This is the video footage of the Philippine Marines ambush in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan.

PAF gunships and V-150's cannot help, mortar misfires and the Philippine Marines couldn't fire back to an enemy unseen.

Brave GMA news crew and gallant Philippine Marines stand.

God bless the Philippines and her Marines.

Hope you can watch the videos below:

http://www.gmanews.tv/largevideo/related/8...ttle-in-Basilan

http://www.gmanews.tv/largevideo/related/9...-Marines-probed

Lady Tank Commander:

http://www.gmanews.tv/largevideo/related/9...-Basilan-battle

Sad indeed, the Marines not to mention the entire AFp needs more teeth. Armor , artillery , attack helicopters as well as mrfs [to bomb and drop FAE on the enemy] and more troops...

Onces the AFP is strong and in par with its neighbors, the rebels will be quickly decimated.

our mg520 heli and v150 aifv will be rendered helpless/useless in those type of jungle terrain, they're as good as display. not unless we equipped it with thermal imaging devices or FLIR. i hope it is included with the afp modernization's night fighting system, though FLIR can be used in daytime.



these are deers under the trees. imagine if they were milf/abu.
taken above ground 1000feet. the mg520 can swoop them down day or night.
they cant hide, because it detects heat rather than light.
the barrel of their gun will shine like stars.





these are........trees


no they are not just trees with FLIR activated, imagine if they were milf/abu.
the v150 would have easily spot the enemies and shoot them down accurately. rather than blind firing.
no need for powerful weapons like saw or agl if we have FLIRs.

This news about the ambush brings mix feelings of grief, sorrow, anger, etc. Condolence to the families and relatives of those brave 14 men.

The videos presented by GMATV courtesy of Sir Spearhead vividly shows the lack of arms and air support of the AFP. Given that situation where the outnumbered marines were surrounded and ambushed by overwhelming enemy forces would have been finished within 1 hour if:

1. Had ample air support. Comrade Kopinux has a good point where the PAF does not really need sophisticated weapons. Good thermal imaging devices will suffice. In the video shown there were at least 2 attack helicopter hovering (maybe more) but these could not fire due to the fact that they dont know where enemy is hiding and that reckless firing would wound or even kill the marines. Jet strike fighters would have been adequate as well. Does not have to be a modern MRF's like the F22's or even F16's. Upgraded K-firs, or F5-II's would be nice. At a moments notice jet fighters would respond quicker than attack helos. While the fighters do their thing by bombing and strafing the attack helos can come in finish off those bastards.

2. More APC or IFV. In the video they had only 1 V150? Correct me if I am wrong but if they had 2 more of these, those would have helped a lot by providing covering fire and infantry support.

3. More heavy arms machine gun teams that are armed with .30 cal MGs, more motars that work. Its just so pathetic to see from the videos that a lot of mortar shells were duds. Had most of those worked may have killed more of those bastards.

In general, the rebels does not seem to fear the AFP with its puny arms. That is why this insurgents have been around for more than 30 years. Infantry units need not only be armed to the teeth but also supported by the a modernized air force and navy. At the pace that the AFP is undertaking its modernization, I don't see the "wiping off" the insurgent problems by 2010.

I salute the Marines, especially to those that have fallen. Poorly armed and equipped they may be, one thing that stands out and that is courage and love for the country where no amount of modernization can match.


:salute:

payback time.. :rifle:

Arroyo: ‘Run after Marines’ killers, not away from talks’

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 12:33pm (Mla time) 07/14/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Saturday vowed to get the armed band that killed 14 Marines, beheading 10 of them, in Basilan Tuesday but also said she was not abandoning peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“We will run after those who killed our Marines, but we will not run away from the peace talks,” Arroyo said in a statement forwarded by Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye,

“Our desire to see the killers punished is matched only by our determination to forge peace,” she added.

The Marines died after their unit, which was on an operation to check reported sightings of kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi, was ambushed and then locked in a daylong battle with their attackers in Tipo-Tipo town.

