudu declared that ISIS members, fighting alongside local Moro rebels who have pledged allegiance to the radical group, include 40 from his country.
The security summit warned of a probable full ISIS invasion of southern Philippines, and possibly of other parts of the country. Among the topics in the Singapore security conference was the fear that cities or places like Marawi could become a new base for the Islamic State groups, even as it is losing ground in the Middle East.
In a TV interview, AFP Spokesman Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla said that, despite Duterte’s declaration, the war in Marawi continues. “It will continue until armed elements are dealt with. But terrorists no longer have complete control. There are still a few more that are left, and a few more hostages that are still in the area that remains to be a battle area.”
I hope that the military’s determination to completely clear the Southern Philippines of terrorists bears fruit. There is this growing fear that the death of the rebels’ two leaders could inspire more jihadists to seek martyrdom. To them, the death signifies the bravery and commitment of their leaders to die fighting for their cause. Requesting anonymity, a Muslim scholar whom I’ve spoken to said the seed of the jihadists’ longing to have a Caliphate here has been planted.
“The ISIS-inspired rebellion is different from the ideology being espoused by the MILF [Moro Islamic Liberation Front] and the MNLF [Moro National Liberation Front]. The two large Muslim secessionist groups are after independence while the ISIS believes that pledging fidelity to the new Caliph is a duty for every Muslim, and those who fail or refuse to do so shall be deemed as apostates, and will be fought and struck down.”
Declaring an Islamic Caliphate, he explained, means that limits and fences among Islamic countries are nulled: “There will be a single Islamic economic system and currency, and an army to defend it. It also means there will no longer be any subservience to any country, requiring the formation of universities and factories to make Muslims a major power in all fields.”
I believe that the government must forge a strong alliance with moderate Muslims—both the MILF and MNLF—to effect lasting peace in Mindanao. The passage of Bangsamoro basic law (BBL) could be a step in the right direction. For one, the Moro rebellion has been going on for decades and has not been quelled.
Former President Joseph E. Estrada declared an all-out war against the MILF to no avail. The same problem, which tormented administrations before him, persists to this date, and the emergence of a new breed of Muslim jihadists has made the problem even worse. The Muslim scholar said that lasting peace can only be had if Muslims could be persuaded of the government’s sincerity in addressing their plight and recognizing their very existence.
It’s not enough to liberate Marawi. The Muslim insurgency in Mindanao is far-reaching. The Abu Sayyaf is still a force to reckon with, along with other Moro armed groups that have been a major stumbling block to peace and economic development.
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For comments and suggestions, e-mail me at mvala.v@gmail.com.
3 comments
If there are no Christians or Muslims in the Philippines, there would be no Christian-Muslim conflict. Iceland is 90% atheist and it seems to be a great place to live. We should emulate the Americans. You have to be an American Citizen first in order to have freedom of religion. We should be Filipino first then have the right to practice whatever religion you want.
If you mean Atheist then being a Communist country is a solution for the Philippines as Atheist being practiced more widely in Communist countries. If you proud with the US, yet being American first the country still being plagued with unstoppable gun problems like in the Philippines. Just read American news every day/month then will see there is lots of shooting cases. Don’t just depend/emulating everything from the US, not everything is good. Try to look (for example), Japan without firearms have more less homicide incidents, try to emulate UK for example in the administration areas, try emulate Singapore or Australia for greater security, or try to emulate Vietnam also although being a Communist country still managed to attract more investment than PH does.
I’m confused with this piece. The author seems to show hints of disappointment that the insurgents were defeated. There’s only one other group I know of who is also disappointed, and that worries me.