Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar on Sunday ordered police units to intensify their offensive against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
Eleazar made the directive following the statement of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. that the BIFF has heightened its recruitment activities and increased its attacks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is easy now for the BIFF to recruit members because the pandemic has severely affected the livelihood of many people in Mindanao,” Eleazar said in a statement.
“The BIFF is taking advantage of the hunger and unemployment woes of our people,” he added.
To prevent the BIFF’s recruitment and attacks, the PNP needs to further enhance its intelligence operations against the group and conduct aggressive police operations, Eleazar said.
“We will intensify the police presence as deterrence,” he said.
Eleazar said the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines still need the public’s help to successfully stop the BIFF from getting more members.
“This needs a whole-of-nation approach. Aside from the police and military, other government agencies and stakeholders also have roles to play in preventing recruitment by the BIFF,” he said.
Last week, President Rodrigo Duterte asked local leaders of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) to refuse terrorist armed groups seeking sanctuary in their communities.
Duterte said keeping the bandits out of the BARMM was necessary to prevent him from ordering an all-out military offensive against the BIFF in the area.
“This cannot go on. If they cannot be stopped and there will be an all-out offensive, that will be a problem. If I give the order, I will no longer withdraw it,” he pointed out.
“I’m begging you. Help me. Because otherwise, if I give the order for an all-out offensive, it will be bloody and it will be sad,” the President added.
On May 8, a firefight erupted between state forces and at least 100 BIFF members in the municipality of Datu Paglas in Maguindanao.
The military has since cleared Datu Paglas of BIFF members and identified the leader of the armed group as Mohiden Animbang, alias Karialan, who was reportedly involved in IED (improvised explosive device) attacks in Datu Saudi Ampatuan last March, which left two people dead and two others wounded.
