Piñol blames nat'l government for letting MILF regroup after 2003 defeat

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines – Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol on Thursday blamed the national government for allowing the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to regroup and build up forces and arsenal after its "defeat" in the all-out war in 2003. Piñol, chair of the Cotabato provincial board, said the national government "succumbed" to the "whims and caprices" of the MILF when it resumed peace negotiations with the rebel group. “After 2003, I kept silent whether the peace talks with the MILF should continue or not. Then I remember saying, 'Yes, let’s give peace talks a chance.' But my position remains – that in every negotiation, one must show his superiority in terms of strength," said Pinol. Piñol noted that years after the fall of the Buliok Complex, one of the biggest headquarters of the MILF situated in the Liguasan marsh, the government has allowed the MILF to return to the area. “During the time that the government already controlled the areas previously held by the MILF, what did the government do? Ibinalik natin ang Buliok sa MILF (We gave back Buliok to the MILF)," Piñol said. The peace negotiations, he suggested, should not end “in a way that the other side is still strong to wage another war." “I have always believed that the government should maintain its power and force," Piñol said. Piñol, in a radio interview over Catholic-ran DXND here, expressed his "anger" over recent atrocities staged by MILF rebels in Cotabato, the latest of which was Tuesday's bombing of another steel tower of the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) in Pikit town. Hostilities between government troops and MILF rebels have also erupted in Aleosan town last June 25, leaving a farmer dead, and 100 families displaced. “Why am I sad and frustrated? Because after 2003, I have thought that never again will the guns fire bullets to kill fellow Filipinos. But it didn’t happen that way. The MILF rebels have again wrecked havoc in our province," said Piñol. - Malu Cadelina Manar, GMANews.TV