Terrorism In The Philippines
Cotabato City in the southern Philippines island of Mindanao seems to be having more than its fair share of terrorist actions of late. It started in December of last year and the militants seem to be targeting Christians. From memory, I remember bombs or grenades going off during the Christmas season.
Today a bomb went off in a cathedral in Cotabato City. The blast killed five and injured at least 29 others. About 12 hours before that a motor exploded in a nearby Barangay and a second device was found unexploded. That shell 
was safely detonated by the Philippine military.
The President Palace responded with “leave no stone unturned” in the hunt for those that brought about these attacks. These attacks may have been meant to derail negotiations between the Moro Islamic Liberation Foundation and the Philippines government that are expected to resume this month. A presidential spokesman said it will not have the desired effect.
This doesn’t seem like a productive path to me either. What sympathy they might get from the Philippine people is lost because of acts like this and it taints all of Islam.
If you’re planning on traveling to Cotabato City, I would recommend you don’t. If you do though, you need to do a lot of research before hand. There would have to be a compelling reason for me to go to Cotabato City or any place west of the city.
Tagged with: Living In The Phlippines • militants • Philippine Terrorism • Philippines
Filed under: Trouble In Mindanao
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This dates back a lot further than last December. Regular bombings in Cotabato City date back for about 40 years now.
The whole things goes back 400 years according to most but I think its closer to a 1000 years. Pretty entrenched.
I don’t know how many problems they had before December, I admit, but it has been one of the hardest hit areas for these kinds off attacks. I take it there is a significant population of both Christians and Muslims there?
The bombing of a church seems pretty extreme to me. There is a story out today that authorities have arrest one person involved in the bombing. I had thought most of the trouble was in the Zamboanga Peninsula and Sulu.
As you know this is east of that. And as you know know there were bombings north of this area around Christmas time. Not far from Dipolog and CDO
Cotabato City is about 50% Muslim, 50% Christian.
When I say the problem goes back about 40 years, I am not talking about the Mindanao conflict, I am talking about bombings in Cotabato City, which indeed goes back around 40 years.
There is some trouble in the Sulu Archipelago, and a bit in the Zambo Peninsula. There has always been conflict (maybe not always, but yes, within our lifetime) in the Manguindanao area, so it is to be expected. I have been to Cotabato City, and the surrounding Maguindanao/Sharif Kabansuang area many times. It’s not really dangerous, unless you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. But, it’s not like you will have people chasing you down in the streets or anything like that.
I am not aware of any bombings around CdO, at least not for many years. There have been a few bombings in Iligan, which is an hour or an hour and a half west of CdO.
50/50 gives lots of room for conflict but it also gives lots off room for people working together. I guess I just don’t understand the terrorist. They don’t want peace. Doesn’t seem very Islamic to me. I single out the Muslims because generally speaking, Christians are not blowing people up. At least not the Philippine Christians.
I don’t think I’m going to get chased down the street. I’m sure all seems quite calm but just underneath that apparent calmness are people willing to plant booms in churches and fire mortars or turn mortars into IED.
Have there been kidnappings in Cotabato?
I wouldn’t go without a compelling reason, I consider it a war zone and I just wouldn’t volunteer to enter a war zone.
Oh, sure, there have been plenty of kidnappings in Cotabato City over the years.
Oh, by the way, I found out something new on this today. A journalist friend of mine was there in Cotabato City at the location of the blast. He tells me that the bomb did not go off in the Church as reported. The Church as not even damaged. It went off across the street from the Church. Perhaps trying to stir more emotions by saying it went off in the church (not you, Rusty… many in the media are reporting it happened in the church).
“Plenty of Kidnappings” That’s good enough for me. I ain’t going the only thing that could drag me there is a 105 pound, age inappropriate Filipina. LOL You know, its scary, but if Ii were single that would be exactly the thing that would be compelling reason to go there. Men are such morons.
Awwww, near the church…… I wonder if most reporters even know the truth. As you know, challenging the official story can be dangerous to ones career or life. The officials releasing information could say “at” the church. So they didn’t blow the building up, but it sounds as if they still targeted church going Christians which I guess implies they want to get people angry.
I think they could do better for themselves by working together, the Christians and the Muslims and there is no reason it can’t happen.
I know that for somebody who has never been to Mindanao, this will be difficult, if not impossible to understand or accept, but this really is not a Christian vs. Muslim issue.
What is it about?
Hi Rusty – Mostly it’s about Autonomy and Political Power. Actually, Christian and Muslim Mindanaoans don’t have many problems working together. It’s when outsiders from up north come and and try to get involved that things start going wrong.
