Opinion by Rosa Castillo

I am reposting here a comment I made to one journalist. The context might be slightly vague but I do hope that this

somehow contributes to the prevailing discourse on the Mamasapano incident:

I can speak on this matter with a particular kind of knowledge. I lived in an MILF village and moved around in the

Cotabato region for a year or so for my ethnographic fieldwork between 2012-2014. As I had stated in another post,

my months of living with poor Muslim Maguindanaons who refer to themselves as mujahideens (they are not the

stereotyped crazed Muslim terrorist that the US has successfully ingrained in many minds; jihad means different

things among Moros one of which is struggle to improve oneself) gave me an understanding of the complexity of the

conflict, its convoluted strands, the precarity of everyday life, the struggle to be a Muslim in the Philippines, and the

difficulty of arriving at easy straightforward explanations for events. So many actors at play, so many interests at

stake. Yet despite the decades long conflict, the MILF and the GRP had engaged in negotiations much more than

they engaged in war. And I fervently hope that this last peace talks will truly end the protracted war. Alas, politicians,

lay people, scholars, and yes many in the mass media, have been spewing rumors and inflammatory remarks that

has put the peace talks in danger, and more importantly has put the south once again on the brink of war. I am in the

process of writing a longer piece on the matter. But there are several points I want to highlight here regarding your

(journalist's) post:

1) The investigation is being conducted and before then, I would refrain from making concluding statements regarding

the MILF or the BIFF coddling this or that terrorist, or whether it was an ambush, or an encounter. And no, it was not

a massacre, as both of the groups were armed. The International Monitoring Team which often quickly steps in on

such matters as well as the MILF's own investigation team are investigating the matter. The IMT did it in the

aftermath of the Al Barka clash in 2011 and it will do it again. In my many months of living in North Cotabato, I've

seen the MILF Task Force Etihad step in to stop a clash, whether with the BIFF or even clan feuds, from escalating.

The GRP-MILF joint committee on cessation of hostilities had also been instrumental in keeping the area relatively

quiet and this has been a marked difference in the lives of many villages.

2) Eid Kabalu has a fraught history with the MILF leadership. His statement should be seen in this light.

3) The "camp" is not a camp in the stereotypical sense of the word. It's a community. Camp Abubakar and Camp

Darapanan are both thriving communities where people reside. Mamasapano is a big municipality and an MILF

stronghold. That up to 100 MILF fighters eventually joined the encounter is not surprising. They live in the villages! Of

course it is easy to get them to join the fight not like the Army who needs to access the area. And this certainly

doesn't mean the villagers were prepared for the arrival of the SAF. Oh, one last thing, the men had just finished their

morning prayer when the SAF arrived. Thus many men were actually gathered in the various mosques in the

municipality. Suddenly fully armed men whom they did not recognize arrived and the fighting ensued. Keep in mind

that there are Muslim families in these areas whose lives were threatened by the presence of armed men. This event

should be read within the long history of government forces wantonly entering Muslim villages, searching for men,

harassing people, destroying property, and making arrests. Again, who fired first is subject to investigation. Before

that, I would refrain from making judgements.

4) The BIFF and the MILF should never be conflated with each other as some reports are wont to do. Half a year ago,

the BIFF pledged allegiance to ISIS. Soon after that the MILF denounced ISIS. BIFF and MILF had their own clashes

as well. The MILF had tried its best to bring BIFF founder Kato back into the main guerilla forces without success.

Rumors has it he passed away in 2012 from illness. Does this mean the MILF was not coddling Marwan? No. Again, I

would wait for the investigation.

5) Now, it could very will be that some MILF members have been coddling Marwan without knowledge of the higher-

ups. This is an issue that the MILF needs to organizationally address. And if the organization knows about it, then

condemnation is in order. But right now, everything is speculatory, and in their speculativeness, are inflammatory and

does not help the peace process at all.

6) One report described the encounter as "combined forces" of BIFF and the MILF as though there exists a formal

tactical alliance where there is none. One thing that many commentators lose sight of or are unaware of is that these

are areas where people belonging to various armed groups are living side by side as relatives. At the moment of

firefight with the SAF, one's kin relations rather than group affiliation might have been the defining factor.

7) The MILF itself had already issued a statement regarding the incident and expressed sympathy for those who

perished on both sides. Yet national media only talks of the SAF as though Muslim lives do not matter.

Which brings me to my last point, the use of hashtag Filipinolivesmatter "others" many Moros rather than includes

them. Many Moros for a very long time have seen their identity as oppositional to the Filipino majority, precisely

because of the centuries of oppression, land grabbing, political-economic exclusion, and discrimination they've

experienced from colonial powers and the Philippine state.

University of Santo TomasDepartment of English

_______1. Sun Tzu is credited with this book based on his experience leading the armies of the state of Wu. In what present-day country may the state of Wu now be found?

A. Mongolia C. JapanB. Korea D. China

_______2. How many constant factors are in a war?

A. 3 C. 8B. 5 D. 6

________3. What should you do when your enemy is in a bad temper?

A. Make peace talks C. RetreatB. Gift him to maintain peace D. Irritate him, pretend to be weak

________4. When planning a battle, even when in superior numbers, what is the best option when even in a rush?

A. Specific calculations and preparationsB. Charge troops and burn anything useful to scare the enemyC. Siege cities to make them starveD. Pack supplies and march into enemy land in caution

________5. Say you win the battle and capture soldiers on the other side. What should you do with them?

A. Kill them because they might spy on usB. Treat them kindly as to make them join our armyC. Torture them and let them go, they are of no use to usD. Enslave the captives

_________6. What should be your goal for victory?

A. Slash and burn strategy; leave nothing alive or standingB. Negotiations and Peace talksC. Take over the land while damaging the least as possibleD. Take the population and put them into slavery

_________7. What is the best thing to do when your troops are greatly inferior in numbers?

A. Fight to the bitter endB. SurrenderC. Retreat; live to fight againD. Hide and hope to be not found

_________8. If your troops are preparing for a battle, and are equally matched, but do not want severe casualties, what should you do?

A. Go in direct combat and hope for the bestB. Try to wait out the enemyC. Send a message to the King for reinforcementsD. Attack where defenses are most weak

_________9. What should you do before advancing your troops?

A. Study the terrain and acquire guides

B. March them in since we have more soldiersC. Kill all the citizens in your way to stop enemy spiesD. Set camp at the battlefield to be prepared for the next day

_________10. What should you do if the enemy retreats before your army?

A. Chase after them to loot their suppliesB. Charge after them to find their camp in order to kill the restC. Go back home, you probably won the battleD. It could be a trap, don't follow but see what happens

__________11. Say you make enemies with a local chief, and he is corrupting trouble for you, what should you do?

A. Put defenses and put guards aroundB. Cause trouble for him, never let him at easeC. Divide your army into groups and send them scouting in attempt of finding the enemyD. Assume that he is scared of our military might and simply ignore them

__________12. You are in battle with your enemy, they have encamped themselves on a hill, and you are at the bottom. You have superior numbers. What should you do?

A. Divide your army into groups and set them around the hill to cause pressureB. Since we have superior numbers, why not take the advantage and charge?C. Taunt them to man up and attackD. Set up baits to lure them far from haven and ambush

___________13. What is accessible land?

A. Ground that can be easily traveled on by both sidesB. Abandoned land that is hard to re-occupyC. Land that cannot be occupied in one battleD. The land of great distance between the two armies

_____________14. What is contentious ground?

A. Ground that is of advantage to both sidesB. Ground that makes the soldiers contentC. Ground where a lord is fighting within his own territoryD. Ground that is occupied deep in the heart of the enemy