Philippine: Western Media is Distorting Reality,
People and Army Unite to Battle “ISIS”
By Andre Vltchek
July
27, 2017 "Information
Clearing House"
- Covering the recent battle for the city of
Marawi on Mindanao Island in the Southern
Philippines, the Western media has been grossly
exaggerating unconfirmed reports and rumors. It
has been spreading twisted information and
‘facts’.
At the
beginning of July, I visited Mindanao as one of
only a few foreigners allowed inside the
besieged city of Marawi and to its surrounding
area.
I spoke
to local people, to the IDPs – those who managed
to escape the city taken over by the jihadists.
I also managed to discuss the situation with the
highest commanders of the military in charge of
the combat, including General Ramiro Rey and Lt.
Colonel Jo-Ar Herrera. I encountered many
soldiers, civil servants, and relief workers.
My
contacts in the capital informed me via text
messages that I had been “red-flagged,” clearly,
by the pro-US faction in the Philippine
military. So before my presence was finally
cleared from Manila, I was detained and held in
a provisional military base in the city of
Saguiaran. Here I was “softly” interrogated by
military intelligence. A few steps away, a
howitzer was firing artillery toward ISIS
positions in Marawi, some 10 kilometers distant.
“So you
believe the United States is responsible for
spreading terrorism all over the world,” I was
asked late at night by one of the officers,
point blank, while local starlet was imitating
old Chuck Berry’s hit “Johnny B. Goode” on TV,
sound blasted all over the barracks. It was
clear that someone ‘behind the scenes’ was busy
studying my published work.
The
Western establishment media and various servile
NGOs (including those which are “defending human
rights” in several rebellious and
independent-minded countries) consistently
demonize President Duterte, an anti-imperialist,
progressive leader who enjoys well over 80
percent approval rating. It is no secret in the
Philippines there are two distinct factions
inside the military – one supports the president
and his drive for independence from the West.
The other, which is trained and often corrupted
by Washington and other Western capitals, would
love to see him go.
The
pro-Western fraction obviously wanted me out,
detained, perhaps even disappeared. The other
one that stands by its president wanted me to
see the truth, even to be allowed into Marawi.
A final
decision was made late at night in Manila. I was
released and granted permission to work in the
besieged city. But even when the top commanders
personally called the camp, there was, at least
for a while, apparent reluctance to let me go.
My
first reaction after visiting the Marawi front
was one of shock and outrage. What I witnessed
was fundamentally different from what has
repeatedly been said by most of the Western mass
media outlets, as well as pro-Western local news
channels broadcasting from Manila.
It is
evident, right from the start, that Marawi is
not “totally destroyed,” as has been reported.
Most of it is standing and standing firm. I
would estimate that only between 20 and 30
percent of the houses and buildings, (most of
them in the wealthy core center of the city)
have sustained heavy damage.
It was
explained to me during the presentation by top
army commanders that the ISIS-related jihadists
began their offensive on May 23rd 2017 and their
plan was to take full control of the town by the
time Ramadan was to begin (May 26th). The
military spoiled their plans; it
counter-attacked and managed to contain the
terrorists in just one neighborhood, retaining
or regaining control of all the other
‘barangays.’
Undoubtedly there were heavy losses, and,
because of the palpable sense of fear after
tremendous brutality unleashed by the
terrorists, a substantial movement of IDPs
(Internally Displaced Persons). But it was never
400,000 people escaping the area, as reported in
the West, but approximately 200,000 (the number
once peaked at about 300,000 for a short time).
There
has been no “indiscriminate bombing” of the
civilians. I witnessed both incoming and
outgoing howitzer fire and also very limited
bombing from the air; it was all targeted and
mostly precise, aiming at the position of the
terrorists. As in all other war zones where I
have been working, I refused any protection,
including helmets and bulletproof vests. That
allowed me to remain more mobile. I did manage
to come ‘very close’ to the front. It was clear
the fighting and bombing were strictly contained
to one area, no more than one-kilometer square.
Even there, the mosques and almost all other
buildings and houses were still standing, as is
demonstrated on my photographs.
Anti-Duterte NGOs and many Western governments
claim that they ‘worry’ about the martial law
imposed on Mindanao Island. I was told that in
and around Marawi (or anywhere else on the
Island), the martial law carried no brutal
consequences. Even the curfew (9PM-5AM) is laxly
implemented.