The MILF has said its forces engaged the Marines because the government troops allegedly entered their territory without prior coordination as required under a ceasefire agreement. However, the secessionist rebels denied beheading the slain soldiers.

The military, on the other hand, claims the Marines were attacked by combined MILF and Abu Sayyaf fighters and other “lawless elements.”

Arroyo hinted that the Marine’s attackers would not be covered by the talks with the MILF, which are expected to resume soon after being stalled on the issue of territory.

“We will not allow those who committed barbaric acts to hide under the negotiating table. Only principled warriors deserve a seat on it,” Arroyo said.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/...rticle_id=76623

well said, ma'am

i hope these are not just mere words.

MILF or Abu Sayaff terrorist are very successful in provoking the Might and fury of our Marines.

Let them (MILF/Abu Sayaff) taste what they are looking for., so at the end of the day no more terrorist will claim that they have territory in any parts of mindanao.

cheers. :armycheers:

many forumers have suggested this before including myself who have stressed out the need of FLIR/THERMAL IMAGING SYSTEM to be purchased under the AFP modernization. its an effective war tool to be used for aerial surveillance and for close-air support by gunships. but i just cant imagine how this system could be used if our government rather purchase some chinese gunships that have no remote forward-nose turrets like the ones we can found in cobra gunships. as we all know, the cobra gunships have all these tools and they dont really need another helo to scan the target areas for them, as they can do all the works. this is unless if the AFP chose to spend more money in the future to fuel up 2 to 3 types of helos flying over for reinforcement. :headbang:

I am impressed and proud of the Philippine Marines. I can just imagine, what they could have done if they had the right equipment, even if they were ambushed, outgunned and outnumbered by the enemy. GMA is the best. WE are analyzing the video footages and it confirmed our theories on what equipment and trianing is needed to make our armed forces even more efficient. Equipment will be focused on the individual soldier because we believe that if the enemy wants to fight in the jungle, this is where he should be defeated.

The MNLF nor the ABU Sayaf has no distinction, they are the enemy.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadl...rticle_id=76663

sir ferfran, are you in anyway connected to the office of the president? you said you are analyzing the footage to confirm what equipment is needed?

No we are not connected with the office of the President but we are currently dealing with the department of defense. We have submitted already our equipment and it is now in negotiations. I can not be specific because these items are still confidential. The reason why the video is very important to me is because I am based in the States and even if my brother is very good at conveying the need or reauirements that they need to me, it is different when I can really see what they are up to and at the same time evaluate their existing weapons. The terrain and the environment is also very important. We currently supply the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police and we are now trying to assist the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

What I want to know is how the rebels got hold of those Marines. Na-isolate ba sila then killed off? Yun kasi ang magandang masagot so we could find out how best to avoid such incidents again. I doubt that its the lack of bravery pero kung equipment anong gamit dapat naibigay sa kanila (plus training for it).

Hindi naman kasi palagi meron fire support mahingi o maibigay kaya iba na rin yun medyo capable as a unit or even as a lone combat soldier.

