Stop ‘rido’ among commanders, peace adviser urges MILF

A senior adviser of the government peace panel urged the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (milf) to find more lasting solutions to ending the “rido" (clan feud) among its base commanders. Brig. Gen Restituto Aguilar, the senior military adviser to the government panel, said the feud had affected “thousands of families" in Mindanao. “We call on the MILF to cut off the clan wars between their base commands now, it’s time for them to discipline their forces," he said in an article posted on Monday on the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) website. Aguilar said the Army’s 73rd Infantry Battalion, which is in charge of Palimbang in Sultan Kudarat, is monitoring the situation. He said they will let the MILF commanders solve their own problem for now. Citing reports reaching him, he said emissaries earlier sent by the MILF high command had been “turned back by the warring factions." “The army is definitely present there, but we do not want to intervene yet. We’re letting the MILF solve their problem. However, this may become a military matter in case the MILF fails to act," he said. “These incidents logically raise doubts on the ability of the MILF to discipline their troops and whether they truly have command and control of all those who claim to be MILF," he added. On the other hand, the OPAPP news release cited earlier reports as many as 12,000 were affected by such feuds in Mindanao. The OPAPP said the Provincial Social Welfare and Development (PSWD) and Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC)-Sultan Kudarat Chapter has recorded 9,576 displaced persons since the MILF armed elements started their in-fighting in this area by end-June. “These families are reportedly forced to leave their homes and build temporary shelters; looted by some lawless groups; and strained to eat sparsely," it said. - VVP, GMA News