Brigadier General Ramiro Rey (head of the Joint
Task Force Group, Ranao) explained to me in
Marawi City:
“The
difference between this martial law and those
that were imposed during the reign of Ferdinand
Marcos is that now the military is mainly doing
real fighting while providing assistance to the
civilians. I absolutely don’t interfere with the
work of local elected government officials. I’m
actually encouraging them to do their job as
before, asking them to contact me only when my
assistance is needed. I never took, and I don’t
intend to take, control of the area.”
Local
government officials and volunteers working for
various relief agencies and NGO’s operating in
the area have confirmed what General Rey said.
During
my work in the conflict zone, I detected no fear
among the residents. The relationship between
the army and civilians was clearly friendly and
cordial. As the military convoys were moving
between the cities of Illigan and Marawi, both
children and adults were smiling, waving, some
cheering the soldiers.
In the
camps housing the IDPs, there was almost
unanimous consensus: while many citizens of
Mindanao Island in general and the Marawi area
in particular would most likely welcome more
autonomy from Manila, during this ongoing and
brutal conflict almost all local people have
been supportive of the military and government
efforts.
“We
hope that both Filipino and foreign jihadi
cadres would soon be crushed,” was an almost
unanimous statement coming from the local
people.
The
Military Perspective
In the
cities of Illigan and Marawi I was shown
detailed maps clearly indicating positions of
the ISIS and the military.
Both
Lt. Colonel Jun Abad from Ranao Camp and the
commanding officer, General Rey, gave me a clear
and detailed briefing. As of July 3rd, the Agus
River represented the ‘borderline’ between the
ISIS-held area and the zone liberated and
controlled by the army.
General
Rey explained during our meeting in the
Municipality of Marawi City (now the complex is
also serving as the headquarters of the war
theatre):
“The
ISIS wants to establish their state on the
island of Mindanao – an Islamic caliphate –
right here in the Province of Lanao del Sur.”
But
that’s not what the majority of local people
want. Before President Duterte came to power
little over one year ago, social situation in
many parts of Mindanao was desperate and
therefore there was at least some support for
radical ‘solutions’. Since then, however, things
changed dramatically. Healthcare, education and
public housing are improving. Indiscriminate
mining by multi-national companies has been
deterred. People here; as well as in almost all
other parts of the Philippines finally feel
hopeful and optimistic about their future.
This
converts into great support for both the
government and the military.
There
is no doubt the entire city will be freed, soon,
most likely in July or August. The only reason
why it did not happen yet is that the terrorists
are using hostages, both Christians and Muslims,
as human shields. President Duterte, General
Rey, and other civilian and military officials
are trying to avoid unnecessary human losses.
Cultural topography’ of the area is also very
complex. Near the front line I was told by one
of the top commanding army officers:
“We
could take the city in just one day, but there
would be great civilian casualties. The houses
in this area are very sturdy; they are 2-3
stories high and fortified, as there are
constant and brutal family feuds, called’ rido’,
raging here, and have been for centuries.”
But to
delay the liberation of Marawi is also very
dangerous.
“The
terrorists began using captured women as sex
slaves,” explained Major Malvin Ligutan,
standing in front of a temporary military base
in Saguiaran.
Despite
all the horrors of the Marawi war, the army
refused to use brutal tactics, even after it
found out that various local citizens clearly
miscalculated and before the conflict began,
offered substantial support to the ISIS-related
terrorists.
Captain
John Mark Silva Onipig clarified:
“These
people belonging to the ISIS are not only
terrorists, but they are also criminals. They
were dealing in drugs… And some local people
knew that… Actually, locals knew quite a lot;
they knew about the presence of the terrorists
in the area long before all this started, but
they never reported it to the authorities.”
“How
did the terrorists get hold of so many weapons?”
I wanted to know.
“In the
Philippines, those who have money can buy as
many weapons as they want on the black market.”
The
situation is extremely sensitive as there is
clearly the involvement of foreign fighters. On
June 30th, in Saguiaran, Major Malvin Ligutan
admitted, hesitantly:
“In one
of the safe houses, we found passports issued in
Indonesia, Malaysia and several Arab countries.”
A
month ago I wrote an essay exposing the complex
network of Western-sponsored terrorism in Asia (“Washington
Jihad Express: Indonesia, Afghanistan, Syria and
Philippines”).
