ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 14 Sept) – No ceasefire.
Day Six of the standoff between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) loyal to founding chair Nur Misuari began with a midnight announcement that a ceasefire had been forged followed by an early morning clarification that no ceasefire was in place and an afternoon urgent appeal from civil society to the government and MNLF to “immediately effect a humanitarian ceasefire to allow the release of civilian hostages, especially the children, the elderly, the persons with disabilities, the curing of the sick, and the burying of the dead.”
Day Six also raised the death toll to 51 as of Saturday noon from Friday’s 18: three each from police and civilians; two from the military and 43 from the MNLF although military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala was quick to say the actual body count was 21 and the 22 others were “based on reports from our units.” Still, if actual body count were to be used, the death toll rose from 18 on Friday (two each from the military and civilians, three from the police and 11 from the MNLF) to 29 on Saturday.
There is no report, however, on how many hostages had been killed and neither the police nor the military could confirm when a reporter asked if it was true that 17 hostages had been killed.
At the press conference at City Hall on Thursday noon, the Crisis Management Committee put the number of hostages at 170 and the number of MNLF forces holding them hostage, at 180.
The number of wounded also rose from Friday’s 52 to Saturday noon’s 78: 12 from the police, 38 from the military and 28 from the civilians. On Friday, the figure was six from the police, 18 from the civilians and 28 from the military.
62,000 evacuees
Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said the number of evacuees as of 11 a.m. Saturday had risen to 11,629 families or 62,329 persons, more than twice Friday’s number.
On Friday, the Crisis Management Center recorded 6,024 families with 23,584 dependents in 26 evacuation centers.
The figure includes both the evacuees from Monday and those who were forced to evacuate following the passage of a city ordinance Thursday night, for a forced evacuation in the conflict-affected areas of Sta. Barbara, Sta. Catalina, Rio Hondo, Talon-Talon, Mampang, parts of Tugbungan and other villages affected by the hostage crisis and the firefight between government troops and the MNLF forces.
At least 500 houses were razed to the ground in barangays Sta. Catalina, Sta. Barbara and Mariki, on Friday, according to District Fire Marshall Dominador Zabala: about 150 to 200 houses in Sta. Catalina, 200 to 250 houses in Barangay Mariki, and 10 to 20 houses in the interior part of Sta. Barbara
Several fire incidents had been reported days earlier but firefighters could not proceed to the area if they are not given clearance by the military, he said.
Cost of standoff
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco told reporters at the Crisis Management Committee office at the Sanggunian on Saturday morning that they have yet to compute the economic cost of the six-day standoff that began Monday. Business has been at a standstill, flights and shipping schedules to and from Zamboanga had been canceled since Monday and only a few interprovincial buses have been plying the route. Classes, too, have been cancelled.
The social, psychological and political costs are equally immense. This is the third major hostage-taking incident in the city since the January 1989 hostage-taking and killing of Brig. General Eduardo Batalla and Col. Romeo Abendan by policeman Rizal Alih and the Cabatangan hostage-taking of civilians used as human shields in November 2001 by the MNLF, and in both instances, the perpetrators managed to get away.
The “Cabatangan formula” which gave the rebels a safe conduct pass to leave the area of conflict saved the lives of at least 60 civilian hostages but the Arroyo administration paid a high political cost for all the flak that it got for “escorting” the perpetrators out of the city.
The “Cabatangan formula” has been put forward as a solution to the ongoing crisis but the political cost of invoking that formula is making officials rather wary.
Mayor Climaco said she acknowledges that the formula secured the release of the hostages but letting the perpetrators get away “without any charges filed” will be a repeat of history.
“The story of Zamboanga is being told and retold,” said a councilor. “In the first (hostage-taking), the leader of the perpetrators got away. In the second, they also got away. They will get away again now? We do not want that to happen. Charges should be filed,” the councilor said .
At the press conference at City Hall on Thursday, the number of hostages was estimated at 170, the number of MNLF forces holding them hostage, at 180.
Cheers and jeers
Zamboanguenos who were still awake at midnight either cheered or jeered the announcement of Vice President Jejomar Binay to Manila-based media outlets that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and the MNLF’s MIsuari had agreed on a ceasefire effective 12 a.m. Saturday.
Binay told Manila-based media that he would fly to this city later in the day to work out the details and see to the implementation of the agreement.
The Vice President’s announcement sent confusing signals because President Aquino, who arrived here mid-morning of Friday, and Gazmin were still in the city and no mention of a ceasefire was made by either.
Col. Rodrigo Gregorio, spokesperson of the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), the highest military command in the area, told MindaNews he was not aware of a ceasefire declaration. “If there is such a move,” he said in a text message, “then we are not in a position to comment on that. It’s a political issue.”
Soldiers and policemen stationed in the areas near the conflict-affected villages said they were not aware a ceasefire had been declared. From midnight to around 8 am. “Wala may undang ang buto-buto” (Firing didn’t stop), said PO1 Rubie Zaballero of the Cagayan de Oro-based Regional Public Safety Battalion 10.
Mayor Climaco said there was no ceasefire. “I want this finished today,” she said.
‘Who doesn’t want a ceasefire?’
Gazmin himself said no ceasefire was in place.
MindaNews approached Gazmin while he was waiting for the President to finish his huddle with evacuees at the Joaquin F. Enriquez Jr. Sports Complex. He confirmed that he and the Vice President talked and that the latter said he could reach out to Misuari.
“Nagusap kami ni Vice President.
Sabi niya he can reach out to Misuari. Sabi niya what if magkaroon tayo ng ceasefire? Sabi ko who doesn’t want a ceasefire? In fact the ceasefire should start from them. meaning, hindi kami magpapaputok kung di rin sila magpapaputok but pag magpaputok sila, magpapuputok din kami” (The Vice President and I talked. He said he can reach out to Misuari. He said what if we have a ceasefire? I said who doesn’t want a ceasefire?
