That was quite a hefty hotel bill (450,000 pesos) the Filipino people just paid "Hostelier" Ustadz Malik of the Moro National Liberation Front for "hosting" (not, ahem, hostaging) the National Capitol Regional Commander, Muslim convert and "peace negotiator" Major Gen. Benjamin Muhammad Dolorfino and Undersecretary for the Peace Process Ramon Santos at the "Panamao Hilton" in Sulu (free towels!). [Sorry for all the quotation marks, but it's really the only way to mimic all the double and triple speak going on about this incident.]But oh no, it's NOT a ransom. No it's "assistance" for the deaths caused by the government during a misencounter [sic!] last January 18, in which nine MNLF gunmen were killed. Just 50,000 pesos each. Nice round sum, easy arithmetic. Hmm, I wonder how much of such "assistance" was also given by General Dolorfino to the families of the three Philippine Marines who perished in that gun battle?
So was it ransom, blood money, or payment for the fatted calf that AM Radio DZMM was reporting gleefully about from the scene of the crime, err, peace negotiations, between Gen. Dolorfino and his MNLF "brothers"?
But the guy that really takes the dhimmi cake has got to be Jesus Dureza, the very head honcho of the Mindanao peace process, who says this has "shaken the confidence" of the government in the MNLF. Is that all, shaken the confidence of the government? After a bunch of armed thugs grinning "peace" illegally detain 25 high ranking "peace negotiators" who also happen to be active military service commanders and Cabinet Members?
Shaken your confidence, Sir Dureza? You need to be shaken awake!
But paying ransom really is par for the course of the Arroyo administration in dealing with terrorists. It all began during the infamous Dos Palmas raid, when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ransomed her close friend and campaign contributor, the billionaire Reghis Romero, from the clutches of the Abu Sayyaf group that had just taken several dozen tourists hostage, including Gracia and Martin Burnham. And going through the Angelo de la Cruz affair in Baghdad, where the government reportedly paid $2 million in ransom to another terrorist kidnapping gang there. How well they must have used that early seed money for the pursuit of Paradise as they know it.
Whatever happened to never negotiating with terrorists or paying them ransom? Oh these are the peace talks...We have to do anything for Peace y'know. Even surrender. That's because we want to avoid violence.
Where are all the national sovereignty howlers when you really need them? And why do the media and the pundits seem to be tiptoeing on egg crates when it comes to talking about the Moro Muslims and their religion of Peace? Whatever happened to calling a spade a spade. Political correctness got your tongue? Still waiting for what the acceptable lexicon is to apply to these folks? Terrorist too Bush for you? What will it take to awaken you? A one-ton bomb in Malate or Greenbelt, courtesy of Dulmatin and Umar Patek?
UPDATES:
DOLORFINO DENIES EARLIER STATEMENT, ADMITS HOSTAGING TO CONGRESS
While testifying before the Commission on Appointments today in the hopes of getting his promotion confirmed by the Congress, Maj. Gen. Benjamin Muhammad Dolorfino has now denied the statements he has been making for the last three days to tv, radio and newspapers that he and 24 other "peace panelists" were only "invited" by the terrorist warlord Ustadz Malik to stay in the Panamao, Sulu encampment of the Moro National Liberation Front. He now admits that they were actually HOSTAGED. Can this person be trusted in any future role as a "peace negotiator"? I can't see how. It is the public's confidence in him that ought to be "shaken" and "eroded" -- along with the outlaws that kidnapped and illegally detained him along with USec Ramon Santos, a Cabinet minister, and the Joel Goltiao, the police director of Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao.
3 comments:
I cannot understand the stance of the government regarding the MNLF. All this pussyfooting around an action that is patently illegal, and why? It's clear that the MNLF held the government officials hostage; anyone with half a brain can see that. What is not clear as to why the MNLF has to be handled with kid gloves, instead of being hunted down like the thugs that they are?
I didn't agree all that much with the late Max Soliven's comments about Muslims in general, but I agreed with him on one point: that terrorist and revolutionary groups such as the MNLF, Abu Sayyaf, and the MILF should not be given any quarter, until they themselves are totally weakened as a dangerous element. And even then, the government would have to negotiate from a position of strength, not the namby-pamby doublespeak to which they've been subjecting the public.
Welcome to Philippine Commentary Eric. Someone has suggested this may have something to do with the coming 07 midterm elections. They need the MNLF's cooperation for the usual "Mindanao operations."
Dean,
Doflorino is an officer who thinks solely out of his backside.
He cant with one hand kill the enemy while with the other say to that enemy, I'm on a peace mission.
The commanding general of the Philippine Marines, effectively the killing machine of the AFP cannot go trotting around in his part of territory saying he's there on a peace mission.
His mission is TO KILL THE ENEMIES OF THE STATE and not to go partying with them.
It's in total contradiction with the mission of of an officer in his position.
That guy is a moron. If there's a need to have any general going around that part of the world to "win hearts and minds of the insurgents," it can't be him - this 2 star ranking general mustn't be allowed to think, let an army man do it.
Stupid unprofessionals.
See where his peace based mission got him? Hostaged by the enemies. A perfect marine idiot.
He's gotta be relieved of his command. But what do I hear? He's due to be confirmed his 2nd star? Absolute nonsense. Award him now with a second star for making an ass of the command? Whoa!
A senior ranking officer here (Brit) said that there's no question about it, had a UK Royal Marines 2 star general been captured by the enemy or held hostage even for an hour because he thought out of his backside, he would have been RELIEVED OF HIS COMMAND pending military investigation.
But of course, 2-star ranks in pinas aren't really considered remotely a star rank at all where I sit.
Complete moron that general was!
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