I argued that in the 1980’s, Indonesian and
Malaysian jihadists, indoctrinated by the
Southeast Asian brand of extreme anti-Communism,
went to fight in Afghanistan against the
socialist governments of Karmal, and then
Mohammad Najibullah, with the ultimate goal of
destroying the Soviet Union.
Hardened and further brainwashed, they returned
home to Southeast Asia, participated in several
ethnic strives and pogroms (including those in
Ambon and Poso), and then, in order to ‘bridge
the generational gap’, embarked on the coaching
of a young generation of terrorists, who
eventually ended up fighting in Syria and
recently in the Philippines.
My
essay was full of facts, and I put into it
various testimonies of Southeast Asian
academics, thinkers, and even of one active and
prominent ‘jihadi cadre’ who is now living in
Jakarta.
In the
Indonesian city of Bandung, Prof. Iman Soleh, a
professor at the Faculty of Social and Political
Science (University of Padjadjaran- UNPAD)
offered his take on why the West is now so
obsessed with destabilizing and smearing the
Philippines and its current rebellious
administration:
“Since
World War Two, the U.S. was afraid of so-called
‘domino effects’. Among other things that are
now happening in the Philippines under president
Duterte, the government is curbing activities of
the multi-national mining conglomerates, and the
West cannot accept that. Philippines are putting
its environmental concerns above the short-term
profits! For the millions of left-wing activists
here in Indonesia and all over Southeast Asia,
President Duterte is a role model.”
It is
no secret that the West punishes such ‘bad
paradigms’ brutally and decisively.
Prof.
Soleh continued:
“I
think all that is happening is not just to
‘destabilize’ the Philippines, but also because
the country has conflict areas that could be
‘nurtured’. The best example is the
predominantly Muslim island of Mindanao, vs. the
rest of the Philippines, which is predominantly
a Catholic country…”
The
West is regularly using ‘jihad,’ directly and
indirectly, to destabilize socialist,
anti-imperialist, and just patriotic countries
and governments. In the past, it managed to ruin
countries like Afghanistan, Indonesia (1965) and
Syria. Many believe that the Philippines is the
latest addition to the ‘hit-list.’
The
China & Russia Connection
As Drei
Toledo, a prominent Philippine journalist,
educator and pro-Duterte activist, originally
from Mindanao, explained:
“The
reason why the West is hostile toward President
Duterte is simple: he is working hard to reach a
peace agreement with China, a country that is
seen by Washington as its arch-enemy. Another
‘adversary of the West,’ Russia, is admired by
Duterte and increasingly by his people.
Recently, Russia and the Philippines signed a
defense agreement. The president is also forging
close ties with Cuba, particularly in the area
of health… Before Duterte became our President,
poverty by design in Philippines was restored
and perpetuated by the U.S. and
Malaysia-controlled Cojuangco-Aquino clan.
Foreign
and local entities that have long benefited
financially from Philippines being a weak state
are now threatened overwhelmingly by President
Duterte’s unifying agenda to create a socialist
system in the Philippines.”
Ms.
Toledo pointed her accusative finger at
Malaysia:
“Malaysia benefits from Mindanao being in a
perpetual state of chaos and conflict because
this means we can never reclaim oil-rich Sabah.”
She
also doesn’t spare Indonesia and its sinister
political (anti-socialist and anti-Communist) as
well as economic interests:
“As
exposed by Rigoberto D. Tiglao, a Filipino
diplomat and writer, Indonesian magnate Anthoni
Salim, not only does have total control or
substantial stakes in local mainstream media
papers and networks, his conglomerate in
Philippines is also based on telecoms, power,
water distribution, and other public utilities.”
Or more
precisely: it is based on making sure that
‘public utilities’ will never become truly
‘public’, remaining in private hands. Salim’s
‘empire’ already brought great damage to India,
particularly to West Bengal where, some argue,
because of allowing it to operate and to
implement its brutal feudal-capitalist
practices, the CPI (M) (Communist Party of India
– Marxist) managed to thoroughly disgust local
voters and to lose power.
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The
Human Cost
Nobody
could deny the gravity of the situation.
I
witnessed exhausted glances of the people from
Marawi, now living in a rescue center built on
the land of the town hall of Saguiaran.
“Yesterday two infants died,” I’m told by Amer
Hassan, a student volunteer from Mindanao State
University (MSU).