In Israel, Israeli work along side Palestinians, at least they use too before the trouble escalated. I’m not sure if that is still true with the fences that went up. And the bombings become so common. Part of the problem is that Palestinians that wont nothing to do with the problems are suffering too.
I don’t think most people believe that the average person on the street is at war with his neighbor. I know I don’t think that.
The divide in political power is based in religion. The Muslim groups want more political power. And they want to be separate from control off the Philippine government, at least in theory.. I know a lot of people say it has nothing to do with religion but as long as the split is along religious groups then to say it has nothing to do with religion makes no sense to me and my setting foot on the Island, wont make any difference in that opinion.
Sulu is already in the autonomous zone, correct? But they keep inviting Philippine military intervention by kidnapping red cross workers and teachers. But it sounded like the schools were being run by the Philippine government. Is the autonomous zone truly self governing?
“Is the autonomous zone truly self governing?”- There. You said it. The question that spawned decades of war. Seems like you know more about the conflict more than most northerners..
I thought it was a given that it is not now. Since the supreme court struck that treaty down. i also understand there is no excuse for blowing up buses and planing bombs in and around churches.
True, but like all coins, outsiders usually see only one side of it. Try to trace the number of mosques blown up in the past four decades (probably you wont be able to because they were never documented by media – perhaps a bias on media’s part as well, since they too belong to the majority) and you will get to see that the score cards show the number of bombings to churches are still behind the bombings to mosques by a large margin. But using that as reference is too morbid for me as well. Lets just make a deal: why don’t outsiders NOT lump all muslims into one ugly bowl of soup and in return, us Muslims don’t lump you up with the vigilante crusaders running around Mindanao as well (not to mention the hawkish military men who are as bigoted as the vigilantes who eat Muslim ears as asort of talisman). If we could all loot at the Moro problem in Mindanao as objectively as possible, then there could be more constructive discussion on the issue. I for one am a Muslim, but do not have the habit of bombing churches. Neither does my 3 week old baby. She’s too young for that. We are as much entitled to be peace workers as much as those from your kind as well. Together, we could do much without others spoiling the little but very meaningful gains we have accomplished so far in the name of peace here in Mindanao.
Hi Tommy welcome to the site. I don’t lump Muslims or Islam into any ugly group at all. Maybe you’re the one doing the lumping since you said outsiders. You didn’t say some.
I hope someday we can live as one, just a brotherhood of man. i hope that someday we don’t need a score card.
Hi Rusty,
Likely the reason Tommy Pangcoga said “outsiders” and “those from your kind” is because Islam divides the world into 2 groups, the House of Islam (Muslims) and the House of War (non-Muslims). In fact, the Koran specifically instructs Muslims to not be friends with non-Muslims and that they are enemies. It will be difficult to change this Muslim way of thinking and bring lasting peace to Mindanao. Of course the Christians also need to change their way of thinking towards Muslims but it should be easier for them due to the Bible’s instructions to love your neighbor and turn the other cheek.
Some quotes from the Koran:
Don’t be friends with non-Muslims. They all hate you and want to ruin you. 3:118
O you who believe (Muslims)! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people. 5:51
Let not the believers (Muslims) take the unbelievers (non-Muslims) for friends rather than believers … but you should guard yourselves against them, guarding carefully; and Allah makes you cautious of (retribution from) Himself; and to Allah is the eventual coming. 3:28
The disbelievers non-Muslims) are an open enemy to you. 4:101
We shall cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve (non-Muslims). Their habitation is the Fire 3:151
I think it probably had more to do with foreigners in the Philippines, I’m 99% certain of that.
One can certainly take the Holy Bible out of context to find very misleading statements. I know of some statement by Mohammad that are in direct contrast to the statements above. So I’m not going down that road. There is a lot of false information about islam out there put out by Christian’s that wish to separate us into two groups. Those that believe exactly the way they do and those that don’t.
I and may other Muslims believe there can be peace between Islam and Christians both the teachings of Jesus and Mohammad also support that idea.
Hi Rusty, I tried to post another comment a couple days ago but it hasn’t appeared yet, I hope everything is okay with you. An interesting article was in the news today, a prominent Muslim cleric in Saudi Arabia has offered to pay $100,000 to any Palestinian who kidnaps an Israeli soldier. If a prominent cleric of any other religion advocated kidnapping there would be a big backlash from adherents, but there is none from Muslims so far. I wonder why that is, it would be interesting to study the psychology. I hope this idea of clergy offering rewards for kidnapping does not spread to Mindanao or the cycle of violence will increase. Here is the article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45051735/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/saudi-cleric-offers-cash-israel-soldier-kidnap/