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Peace Journalist

September 5, 2008

 Please read this and send yoiur comments.

A peace Journalist must know the “context” of his/her news/story

Source: http://www.philstar.com/ 

               http://www.luwaran.com/

Funds for Muslim community dev’t diverted to buy MILF weapons
 By Jaime Laude
Saturday, August 23, 2008

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been diverting since 2003 millions of dollars in foreign development aid for depressed Muslim communities in Mindanao to build a strong army.

Sources said the MILF leadership has been using donations to the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) to procure modern weapons, munitions, communication equipment and uniforms for its fighters in Mindanao.

“BDA is now being suspected of having diverted huge livelihood grants for the past two years to rebuild the MILF’s military after having been weakened in the armed conflicts in 2000 and in 2003,” the source, who declined to be named, said.

The MILF’s BDA has been receiving various livelihood  grants from foreign donors, including the World Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) since its creation on June 2, 2002. BDA also receives donations from most Islamic states.

Since it is not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, BDA is not allowed to receive foreign grants.

Reports of the funds’ alleged misuse has prompted some non-government organizations to seek an audit of the financial aid.

The source said video footage of Commander Abdullah “Bravo” Macapaar and his men dressed in full combat uniforms when attacking five towns in Lanao del Norte on Monday, proved that the MILF has funds for weapons and materiel.

The MILF rebels, the source said, are now equipped with ultra high frequency radio sets, new M14-assault rifles and other modern weapons.

The rebels, he added, seem to never run out of munitions for their caliber .30 and caliber .50 machineguns.

“We could only wonder where the MILF are getting the money to procure their logistics,” another source said.

He said some of the firearms of the MILF rebels are more advanced than those of government troops.

Although the military has air superiority and has heavy weapons and equipment, the MILF rebels are now more prepared to face security forces in ground combat.

BDA’s office is inside the MILF’s Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat.

“Peace advocacy groups are now calling for an in-depth review of the funds international donors have given the BDA as livelihood assistance for poor Muslim communities in areas where the MILF has guerrilla camps,” the source said

 

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 BDA Exec responds to negative media publicity
NewsSeptember 5, 2008
 Source:  http://www.luwaran.com/
Cotabato City – A high-ranking official of the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA) has expressed dismay over an allegation by a national daily writer that the Agency has misused funds intended for the development of the Muslim communities.

“This is pure non-sense designed to malign the clean reputation of BDA in particular and the Bangsamoro people in general”, said BDA Executive Director Dr. Danda N. Juanday in reply to a malicious and fallacious statements of Philippine Star reporter Jaime Laude regarding the so-called donation/grants being diverted for procuring high-powered weapons for the MILF forces.

In a published statement dated August 23, 2008, it says that” the MILF’s BDA has been receiving various livelihood grants from foreign donors, including the World Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) since its creation on June 2, 2002”.

Dr. Juanday emphasized that BDA is not receiving any money from donor institutions except for development-related activities designed to assist the war-stricken communities in Mindanao. He also added that at present, BDA is engaged with a trust fund recipient (TFR) whereby the foreign funds are channeled for capacity-building (learning by doing) purposes. Financial consultants are also fielded by World Bank to the BDA office to ensure that all transactions are properly monitored.
 

“We can prove that all our activities have been directed for the relief, rehabilitation and development of the conflict-affected areas in Mindanao, unlike what the writer is trying to convey to the public. The Community and Family Services International (CFSI), the current Trust Fund Recipient for the Mindanao Trust Fund – Reconstruction and Development Program (MTFRDP), a World Bank-administered undertaking can give Mr. Laude necessary documents to prove that every single centavo of the MTF-RDP funds really go to the hands of the program beneficiaries”, added Dr. Juanday. The same is true with the other programs being implemented and handled by BDA, he said.

He also pointed out that the donor agencies have been closely monitoring the program implementation and have even assigned their own people to work with BDA as on-site coaches, field advisers and consultants. “So how could it be possible for the BDA to buy weapons for the MILF forces? Maybe this reporter should do further inquiry in all BDA-related activities so that truth will be unveiled rather than making unfounded statements that create confusion and hatred.

When the Agency verified the identity of Laude, it was confirmed that he works with Department of National Defense (DND) in Camp Crame. The Agency also learned that Mr. Laude was in Cotabato just after the incidents in North Cotabato, together with some Generals. “It appears that he uses his profession and the media to oppress the Bangsamoro People represented by BDA”, noted Dr. Juanday.
 
He even nullified the claim that BDA has received funds from ADB,  as there’s no official BDA-ADB tie-up as far as the agency is concerned, much less some Muslim countries which he did not specify in the article. It’s purely a work of a fictitious mind, Dr. Juanday commented.

The statements are tantamount to accusing the World Bank, the JICA and other donor agencies of buying weaponries for the MILF forces, said Dr. Juanday as he called on the said agencies to submit their own positions in response to the issue.

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