What I noticed is this. Nanghiram ng isang civilian truck na nalubog pa sa putik. Iba talaga kapag 6x6 ng Army. At least 4 ang gulong sa likod. Yun mga sundalo were all focused on the bogged truck at nobody was looking at the sides as hot area yun. Their hand held radios are big. Ewan ko lang kung meron mike and headset pero wala akong napansin. Ok ang condition ng rifles sa video - iba talaga kapag Marines mag-alaga! Pero luma na nga. Iba pa rin yun may extra edge ng technology. Mortar sucks big time. Ang laki pa. If the prototype KG-9 on steroids grenade launcher was perfected mas maganda yun na lang ibigay sa bawat platoon at least. Didn't spot any LMG - sino ba meron ng Ultimax sa atin? Wala ba yun Marines? I believe even the US Navy SEALs liked it and Marines natin ay extension lang ng Navy so why not let the Marines try out the Ultimax rin (kung hindi pa). Bakit non-RPG protected pa yun V150? Tapos nasaan na ang mga tracked APCs and IFVs natin? With that kind of mud dapat tracked na. Kung pwede lang isalpak na lang yun 20mm o 40mm from old Navy ships yun na lang i-arm sa mga APC at IFV natin. Would cut through the foliage faster (yun nga lang long-barrel and no idea kung pwede putulin without sacrificing safety). Didn't see any trooper carry any long blades. Although Marines natin ay trained and experienced it would be better kung pati yun ordinary troopers marunong yun blade combat - what was that local long blade training taught to our SpecOps called? Infotech rin would be of great advantage. Hindi man nakatulong as fire support yun mga air assets kung meron data link maganda. No idea if just a ruggedized cheap laptop with bluetooth or such for link up would do. Baka pwede cheap PDAs for portability.

This is a good opportunity to lobby our officials for action. Habang mainit pa ang news ay mapapansin nila ang mga hinaing.

Did hell freeze over?

Eyewitness account: Seven hours of hell in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan
JUN VENERACION, GMA7 News
07/16/2007 | 04:30 PM

Email this | Email the Editor | Print | Digg this | Add to del.icio.us We endured seven hours of hell in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan.

Embedded with government forces searching for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi, my team and I were caught in the middle of a very intense firefight between the Marines and armed groups in the area.

For seven long hours, we stared death in the eye.

The trip to Basilan was an offshoot of reports from military sources that Bossi had been transferred to the island by his captors.

July 9,2007. We arrived in the island province after an uneventful two-week coverage of government troops in search of Fr. Bossi in the Lanao provinces and Zamboanga del Sur.

At first, we didn't expect significant coverage in our Basilan coverage... until we learned of a plan by Col. Ramiro Alivio, commanding officer of the 1st Marine Brigade, to launch an operation just hours after we had called on him.

We asked permission to join operating units... Colonel Alivio acceded.

Late in the evening, we witnessed a short pre-operation briefing. All the Marines huddled to pray. I saw familiar faces… some of them I had interviewed in the province of Sulu.

They were the same group who fought it out with the Abu Sayyaf bandits September last year. It was during that same operation that Abu Sayyaf leader Khadaffy Janjalani was killed.

Cpl. Russel Panaga, a member of the force reconnaissance team, approached me and said, “Sir, nagkasama na tayo sa Sulu. Kami’yung wounded dun. Eto na naman, sasabak sa operasyon."

I responded, “Oo, kaya pala pamilyar ang mukha nyo sa akin. Ingat kayo, sir."

After a brief talk, I was surprised to find out that Panaga, the mean-looking and muscle-bound Marine, was, in fact, a gentle giant.

To lighten up the mood, I told Panaga in jest, “Sir, hinahamon ka ni Donnie ng suntukan." He reacted with a smile.

I never had an inkling that the short conversation would be our last.

Jump-off time was 4:30am, July 10.

A team from force reconnaissance and special operations platoon of the Marines scoured two target areas deep in the jungles of Tipo-Tipo. They were the lead units.

A bigger group of soldiers in armored personnel carrier and 6x6 trucks was following them from behind. They would serve as reinforcement if “problems" should arise.

Hours of searching for Bossi didn't produce positive results.

It was the Marines’ second fruitless try in the area since the abduction of Bossi on June 10.

The ground commander, Maj. Nestor Marcelino, ordered his men to board their respective vehicles.

The seven-vehicle convoy rolled on, en route to their barracks.

I and my crewmembers, Cameraman Jjulius Catibog and Assistant Cameraman Donnie Roxas, were in a 6x6 truck in the middle of the convoy.

It passed through several communities... villagers and school children were looking... at times even waving at the Marines.

When the convoy reached Sitio Puhpuh, Barangay Guinanta, travel became arduously slow. The road was unpaved and narrow.

