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Misuari sacks MNLF commanders in loyalty check
 Moro National Liberation Front founder Nur Misuari has sacked dozens of commanders during the past week as the separatist organization enacted a loyalty check of its key officials. Group's spokesman Absalom Cerveza said,"We have taken out from the rooster troop commanders who seem to have lost interest in the MNLF organization." Cerveza did not mention the number of people involved, but added that loyalty to Misuari was a primary consideration. He announced the purge after Misuari last month expelled Jimmy Labawan, the group's former vice chairman, who supposedly misrepresented the MNLF when he said he was the group's official delegate to the so-called tripartite review meeting in Jakarta last year. Misuari also appointed Rolando Olamip, chairman of the MNLF in Davao City, as the new vice chairman of the MNLF. Cerveza said, "We had a series of loyalty check meetings from late last week to early this week," adding that most MNLF members reaffirmed their desire to stay in the group and "prove their loyalty to Nur Misuari". Cerveza said that the MNLF had a total force of 75,000 fighters scattered in Mindanao, 500 of which serve as close-in security of Misuari in Jolo, Sulu. He said the meetings were divided into separate conferences, two of which discussed what they called "state forces" and "national security force". The biggest contingent in the meeting came from Sarangani, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat with Cerveza noting that the national force remained intact based on the assessment made. Cerveza said they will be visiting MNLF camps for an inventory of military armaments and troops and to check the moral of the rank and file. He said, "We're just a little bit wary because we are in a situation of no peace and no war." Posted by: ryuge 2014-03-10 |
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