The
reason was “different water, malnutrition,
exhaustion…”
I
wanted to know more, and Amer continues:
“People
are still in shock… They can’t believe what is
happening. Especially those whose houses were
destroyed; those who lost their relatives,
everything…”
While
the West is constantly criticizing, does it
provide help? Amer just shrugs his shoulders:
“There
is no foreign help coming… Almost all that we
have here comes from Manila, either from the
government or local agencies. Duterte is working
very hard, helping our people.”
A
family of three, Camal Mimbalawag, his wife Ima
and one-month-old baby Mohammad, is squeezed
into a tiny space at the center. Their memories
are bleak. Ima gives her account almost
mechanically:
“We
were in Marawi during the first stage of the
attack. I was pregnant, ready to give birth. We
were in the city hall when ISIS attacked… They
erected checkpoints; divided people into groups…
they pointed guns at us… They asked: ‘Muslim or
not?’…and ‘If Muslim, then recite ‘Shahadat.’ If
cannot, you get killed or taken as a hostage… We
saw corpses of those killed, eaten by dogs under
the burning sun…”
The
battle for the city of Marawi is raging. I face
it from the highest floor of the building,
destroyed by ISIS snipers, a place where an
Australian reporter was hit just two days
earlier.
It is
not Aleppo, but it could have been, if not for
the heroic counter-attack of the army.
Marawi
is just one new chapter in the already long book
of horrors of brutal religious terrorist acts,
most of them directly or indirectly triggered by
Western imperialism. In the first wave of its
fight again the secular socialist Muslim
governments, the West destabilized Iran, Egypt
and Indonesia. Then came the Afghanistan
‘gambit’, followed by the arch-brutal
destruction of Iraq and Libya. Then it was
Syria’s turn.
‘Jihad’
is consistently used against Russia, China as
well as the former Central Asian Soviet
republics.
All this I described in my 840-page book:
“Exposing Lies Of The Empire”,
but one can never write fast enough and fully
catch up with the crimes committed by the West.
It is
often easy to pinpoint Western involvement in
the religious conflicts, particularly in such
places as Afghanistan and Syria. In the
Philippines, the link is still indirect, well
concealed, but it certainly exists.
To
rebel against the Western Empire is always a
costly and bloody affair. It often leads to
coups sponsored by Washington, London or Paris,
and even to direct military conflicts,
interventions and full-scale wars.
But by
now, the people of the Philippines have had it
‘up to here’. They had enough of being
submissive; enough of being plundered while
remaining silent. They are assembling behind
their president. Duterte’s popularity is still
around 75%. The army is clearly winning the war
against the hardened local and foreign
jihadists. Relief operations are effective and
well organized. Things are just fine.
In only
one year, the country has diametrically changed.
To break the spirit of the liberated masses, to
force people back onto their knees would be
difficult, perhaps almost impossible, even if
jihadi terror is unleashed brutally.
Almost
100 soldiers already lost their lives. Just one
day before I encounter General Rey, six of his
men were injured. It is said that 800 or more
civilians died. Nobody knows exactly how many
terrorists were killed. It is real war: tough
and merciless as all wars are, but in this case,
the ‘newly independent’ country is clearly
winning.
It is
an incredible sight: some soldiers, patriotic
and determined, are still wearing those helmets
with the US flags engraved into them, or some
old Israeli bulletproof vests. But have no
doubts: this is real, new country! Totally
different Philippines and Marawi is one of the
first and toughest tests it will have to endure.
The war
united people and the army. No matter what the
West and local corporate media are saying, most
Filipinos know: this is their struggle; this is
their president and their military fighting
against something extremely foreign, violent and
dreadful.
Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist,
filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has
covered wars and conflicts in dozens of
countries. Three of his latest books are
revolutionary novel
“Aurora”
and two bestselling works of political
non-fiction: “Exposing
Lies Of The Empire”
and “Fighting
Against Western Imperialism”.
View his other books
here.
Andre is making films for teleSUR and Al-Mayadeen.
Watch
Rwanda
Gambit,
his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and
DRCongo. After having lived in Latin America,
Africa and Oceania, Vltchek presently resides in
East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to
work around the world. He can be reached through
his website
and his
Twitter.
The
views expressed in this article are solely those
of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
opinions of Information Clearing House.