I noticed that the houses were empty.

The sight triggered an eerie feeling, recalling conversations I had with soldiers and even civilians during previous Mindanao coverage sorties that empty communities are an indicator that something bad is waiting around the corner.

Minutes later, we heard the Marines telling one another to be on alert.

The convoy halted after Major Marcelino noticed that three vehicles were no longer in our tail.
Radio communication didn't elicit a response from them.

We turned back to check and found out that one of the vehicles got stuck in mud, causing the delay.

Efforts to pull the truck from the sticky situation proved futile. But that was not the only problem.

Armed men were sighted on high grounds. The Marines quickly scampered for battle positions.
All at once, gunfire rang out. It was 10:30 am.

Cameraman Julius, Assistant Cameraman Donnie and I quickly hit the ground and sought cover.

Shots were being fired from almost all directions... bullets grazing above us.

Tree branches and leaves fell from above as a result of heavy enemy fire. A staccato of varying gunshots and explosions became a familiar refrain.

At first, we thought it was going to be a short gunbattle. But we were wrong.

As minutes passed by, the firefight turned for the worse.

My team was pinned to the ground amidst an endless volley of fire.

Then we heard messages from radio that some marines have been hit.

At that point, fear started to roll down my spine. While lying down on my stomach, my head almost buried to the ground, I began to pray for the fighting to stop. I prayed like I never did before. But my prayers were not instantly answered.

The fighting still went on and on. Donnie said his prayers too. At one point, he said he was losing hope we would make it alive. The thought of not seeing his first newborn grandchild kept running through his mind.

My cameraman Julius was still taking footage from his limited vantage area... aiming his camera at the Marines firing mortar rounds at enemy positions, although most did not go off.

The situation brought back memories we had in 2004. Julius was also my cameraman in another hair-raising coverage in the town of Lamitan, also in Basilan. Then, we were also caught in a crossfire when suspected drug dealers fought it out with the police.

Julius was shot at by one of the drug dealers while eluding arrest. When the shooting stopped... we emerged unscathed.

But Tipo-Tipo was far more fierce than our Lamitan experience.

As military mortar continued to falter, mortar rounds unleashed by the attackers -- from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf -- were slowly finding their mark.

A round of enemy mortar landed very near our position, causing a very loud blast. I felt the pounding effect on my chest.

The chilling effect of mortar ammos being launched by the attackers was too frightening to bear... it was like waiting for death to come.

A radioman called for air support and heavy artillery fire. But precious minutes had passed, and still no air support came. I heard him say over the radio, "Wala pa bang air support? Napapalibutan na kami dito."

A group of Marines just few meters in front of us radioed, “Sir, nasa 200 meters na mga kalaban... papalapit na sila sa amin."

Soon after, choppers and a Bronco bomber were seen flying over us. But they had little effect on the attackers. They eventually flew back to base leaving their comrades on the ground, to fight on their own.

The attackers were emboldened. We heard them hollering “Allahu Akbar"(Praise Allah) as they were inching closer. The Marines could no longer hold the line.

I said to myself, this is going to be our end. Again, I prayed and asked for forgiveness from the Almighty. At that instant, I said to myself, “I’m ready to die."

Not far from where I was, I saw Julius and Donnie still on the ground. We were so helpless. There were moments that we would just stare at each other as if to say good-bye.

Outnumbered and outgunned, the Marines still tried to fight back... The numbers were stacked in the attackers’ favor- less than a hundred government troops, against 500 of them.

Before noon, the guns fell silent, if briefly.

Then it drizzled and eventually a heavy downpour followed suit.

I began to chill while lying on the ground.

To compound my worries, bullets rained on us anew. The Marine perimeter defense had been breached.

Sensing imminent danger, Major Marcelino, the ground commander, old us to move to another area.

