Since the armed conflict in Marawi began on May 23, the military has declared countdowns on the complete decimation of the Maute group. After more than 2 months and 2 weeks, with martial law declared in Mindanao, the Armed Forces of the Philippines continues to make headway as it clears area after area of terrorists, which may eventually result in a tactical victory.
While the full force of the military has been at work to end the conflict, circumstances have led President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to request Congress to extend martial law until the 31st of December 2017. Also, the Supreme Court has spoken as it upheld the declaration of martial law and likewise, Congress has given the green light to the extension of martial law. Will all these broad and decisive government actions and initiatives be sufficient to declare that the extremist threat has at least been neutralized?
Secretary Lorenzana has publicly stated that the military possessed the intelligence information on the existence of ISIS but did not pursue the lead nor appreciated its value, or realized the magnitude of the ISIS strength. Sun Tzu in the Art of War states that when you wage war, you must know yourself and more importantly, your enemy. A lesson we should never forget or take out of our playbook.
The threat of extremism requires a national strategy to counter it. A piece-meal approach will not mitigate the threat. Even the US and the western world, with their comprehensive strategy and super military strength, continue to be confronted with the unforgiving burden of terror.
Who is the enemy we are fighting? The Islamic State e-book Black Flags from Palestine quotes a Russian General, speaking of jihadists in Chechnya: “How can you defeat an enemy who looks into the barrel of your gun and sees paradise.” One true army Syrian fighter who joined ISIS and then labored to get others to follow suit observed in November 2014, “ISIS is like a magnet that attracts a large number of Muslims. They love death more than life.”
Can the government square-off with this type of enemy? It is a contest between the lovers of death and destruction, and the freedom-loving countries like the Philippines that champion human creativity and achievement.
ISIS is also concerned about the moderates, whom they consider to be on the wrong side. The extremists believe that they have exclusive claim to the strict adherence to the Quo’ran and example of Muhammad. Since the majority of our Muslim brothers are moderates, the question we must also answer is how can they strengthen their beliefs as moderates and prevent the extremists from infiltrating their ranks.
After considering the enemy, let us examine our capabilities based on actual performance on the ongoing Marawi operations. These are the very revealing facts.
1. The military and police forces are wanting in military hardware and wherewithal, tactics and techniques, and an understanding of the culture and resolve of the enemy to gain a decisive competitive advantage. If not for the technical assistance of the US and the other support from the ASEAN and Australia, the damage could have been on a larger scale. The core competence of our security forces is insufficient to address the threat of these extremists.
2. The crisis revealed the inadequacy and inefficiency of our political system and structure on the local government level. The response of the local government was only reactive. While a crisis management network was in place, it was unable to react with dispatch. Active measures for prevention, immediate incident response, and immediate post incident were absent. These inactions manifest the absence of adequate command and control mechanism.
3. Many civilians and officials abetted and aided the terrorists through the provision of financial, logistical, and manpower support, particularly firearms and explosives. These offenses that afforded comfort to and boosted the strength of the terrorists are disloyal acts and practices; these acts incite sedition that if fueled further can turn into a rebellion. Loyalty to the flag is unconditional. As of this writing, we have yet to hear of the imposition of any punishment on these erring officials and citizens.
4. Our influence on other nations is not strong enough to close the gate valve to support from flowing to the extremists in Marawi. While the world may be watching the developments in our southern region, the messages and concerns that are being broadcast and discussed barely touch on the question of how the extremists are sustaining their unholy war.
5. The decisive resolve and strong political will of the President and the steadfast loyalty of the AFP/PNP to the Constitution under these trying, extreme conditions were key to the containment, neutralization, and mitigation of the escalating crisis. Under such extreme terroristic situations, only the military can execute an immediate response. Anything short of this response would create conditions that are uncontrollable and unmanageable. If the normal administrative governance of the local government continued and persisted, human suffering and further loss of property could have been on a more escalated level.
With all these in mind, the imperative is clear. Having briefly described the nature and character of the enemy, identified our strengths and weaknesses, and the irreversible risks and foregone opportunities, measured in terms of political survival and economic stability, the crafting of a national strategy on the war on terror is in order and inevitable.
A strategy must be anchored on the following postulates:
a. Psychological preparation of the citizenry. To enjoy freedom, we must fight for it. Revolutions start with a mind-set that focuses on the development of an advocacy and commitment that will serve national interests, and survival. To win this fight, we must acknowledge that we are dealing with a revolution of the mind. The strength of extremists feed on this dogma. If we do not believe in ourselves, we will always be dominated. We have a perception that is totally averse to martial law. We always think that martial law is diabolic. The Filipinos have been brainwashed with the dark side mind-set. The typical Filipino reaction to the military and using the military option is either doubt or indifference. The slightest reference to military men involved in civilian functions are branded as militarization.
b. Military preparedness. The military and only the military has the training, orientation and leadership qualities to fight and conquer an environment defined by terrorists. This doctrine takes its justification in all conflict-affected areas that erupts in all parts of the world as exercised by the United Nations. When conflicts happen, a military peace-keeping force is dispatched to respond to such crisis, prevent escalation, and immediately restore order so that normal, political, and economic activities can and do resume. Specialized weapons and tactics are a must to dismantle or dispose of any agents or weapons capable of mass destruction, and for the national police to access crime scene, evidence collection and preservation and investigation of crimes. And if the crisis escalates further, it is necessary to provide installation and mobilization support for families and persons, and other hosts of humanitarian responses. While this is the concern of the DSWD, it is the military that can do better or best. In the words of former UN Secretary General Dag Hammarskjold, “peacekeeping is not the job of a soldier, but only a soldier can do it.”
c. Enhance local governance and leadership. We are seeing that many political lame ducks occupy local executive positions. Under Section 44, Republic Act 7077, local executive officials can be commissioned into the reserve force. Let this mechanism transform the local executives into effective leaders and commanders who can be depended upon under extreme conflict situations.
These three requisites form the foundation of a strong and effective national strategy on the war on terror. It must be crafted and implemented without delay. As long as extremism exists, peace will just be a dream. Either it dies, decimated and neutralized, or we as a nation and a people perish under its irrational, inhuman wake. We have only one nation. Let every citizen fight for it willingly and unconditionally.
The article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines or the M.A.P.
Jaime S. de los Santos is a member of the M.A.P. National Issues Committee, 1st Force Commander, 24 Nation Multi-National UN Peace-Keeping Force in East Timor. The Force restored order to an aspiring nation that experienced massive loss of lives and properties due to large-scale terror.
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