AFP tolerates MILF gun ban violation

By Ronron
March 13, 2007

A Philippine military official on Tuesday admitted that government
troops tolerated the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last Sunday
when the latter's fighters in Lanao del Sur were seen to be violating
the gun ban policy of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in
relation to the upcoming elections.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) National Capital Region Command
(NCRCom) chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino said the government
soldiers under the Philippine Army's 103rd Infantry Brigade returned
the firearms they seized from seven MILF fighters in Barangay Taluan,
Lumba-Bayabao town in Lanao del Sur in the afternoon of March 11 "to
solve the standoff."

The Army troopers, based in Marawi City, were out to respond to the
operation of the MILF against a lawless group headed by Lanao's public
enemy number one, Dimaporo Masacal, alias Delta Force, when they saw
the seven armed MILF members on the roadside.

After disarming the seven, the 16 Army troopers where also disarmed by
a bigger reinforcement force of the MILF, under the command of a
certain Commander Mercury. The 16 were held for over two hours, as
the standoff was only resolved at around 6:30 pm.

"They (MILF and Army) returned each other's firearms. That was the
solution to the standoff between the two groups," Dolorfino said when
asked why the Philippine Army returned the seized firearms of the MILF
even as he admitted that the secessionist group is "covered by the
gunban."

The Philippine National Police (PNP) reported on Tuesday that a total
of 1,011 persons were already arrested for violating the gun ban under
Comelec Resolution No. 7764, covering the period January 14 to March
13, 2007.

Seventeen other violators were killed in confrontation with law
enforcers, PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao, Jr. said in a
statement.

From the 798 separate police operations during the past 57 days of
implementation of the nationwide gun ban, Pagdilao said 833 firearms
of different types and caliber, 40 explosive devices, and 169 assorted
deadly weapons were seized.

Topping among the regional offices is the National Capital Region
Police Office, which accounted for 171 separate incidents of violation
of Comelec Resolution No. 7764, resulting in the arrest of 233
violators and the killing of five suspects, and the confiscation of
136 firearms, three explosives and 84 deadly weapons.

"The number of arrested offenders and the result of interdiction
operations against armed groups show the effectiveness of our
checkpoint operations against the movement of Partisan Armed Groups
and common law violators," PNP chief Gen. Oscar Calderon said in a
statement./END