A professor in International Relations once told me, “The first rule in international relations is, ‘take care of your own backyard first.’”* Therefore, so long as the Muslim Rebellion (and the communist rebellion by extension) exists in our own backyard, we will never look credible in the eyes of another country and we will continue to be “bullied” by savvier players like China and Malaysia.
There must be retaliation from the government forces. The present administration is treating the MILF with kid’s gloves, giving in to demands from known terrorists. We must negotiate from a position of power: wipe-out several camps and decapitate its leadership--leave them powerless.
Now, “all-out-war” seems to be the stand that the government is taking as regards to the breakaway faction, BIFF. My hope is that the war will escalate to cover other [terrorist] groups, the Abu Sayaff, the “fallen-from-grace” MNLF, JI, ISIS and of course, the MILF. I say this because, I assert that true peace can never be had with groups like these -- you can have peace with one or maybe two, but those dissatisfied with the “Government’s peace”, will just form another breakaway faction and continue the rebellion. This is what the BIFF is doing and what the MILF did before that.
In this article, I seek to answer two very important questions that should follow the defeat of these terrorist elements:
How would the fighting make the Philippines stronger in the eyes of the International Community?
How to win the hearts and minds of the people one the fighting is done?
The answer should be simple, bring development and keep the peace in the area. This means, food, jobs, shelter, access to credit, electricity and all the appurtenances of a decent living.
Credibility before the international community
As I mentioned at the start of this article, nothing will bring respect in the international community more than being able to take care of the problems in your own backyard.
I will argue that after all the fighting is done, the grounds that were once MILF/BIFF and other terrorist group strongholds should be turned into military bases, research facilities, Military schools, stockpiles and if possible, new communities.
Rebel Camps and our Weakness
As we all know, Philippine military might is less than ideal. I even argued in my earlier piece that if there is no retaliation for the #fallen44, our enemies are going to take notice of our weakness. Indeed, this may be the case because the Chinese Coast Guard seems to be bullying our fishermen again and blatatly constructing facilities in our territory. This is something I believe the Chinese will not do if they think that the Filipino military is simply competent in dealing with its external and internal affairs. i.e. if we cannot deal with a bunch of bandits in our southern isles, how then can we fight against Chinese aggression? Inaction and weakness will only embolden our enemies. Indeed, I don’t see Vietnam or Malaysia having the same problems with the Chinese.
The symbol of Philippine defiance against China, and the full extent of our military capabilities
Indeed, a Country’s martial and political credibility often depend on being able to “project military strength hundreds of miles from their home bases, both internally and externally”.
Yes, I know that there is a Constitutional prohibition against war, but there are many ways around that insofar as there is a perceived threat to the territorial integrity of the country.
Bringing the blessings of peace to the Bangsamoro
In answering the question, “how to win the hearts and minds of the people”, I propose concentrating political power in the South and the conversion of the symbolic capital of the MILF, Camp Abubakar, into a fine new Capital City for the Philippines.
Is concentrating power in Mindanao a good idea? Yes, I believe so. Right now, the threat country’s biggest threat is China, which lies in the northeast, any invasion or attack would be concentrated in Manila/Luzon -- the most prosperous region in the country. But with the government holed up in Mindanao, we will still be able to mount effective and coordinated resistance. This is our Dschungelfestung where we can conserve our forces and mount a defense in-depth.
To make this work though, a lot of the work has to be done in secret, it is preferred that each camp should be a fortress of its own, with lots of underground tunnels and pillboxes which would make a direct assault foolhardy. If possible, each camp could be interconnected with one another in order to provide a network of support and intelligence.
What of Camp Abubakar?
Camp Abubakar was the MILF Headquarters and an important base of operations. It was a major prize during the government offensive.
Camp Abubakar was more than a military camp. MILF top leaders, Al Haj Murad Ebrahim and the late Salamat Hashim had their offices there. Murad, who was then MILF military chief, held office in Barangay Sarmiento, Matanog town while Salamat, the MILF chair, resided in a small bungalow inside Camp Abubakar itself.
Camp Abubakar is now a Military Base
According to Joe America, an American blogger residing in the Philippines envisions a progressive Mindanao which is likened to the West Coast of the United States, versus the Luzon-as-East Coast analogy. He writes:
Mindanao will be like Los Angeles of the 1950’s compared to Manila’s land-locked, vertical New York. Mindanao will be an explosive, expansive, fast-growing region, with Davao City as the new heartland of a producing Philippines. Six-lane expressways will connect the four large cities of Davao, Cagayan De Oro, General Santos City and Zamboanga. Commuter train tracks and communications cables will run down the center medium. Major port improvements will be made in both Cagayan de Oro and General Santos City. Davao’s airport will be reconfigured as an international gateway to the Philippines. A nuclear power plant will be built on the southeast coast.
Manufacturing centers will be seeded in Cagayan de Oro, Davao and General Santos. A part of the impetus will come from the establishment of a Philippine military industrial center to build boats, land vehicles and weapons on Philippine soil. Another part will come from incentives: 100% foreign ownership of plants within designated industrial parks, tax breaks, and ease-of-doing-business rules that end layers of red tape. A third part will come by moving manufacturing plants out of Manila.
I agree with his vision. I think that having the central government closer to this rich and promising land will promote growth in the region in order to accomplish this vision.
The symbolic capital of the MILF’s resistance, Camp Abubakar, would make a fine new Capital City for the Philippines. While still retaining fortifications and housing large numbers of troops, it can make a credible capital city for an administration with the right vision and concern for development.
