Short Note on the MNLF and Territorial Disputes

In the southern province, the Philippine government have been fighting off insurgents for five days.

Here is a snippet from today’s Inquirer headlines:

Seeking to derail the peace process with the MILF, Misuari declared an “independent Bangsamoro Republik” in July and his faction of the MNLF launched the attack on Zamboanga City on Monday, the eve of the resumption of negotiations between the government and the MILF in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

About 200 MNLF rebels stormed several coastal villages, unaware that the government had discovered their plan three days earlier.

They ran into defensive fire from military troops and police and were boxed in the villages of Santa Catalina, Santa Barbara and Talon-Talon.

The rebels seized civilians and used them as human shields to thwart an assault by government troops.

Speaking on the fifth day of the fighting, President Aquino assured the residents of Zamboanga that the government had an “overwhelming number of troops” in the city to ensure that “those who have ill intentions will not succeed.”

What the above shows? If the “overwhelming number of troops” from the Philippine military can hardly contain the 200 or so native ill equipped rebels in 5 days, then why does the media and the gullible public think or believe that the former can beat the hell out of a far larger and more sophisticated Chinese military over the territorial disputes? This unfortunate MNLF encounter only exposes on the delusions and falsehoods of domestic politics.

Updated news say that the Philippine government and rebels have agreed to a ceasefire.

Two relevant quotes from sci-fi American Philip K. Dick (wiki Quotes)

The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words.

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.