It was well-known that the AFP armed local clan militias to back up its brutal offensive against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the area. In particular, the AFP used the Ampatuans against the MILF in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). After several years of truce and negotiations, in August 2008 the government suddenly junked a tentative deal recognizing the Muslims “ancestral domain” and relaunched the war (see “Philippine Government Launches New War on Muslim Groups,” beginning on page 37 of this issue).
Dagdag pa, ang mga nasabing armas ay pag-aari ng Kgawaran National Defense. Nakakagulat hindi ba?! Alam naman ng lahat na ginagamit ang mga Ampatuan ng AFP upang durugin ang mga MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) sa ARMM, na matapos ang ilang taong nagosasyon at dayalugo, bigla-biglang ibinasura ng gobyerno ang isang agreement upang kilalanin ang “ancestral domain” ng mga Muslim at muling inilunsad ang digmaan sa Mindanao (basahin ang artikulong “Philippine Government Launches New War on Muslim Groups” The Internationalist, Septyembre 2008).