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MNLF releases general, gov't exec after 2 days of ‘captivity’


A Philippine Marine general, a Malacañang official and 18 others were released Sunday from the Moro National Liberation Front’s camp where they were held for two days by guerrillas demanding more benefits under a 1996 peace accord. Maj. Gen. Benjamin Mohammad Dolorfino, commander of the military’s National Capital Region Command, left early Sunday afternoon the MNLF base in Bitan-ag complex in Panamao town where he said they had been "virtually held hostage" since Friday. Two Air Force helicopters retrieved Dolorfino around 3:40 p.m., hours after sharing a lunch with the rebels led by Ustadz Habier Malik. Dolorfino and his companions went to the MNLF stronghold Friday morning to discuss concerns about two encounters between the rebel group and government forces in the province last month. After the matter had been ironed out, Dolorfino said the issue shifted to the tripartite meeting of the government, MNLF and the Organization of Islamic Conference, which had been canceled this Tuesday. Dolorfino said the group invited them to remain in the camp until the issue was resolved. He said he and his group “voluntarily" stayed there. He said the members of his security staff, composed of at least four Marines, were not disarmed. “When the [encounter] issue was resolved, the talks shifted to tripartite panel meeting that was supposed to be held this Feb. 6 to 8. That was the reason why there was a sudden change of atmosphere," said Dolorfino. “They were disappointed [over the cancellation of the meeting]. According to Ustadz Habier Malik, they have been long waiting for this tripartite meeting. They are embarrassed with their men because the meeting is not pushing through," he said. The Armed Forces shared the story of Dolorfino with AFP public information office chief Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro dismissing a military operation to secure the group. Bacarro said the group was being treated as guests. Marine spokesman Lt. Col. Ariel Caculitan said Dolorfino and his group cannot be considered as “hostages" because their movement has not been restricted. They were not disarmed and guarded and they can communicate from the outside, he said. The Dolorfino group was accompanied by Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Undersecretary Ramon Santos, four OPAPP staff, four security staff and Col. Demetrio Ramon, the military’s liaison to the MNLF and deputy commander of the AFP’s Joint Task Force Comet in Sulu. On Saturday afternoon, an OIC official called them that the tripartite meeting will be pushing through on Feb. 17 and 18 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. On Sunday morning, the OIC faxed a communication on the schedule. On why the group of Malik did not allow them to leave the MNLF camp, Dolorfino said: “He (Malik) said we should solve this (tripartite issue) and we will call the government, the OIC to resolve the matter once and for all so that it will be decided when the tripartite meeting will indeed take place." Bacarro said Dolorfino and his group boarded military vehicles in leaving the MNLF camp at around 4:40 p.m. Ten minutes later, they arrived at the headquarters of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 11 in Lake Siet, also in Panamao. The group later boarded military helicopters that took them to Camp Bautista, headquarters of the Joint Task Force Comet in Busbos, Jolo. The task force supervises all military operations in the province. Before Dolorfino and his group left the MNLF camp, a ceremony was held inside the rebel stronghold where the military turned over firearms seized by government forces from guerrillas during the two encounters. The MNLF in Sulu has retained its loyalty to Nur Misuari, who is being detained and tried for a charge of rebellion for allegedly ordering the attack on the headquarters of an Army brigade in Sulu in November 2001. Misuari reportedly ordered the attack shortly after he was dislodged as MNLF chairman. Misuari had been griping against the government’s alleged refusal to abide by the peace agreement it signed with the MNLF in 1996. The 1996 agreement led to the dissolution of the MNLF and the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, where Misuari was named as governor. Observers said the pact was basically a concession of the MNLF, which scaled down its demands from independence to autonomy. Shortly after they were allowed by the MNLF to leave the camp, Dolorfino said: “We are happy that we are now allowed to leave…They are also happy because they were given assurance that the tripartite meeting will push through." “Peace cannot be attained only through fighting. Definitely, that can be resolved through talks, talks among the stakeholders. Let us do this so that we’ll have exchanges of our own ideas on how to resolve problems. [If this happens], I believe we’ll have peace in the country," said Dolorfino, a Muslim convert. Dolorfino, a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1976, was appointed NCR command chief in September last year. He was formerly detailed as commander of the military’s Southern Command based in Zamboanga City. Apart from his post, Dolorfino co-chairs the GRP-Moro Islamic Liberation Front - Joint Action Group that coordinates operations between MILF and government forces. He is also involved in the government’s “roadmap for peace" in Sulu. When asked what the military learned from the incident, Bacarro said: “We’ll look into it. We are going to talk to General Dolorfino to find out what really happened."- GMANews.TV with a report from AP
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