Filipino bishop: Christians taking up arms in south

By Hader Glang

GMA reported Friday that Bishop Angelito Lampon of the Vicariate of Jolo, Sulu’s provincial capital, said some members of the minority community had begun seeking to protect themselves through weapons as they were feeling increasingly “desperate” in Mindanao island, where several armed groups operate.

“If the government troops can defend civilians whether they are Muslims or Christians, then I think it will not come to this,” Lampon said in a report initially published on the news website for the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines.

He described the formation of the “Red God Soldiers” as a “desperate attempt by these Christians who are being attacked now and then by these armed groups.”

Around 300 Red God Soldiers members gathered Tuesday to display their weapons and pledge to “drive Moro [indigenous Muslim] renegades from their communities,” the Conference’s website reported.

They also set fire to a Daesh flag and denounced recent attacks blamed on a local rebel outfit, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), that has pledged allegiance to the Middle Eastern group.

Bishop Lampon said that he considered the establishment of the armed Christian group to be aimed at drawing the government’s attention to the regional conflict.

“If only there’s enough security for them, I think they will not take up arms,” he added. “But if they feel helpless, I guess it’s their form of self-defense.”

The BIFF is a splinter group of the Philippines’ one-time largest rebel outfit, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which signed a 2014 peace deal with the government.

The BIFF is opposed to the ongoing peace process, which won’t be sealed until a law is passed to replace the existing Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and bring much needed wealth to the southern region – among the Philippines’ most underdeveloped.

The al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf, notorious for its regular attempts at kidnapping and extortion to raise funds for the acquisition of firearms and explosives, also operates in the region, with known strongholds in the island provinces of Sulu and Basilan.

Meanwhile, the commander of Joint Task Group Sulu told a press briefing Wednesday that the Abu Sayyaf has been recruiting new members in the province by offering P30,000 ($628) to those who join.

Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado was quoted by The Philippine Star as saying that the group had won over at least 15 new followers, and has also been harassing villagers to force them into joining.

He also confirmed that four of the eight hostages believed to be in the Abu Sayyaf’s captivity, including a Dutch birdwatcher, are being held by a group under notorious leader Radulan Sahiron.