MEDIA RELEASE
May 9, 2000

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today scored the US-Estrada regime’s penchant for linking the Abu Sayyaf to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, calling it a bid to discredit to discredit this revolutionary army and to justify the all-out offensives against it.

“Its really mendacious for the government to pretend it has nothing to do with the Abu Sayyaf after being responsible for its formation,” said Bayan National Chairperson Rafael Mariano, referring to long-running reports that the Philippine and US governments are initiators of the terrorist group.

“The government is getting desperate after miserably failing to rein in the monster it helped spawn. Now, the government-sponsored terrorist group is being placed in the same category as revolutionary groups like the MILF,” Mariano said. “Nagpo-Pontio Pilato na naman ang gobyerno.”

He said such move is calculated to criminalize the MILF and cast aspersions on the Moro people’s struggle for the right to self-determination.

Mariano also joined the international community and a growing number of Filipinos in calling for an end to military offensives that began last year.

He blamed the government’s military operations since last year as the culprit for the displacement of close to 200,000 Mindanao residents.

“Had not the government saturated Mindanao with its troops and war materiel, the situation would not have reached this point. Had it not caused so intolerable suffering and exploitation in the island, no Moro revolutionary movement would have prospered,” he explained.

The Bayan leader said the military solution being espoused by President Estrada will fail just like those used by the dictator Marcos in the 1970’s.

Bayan is currently conferring with various human rights, church and Moro organizations on possible joint actions. ###