Drenched to the bones and virtually covered with mud, we ran, one after the other. We slipped and tripped on occasion, as the barrage of enemy fire reverberated.

I heard Donnie say, “I got hit!"

When we reached higher ground, I saw blood streaming down from Donnie's head. A shrapnel from an M-203 grenade caused the minor wound.

From our area, we could see a dead Marine sprawling on the ground. But no one dared retrieve the body as enemy snipers remained on the lookout for new targets.

I looked at my watch. .It read 4:30 pm. Six hours had passed, but there seemed to be no end to the furious enemy attack.

Wounded Marines started moving to our position... some looking very pale and weak. Words of encouragement were uttered to liven up the spirits of the casualties. I heard them telling their fallen comrades..."’Wag kang pipilkit... kaya mo yan."

But 10 Marines were reported missing. Their companions initially believed they were killed in the frontlines. Still under siege, the Marines tried to search for their 10 missing comrades. An officer shouted, “Walang iiwanang katawan."

To the Marines, it’s a must that no one gets left behind.

But they were left with no other option... one soldier said, “Masakit man sa atin, kailangang iwanan natin ang mga patay kundi mauubos tayo dito."

“Kailangan na nating makaalis dito... pag inabot tayo ng dilim, siguro patay tayo lahat," another Marine added.

A piece of good news was heard on the radio before 5 pm. A local group had mediated a ceasefire.

That was the only time we were able to sit on the ground after hours of being pinned down.
We were told by a Marine later, "Okay na, Sir... tapos na."

He was wrong.

Not long after, another wave of deafening gunfire erupted.

Seeking cover, we moved from one coconut tree to another... crawled on itchy grass valley.
Ants were likewise crawling all over us… bite marks surfaced sooner than later.

But no one would dare move lest be spotted by enemy snipers.

Wounded and all, Cpl. Richard dela Cruz became our close-in guide as we started to extricate ourselves to safer ground.

He advised us quite often, “Dito kayo sa likod namin," until we reached a road leading to Marine reinforcements.

Behind armored personnel carrier, we walked and dashed through sticky mud. After 30 minutes, we reached a school where police and military reinforcements were stationed.

Donnie and I looked at each other and said, “Ligtas na tayo, pare." We held our hands so tightly as we walked to safety.

It was the end of a seven-hour ordeal. It was a miracle to say the least that we survived. In the end, God answered all our prayers.

We were hugging and shaking hands with almost everyone in sight.

I barely lost control of my emotions when I told a Marine, my voice breaking, “Grabe ang mga gamit nyo," referring to the mortar duds.

Teary-eyed, he responded, “Ganyan kahirap ang buhay naming mga sundalo, Sir!"

At day’s end, 14 Marines died, 10 of them badly mutilated. The dead included Corporal Panaga, the gentle giant I had a brief conversation with the night before the fateful day in Tipo-Ttipo. Nine other Marines were wounded.

But our travel was far from over.

It was still a two-hour ride from Tipo-Tipo to the Marine headquarters in Isabela, Basilan.

I asked Lt. Weng Mueyela, the lady officer in command of armored assets during the mayhem, to allow the three of us to ride with her in the tank. Readily she said yes. But all at once, too, added, “May dalawa akong sakay na patay."

We didn’t mind. We told ourselves, “Kahit siksikan at kahit may kasama pang patay... makikisakay kami sa tangke." Our primary concern was to return safely to Isabela.

My first phone call was to my immediate boss, Tex Jimenez, head of the GMA News Desk.

She was so shocked to hear about our harrowing experience. Instantly, she directed us to leave Basilan the following morning.

Next I called our operations boss Grace dela Peña to appraise her of our situation. I passed the phone to Donnie, then Donnie to Julius. When Julius returned the phone to me, he said, “Umiiyak si Ma’m Grace"

She was crying indeed as I kept assuring her we're okay... and that Donnie was up and about despite a minor wound on his head.

When the tension simmered down, I told Julius, “Good work, pare. Nakalampas na naman tayo."

