MILF members gather in So. Cotabato village, Army say no prior notice

KORONADAL CITY - Officials in South Cotabato today said memersof the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was monitored to have met in a remote town last week. South CotabatoGovernor Daisy Avance Fuentes said the still undetermined number of MILF met in a remote village of T’boli, South Cotabato last week. The MILF members came to South Cotabato to attend the burial of one of its members and had their meeting. There was no movement of MILF in South Cotabato, they only had a meeting in one of the communities in T’boli, after their meeting they immediately went home,” Fuentes told DXOM-AM Radyo Bida, Koronadal. Fuentes said if in case the group will come in large numbers in South Cotabato, they need to coordinate with local authorities to avoid chaos. Lt. Col Ronald Jess Alcudia, commanding officer of the 27thInfantry Batallion of Philippine Army based in Tupi, South Cotabato, said the gathering of MILF members in the area without advance information has brought anxiety and suspicion on their motives. He said information he gathered showed the MILF came to T’boli to check on their members, had their accounting and gave updates on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). It would have been better if there was prior information, so that the local populace will not be alarmed,” Alcudia said.It was not clear if it was a military gathering or meeting only of MILF supporters. The military is now closely coordinating with the local monitoring team in investigating the alleged presence of MILF in South Cotabato. Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chair, denied that there is movement of their troops in South Cotabato. There is no movement of the MILF, I do not know about the meeting but it is standard for the MILF to meet for continuous dissemination regarding the developments of the peace talks, among its supporters and leaders,” Jaafar said in a separate interview.