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Customs Deputy Commissioner and former military rebel leader Danilo Lim on Monday appealed to members of the armed forces not to be swayed by rumors of a coup plot against President Benigno Aquino III, which were allegedly triggered by the supposed demoralization of the military following the recent killing of soldiers in Basilan.

“As I join the military in mourning the 19 soldiers killed in Basilan, I urge our soldiers not to be seduced by unwarranted calls for a coup d’état or any form of rebellion against the current dispensation,” Lim said in a statement.

“The main resolve of the military must be devoted to the pursuit of justice for the 19 soldiers killed in Mindanao. Amid an ongoing peace negotiation between the government and the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), the military must judiciously implement the law to apprehend the perpetrators of this unfortunate incident,” Lim he added.

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'Distraction to war vs corruption'

The Akbayan party-list group branded on Monday the call for an all-out war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as a “distraction [to] the government’s war against corruption," even as the group called for sobriety in public discussions over the deaths of 19 soldiers in last week’s Basilan clash.

“An all-out war strategy in Mindanao will only distract the public from its current war on corruption," said Akbayan spokesperson Risa Hontiveros. “Such a strategy is the perfect excuse for corrupt officials and plunderers, particularly those of the previous administration to drape themselves in the mantle of fake patriotism and whitewash their crimes."

“We must not lose focus," she added. “We have to be mindful of the fact that during the Estrada presidency a similar all-out war strategy was implemented. However, peace was not realized. Millions of pesos were wasted, huge casualties on both sides, and thousands of civilians suffered. We're still dealing with the same MILF the government unsuccessfully fought with an all-out war strategy more than ten years ago."

Akbayan also urged the military to shy away from rumors of a coup plot against the Aquino administration and “not fall for this devious ploy" meant to “to derail the peace process."

Hontiveros, however, said that justice must still be exacted from those responsible for the deaths of the 19 soldiers. “Hustisya para sa mga nasawi sa Basilan at kapayapaan sa buong Mindanao."

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Exaggeration

Carandang said rumors of restlessness and demoralization within the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were just being exaggerated by “some people."

"Hindi natin maiiwasan na may magagalit doon sa MILF, [pero] sa tingin ko hindi dapat masyadong bigyang pansin itong mga pinalalaking issue ng iilan na sinasabing demoralization... it's not as big as sometimes portrayed by some people to be," he said.

“Meron po kaming suspetsa po namin na sinasakyan itong issue na ito ng mga ilang elemento na gustong guluhin ang Armed Forces," he added.

In Malacañang, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte echoed Carandang’s claim, saying they have received reports that “there are those who wish to take advantage of the situation for political leverage.

“We are aware that there are efforts to do this," Valte said at a press briefing. “Alam namin na merong nagsusubok. There are those who are trying to ride on the issue, merong nanggagatong, aware tayo dyan. To what end, we don’t know."

She said these people “are trying to spread misinformation and trying to take advantage of the situation in a sense na ito yung mga …they are trying to arouse emotions."

Asked who those people or groups are, Valte said she is not prepared to identify them. She said Malacañang is still verifying the reports and it is not alarmed with it.

Carandang said the military leadership is addressing the concerns of the soldiers regarding the attacks. At the same time, it is also investigating the possible lapses of the soldiers during the clashes.

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Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Randolph Cabangbang said Tuesday soldiers and police were advancing on the ground on the gunmen, who were hidden in bunkers and trenches and believed to be holding a local businesswoman hostage.

"There are no air strikes (today)," he told AFP. "What we have now is clearing operations."

The operation is against Juaning Abdusalam, the alleged brains of several kidnappings in the area, army spokesman Major Harold Cabunoc said.

"He is not MILF, he is a bandit and the (village) officials even had a resolution stating there is no identified MILF camp there."

He stressed that most civilian residents around the gunmen's positions had fled before the fighting began.

Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF vice chairman, denied that his group coddled lawless elements, while accusing the military of triggering the hostilities by shelling a major MILF training base near Payao last week.

"What is happening now is that air raids are continuing since yesterday," Jaafar told AFP in a telephone interview, contradicting Cabunoc, the national army spokesman.

"We have ordered our fighters on the ground to stand down and respect the peace process," Jaafar said.

He alleged the military had also started the Basilan clash by sending special forces troops into another MILF camp.

Despite calls for "an all-out war" against the rebels, President Benigno Aquino said on Monday that the peace process with the MILF would continue.

Aquino's spokesman Ricky Carandang said Tuesday that the problem of wanted suspects fleeing into MILF sanctuaries "complicates the issue."

"We are going through the process. We are reaching out to the leadership of the MILF," he said in a radio interview.