The following day, July 11, we were able to air the story... the story of gallantry in battle of the men and women of the Marines… the sad story of Filipinos fighting fellow Filipinos... the story that exacted a heavy toll of lives killed, injured, and scarred inside and out. - GMANews.TV

Another battalion sent to Basilan
By James Mananghaya
Thursday, July 19 2007 (www.philstar.com)

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is deploying another Marine battalion in Basilan to augment government forces massing up in the province in preparation for the hunt for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels behind the June 10 ambush.

“We will be deploying another Marine battalion to the area, on top of the earlier deployment of a Marine battalion from Sulu to Basilan,” AFP Public Information Office chief Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said.

He said the deployment of additional troops is in anticipation of a bigger force against military operations following “punitive actions against the suspects.”
He said the AFP is also looking into the possibility of the Abu Sayyaf joining forces with the rebels in the area.

The Marines have two battalions deployed to augment a brigade already stationed in Basilan. The Army also has a brigade of troops in the province awaiting orders.
Bacarro said the Marines and the Army would be working in close coordination with each other in the conduct of their operations against the rebels behind the ambush.

Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Nelson Allaga said they have already identified the suspects behind the killing of the 14 Marines in Tipo-Tipo last week. Ten of the slain Marines were beheaded and mutilated by the rebels.

The soldiers were part of a contingent searching for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi, following a tip that the priest was being held in an area in Tipo-Tipo.

The MILF admitted staging the attack but denied beheading the 10 Marines.
Rebels claimed they were forced to counter-attack after the Marines entered their territory without any permit.

Bacarro clarified the deployment of additional troops does not mean an all-out war against the MILF.

He said troop deployments will be focused against the gunmen behind the attack on the Marines, and is not a declaration of war against the MILF.

“We will work under the mechanism of the peace talks because we do not want to be indiscriminate in our operations. We would like to make sure that we would pinpoint the suspects and that our efforts would be concentrated on them. But these barbaric acts do not fall under the ambit of any peace talks,” he said.

As government troops start pouring in for the offensive, thousands of ethnic Yakans evacuated their communities out of fear of getting caught in the expected showdown between the Marines and the MILF in Basilan.

According to Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Datu Zaldy Ampatuan, the evacuation of the Yakans was noticed by government relief agencies working in the region.

Ampatuan said the Yakans and other residents have moved out from their villages in the face of the expected breakout of hostilities between troops and the MILF following the killing and beheading of Marines in the province.

The incident has strained the peace negotiations and the ceasefire agreement between the government and the MILF.

Ampatuan said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) regional office in ARMM initially reported 5,213 Yakan natives have moved out from their villages between Albarka and Tipo-Tipo, fearing renewed clashes.

ARMM regional social welfare secretary Bai Rakma Ambolodto-Imam said that the villages being evacuated include Guinanta, Linuan, Makalang, Puhpuh, and the riverside communities of Bohe Naga, Bohe Lessen, Bohe Libu and Bohe Buug, all in Albarka.

Ampatuan claimed independent sources also confirmed tensions have run high in Albarka forcing more residents to evacuate to safer ground.

“As far as my information is concerned, there are more than 5,000 evacuees now, or maybe even more because the tension there remains so high,” Ampatuan said.

He said Basilan Gov. Jum Akbar and other local officials in the province are collectively appealing to police and military authorities to implement measures that can stave off any confrontation with the MILF.

“It’s the welfare of civilians that should be the paramount concern now of all sectors addressing the security issues in Basilan, including the Armed Forces and the MILF,” Ampatuan said.

The members of the ARMM’s Regional Disaster Coordinating Council have condemned the decapitation of the Marines last July 10 but also appealed to the MILF and the AFP to await the outcome of the investigation by the joint ceasefire committees.

Brig. Gen. Edgardo Gurrea, chairman of the government’s Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, and his MILF counterpart, Von Al-Haq, both appealed for time to wrap up their investigation of the incident.

