Fighting Intensifies in Southern Philippines

By
CRIS LARANO
And
JOSEPHINE CUNETA
MANILA—Fresh fighting erupted in Zamboanga City on Friday as President Benigno Aquino III arrived in the troubled southern Philippines and warned Muslim rebels not to harm citizens.
Government forces and heavily armed Muslim rebels belonging to the Moro National Liberation Front are in their fifth day of a standoff. The rebels attacked Zamboanga City on Monday with the intent of hoisting their flag on the city hall grounds to declare their authority over the area. They were stopped by Philippine security forces and are now believed to be holed up in six villages, forcing more than 20,000 to flee their homes.
Video footages aired by television stations late Friday showed thick black smoke billowing from communities occupied by the rebels. Government officials said the rebels set fire to several structures in the villages. So far, 22 people have been killed and 52 injured in Zamboanga City, the military said, though a breakdown wasn’t immediately available of how many were soldiers, rebels or civilians. Meanwhile, the rebels are believed to hold about 100 people hostage.

Photos: Standoff in the South

EPA
A Filipino army soldier fired his rifle Thursday. About 200 Muslim rebels, angered by a broken peace deal with the Philippine government, are holding scores of hostages.

President Aquino met reporters Friday, saying he remains hopeful that a peaceful end can be reached.
“But there are limits. If innocent lives are placed in danger, if hostages are hurt, if they [rebels] cross the lines they aren’t supposed to cross, then we will be forced to…unleash the full might of the state,” he said in Filipino.
“And if they try elsewhere, I’m confident that the Armed Forces will be ready to meet them head-on to prevent any more untoward incident,” Mr. Aquino said.
As the president made his comments, Philippine security forces were battling National Front fighters in Lamitan, a city in Basilan, a province that is just boat ride away from Zamboanga City.
Col. Charlie Galvez Jr., commander of the 104th infantry brigade, said that National Front rebels tried to assault the city from several directions but were repelled by government forces.
“This attack is most probably related to the Zamboanga issue” and meant to divert attention from rebels in Zamboanga City, he said in an interview with ANC television station. He said six soldiers were wounded in the fire fight that lasted for more than an hour.
Col. Galvez said predominantly Christian villages on the outskirts of Lamitan were evacuated to try to protect residents.
President Aquino said the government has an “overwhelming” number of troops and equipment in Zamboanga City. But he said the prime objective isn’t to assault the rebels but rather to try to end the assault.
“The preservation of life is the paramount mission,” he said.
The commander-in-chief’s trip to Zamboanga City coincides with unconfirmed media reports that 80 Muslim rebels have surrendered. But President Aquino said none of the rebels have laid down their arms.
Also Friday, the rebels released a Roman Catholic priest, who was one of some 180 hostages used since Monday as human shields to discourage a military assault.
Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, chief spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said negotiations with the rebels were continuing, though he declined to elaborate. He said the priest, Father Michael Ufana, was released early Friday and was in government care. Police questioned the priest to get information on the hostage situation.

The National Front under veteran rebel chieftain Nur Misuari signed a peace deal with the government in 1996, leading to the creation of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, or ARMM. Despite the agreement, the Muslim separatist movement continues. The largest group is the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a group that splintered from the National Front. To try to forge a lasting peace in the resource-rich but conflict-ridden Mindanao, President Aquino initiated peace talks in 2010 with the Islamic Front with the help of the Malaysian government. The Indonesian government facilitated the peace deal with the National Front.
Government peace negotiators said Mr. Misuari’s group was invited to the talks with Islamic Front, but that the Muslim leader refused because the talks involved the same areas covered by the autonomous region agreement. Then in August, Mr. Misuari declared the independence of the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Palawan and the Zamboanga peninsula, where Zamboanga City is located.
Mr. Aquino said National Front’s actions in recent days weren’t going to derail negotiations with the Islamic Front, which started this week in Kuala Lumpur. “If there is an effect, it may be to hasten the conclusion of negotiations…so that we’ll have a clearer direction towards lasting peace in Mindanao,” he said.
Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said at least 18,000 people have been evacuated and are now living in the city’s sports complex, while around 6,000 more were in several other evacuation centers.
Write to Cris Larano at Cris.Larano@wsj.com and Josephine Cuneta at Josephine.Cuneta@wsj.com

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