Only an option

AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said a full military offensive is among the options against the rebels behind the attack.

“An (all-out war against MILF is) not necessary. As I said, we have options from 1 to 10. So an all-out offensive is always, as far as I am concerned, the last resort, but it is still an option,” Esperon said.

He said Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo has given the MILF a one-week ultimatum, which began last Sunday, to surrender the gunmen behind the ambush of the Marines.

And if the MILF ignores or fails to surrender the culprits, Esperon said the AFP is left with no option but to go after the perpetrators.

“As we said, right now we are continuing our plans for police action against the perpetrators. At the least, police action. We must be able to find who perpetrated this,” he said.

Esperon said they have asked the MILF to cooperate on the surrender of the gunmen after they owned up to the attack on the Marines.

He said the other option includes sticking to the provisions of the peace process, since a lot of people would be dislocated once a military offensive is conducted.

Esperon stressed the AFP is not scuttling the peace process mechanism between the government and the MILF.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza said the MILF have conducted their own inquiry into the incident.

“The MILF had conducted their own investigation and we have our own,” Dureza said.

He said the MILF will compare their investigation with their counterparts in the government and bring the findings before the joint ceasefire committee.

Dureza admitted the beheadings in Basilan proved to be a difficult issue to resolve.
Though optimistic that the joint committee will resolve the issue, Dureza said “no one (who committed a crime) should enjoy immunity by invoking (the) peace process.”

Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, on the other hand, said the Senate will conduct its own investigation of the incident, focusing on the accountability of government forces over the beheadings.

Biazon revealed the initial findings showed the Marines were left on their own without any support and reinforcements during the attack.

“There was not a support arm,” Biazon said, referring to the much needed artillery support, close-in air support, armor support and reinforcements.

When they finally extricated themselves from the so-called “killing zone,” the Marines were surprised to find heavily armed policemen and militiamen simply waiting for them.

One Marine recounted that the policemen and the militiamen were only three kilometers away from the scene of the fighting.

“They did not even bother to lend us the needed support. They simply waited for us,” recounted the Marine trooper.

In calling for a Senate inquiry, Biazon said he wanted some questions answered, like reports of faulty intelligence information provided to the Marines.

As it appeared, the troops had been misinformed of the prevailing situation, unaware that they would be facing over 500 heavily armed rebels in the area where they were looking for the kidnapped Italian priest.

Biazon also raised the question of how the rebels acquired blue-tipped M-203 grenade rounds which were supposed to be exclusively supplied to government troops.

Some of the Marines who survived the attack claimed to have recovered unexploded blue-tipped M-203 grenade rounds which landed near them at the height of the fighting.

Biazon said the ambush in Basilan “appeared to have broken all rules (in the ceasefire agreement).”

Criminal raps

ARMM police director Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao said murder charges are being prepared against the suspects in the ambuscade.

Goltiao identified the suspects as members of the MILF’s 114th Base Command and the Abu Sayyaf.

He said the charges were anchored on the testimonies of Marines who survived the attack last week.

“We hope to file in a week multiple murder charges against leaders and members of the 114th Base Command of the Abu Sayyaf Group and MILF,” Goltiao said.

Goltiao said they will make public the names of the suspects once the charges are filed.

He said the police had received information that the attack had a trace of vendetta after two MILF guerrillas were reportedly killed a few days before the ambush.

“So our evidence against the attackers are the actual death of our Marines, and statement of personalities in the area,” Goltiao said.

MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said plans to charge the MILF rebels in connection with a “legitimate encounter” would be against the spirit of the peace talks.

“That is contrary to the peace process,” Kabalu said, without saying what action the MILF would take in response. -With John Unson, Roel Pareño, Jaime Laude, Cecille Suerte Felipe, AP

Copyright 2007. Philstar Global Corp. All rights reserved. This article cannot be published or redistributed without the permission of the publisher.