The Men of "A" Co, 41st Inf. Bn in the Battle of Camp Barkat, Tipo-tipo, Basilan

A military operation to carry out Oplan Kansulod was conducted by 41IB, 4ID, PA in the area of Tipo-Tipo, Basilan from 22 to 30 January 1979 to clear objectives from the control of secessionist Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels. During that time Muslim secessionist rebellion was still at its peak in Mindanao.  

Tipo-Tipo, Basilan where my battalion was deployed was a poor municipality with small population of mostly Muslim Yakan tribe. It was one of the hot spots where bloody armed encounters between government soldiers and Moro rebels frequently took place. The municipality has a rolling terrain with low hills and plains. The vegetation in the surroundings are coconut trees, coffees, forests especially in elevated grounds and scattered small areas of under developed corn or rice fields. There are also balono and balite trees especially along the unpaved road connecting the municipality to Lamitan. Because of the armed conflict, the people converged in the municipality proper or in the small villages and leaving large areas uninhabited.   

The battalion’s operating units were composed of Alpha and Bravo Companies. I was assigned as one of the platoon leaders of Alpha Company. During that time I was a 26-year old lieutenant, and most of my men were younger than me. The other platoon leaders were Lt Feliciano Lao and Lt Reynaldo Gonzales who was also the executive officer. Our company commander was Lt Isidro Reyes.

Our operational area was a place that was abandoned by the populace. In it were few dilapidated houses that were long unoccupied. Seldom did locals venture there lest they would be mistaken for a rebel. There were coconut trees and coffees with unharvested ripe berries. Flying lemurs or “kagwang” unmindful of our presence did their routine gliding from one coconut tree to another. If not for the chirping of birds or sound of other wild animals the place would be totally still. In the evening the roar of pump boat in the coastal village of Bojelibung was audible. Despite the serene atmosphere, past incidents served to warn those who would be there that it was a dangerous place to stay because the enemies were seasoned warriors who were veterans of many battles not only in Basilan, but also in neighboring islands. And they had much familiarity with the terrain as well as the local populace to boot.

Initially, the operation went smoothly as planned. The company was able to clear out all its early objectives. The enemies were dislodged and fled away after brief skirmishes.Then final phase of our operation came. The exit point was the small village of Limboupas. On our route of advance was a certain area that was called Camp “Barkat”. But in there was no camp at all and there were no inhabitants. That place was virtually a battle ground with a notoriety of being the site of battles between government soldiers and MNLF rebels where both sides suffered heavy casualties.

In the afternoon, after lunch, Alpha and Bravo Companies broke camp for the conclusion of the operation. Bravo Company moved ahead of Alpha. After several minutes we followed suit. And hours later as we moved on, we heard sound of gun fires. At first, we thought that there was no cause of concern because gunfire sound was just common occurrence in the locality even in ordinary days. But the sound kept getting louder and louder so that we sensed that something was amiss. Over the radio, Lt Reyes called Bravo Company. It was the radioman who answered him that they were being ambushed. Later, there was no longer reply when Lt Reyes asked for more information which alarmed him.

Acting with dispatch, Lt Reyes then ordered his platoon leaders and key NCOs to advance toward the direction of the gun fires. Along the way, the radio man of Bravo and some NCOs who were separated from their comrades emerged, joined us and narrated the incident. Finding the site of the encounter, the company continued its advance. But as we get near, we were met with a deafening sound of fires accompanied by hail of bullets. Because of the heavy fires, the men had to crawl and creep using bushes and young coconut trees as concealment and cover. At times, amid the heavy exchange of fires, I could hear the whizzing of bullets just a few inches over my head.

Our advance ended in an place where there was an open area that looked like an abandoned cornfield. Further advance was difficult because it would render us a sitting duck of enemy snipers. The enemies could not advance to us either because they too would be exposed to the same predicament. In our position we only had bushes and young coconut trees to protect ourselves. The enemies on the other hand had a more vantage position being in a higher forested ground.  

From their respective positions the two sides exchanged intensive fires. The officers and the key NCOs had to tell their men to control their fire lest they ran out of ammunition. In the heat of the gun battle, our machine gunner was hit by a sniper bullet on the leg. Lt Reyes had to order the medics to bring him to the rear for treatment. The fierce firing continued and neither side could get the upper hand because the space separating them was an open field which could make an advancing soldier or a rebel a sure hit of a bullet.

As the fighting continued, the late afternoon was inching into the evening, and with it the volume of fires gradually dwindled. When darkness fell, the firings on both sides stopped but they were just observing each other. The officers told their men to dig in, hold their positions and prepare to brace themselves for an assault by the enemy. We felt that the enemy was just there in the near vicinity but they were probably expecting us to initiate the attack. But nothing came to happen that evening until the break of dawn.

When morning came reinforcing troops from the battalion headquarters with an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) joined the company. Even with more troops in the scene, the rebels still gave their parting shoots before withdrawing from the area. And shortly thereafter, the dead were recovered and the wounded were evacuated.

The battle of Camp Barkat, Tipo-Tipo, Basilan was a memorable and cherished event in the mind of the officers and men of Alpha Company as well as Bravo Company, 41^st Infantry Battalion who participated in it. Kudos to the heroic soldiers especially those who were wounded or gave up their lives. I would also like to pay tribute to the late retired Colonel Isidro Reyes who as a lieutenant commanding our Company was able to weather the storm despite the overwhelming odds against us. With his good leadership, he was able to hold at bay the well positioned and numerically superior enemies with only one fatality in Alpha Company. I also extend my deep appreciation to our gallant machine gunner, the late Pfc Santiago who lost his life in the battle.

A Decisive Victory of Government Forces over Misuari's MNLF in the Siege of Zamboanga City

Pres. Aquino

After Nur Misuari’s declaration of independence of the Bangsa Moro Republik in Talipao, Sulu on August 12, 2013, his more than 200 armed Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) followers led by Ustadz Habier Malik sneaked into the coastal villages of Zamboanga city on September 9, 2013, to hoist the Bangsa Moro Republik flag at the front of the city hall.

Maria Isabelle Climaco- Salazar, the mayor of the City, refused to give in to the demand of the armed groups, and this led to firefights between the combined city police and the military personnel that were assigned in the area against the intruding militants. The fighting forced civilians to leave their homes and to evacuate in safer places at the heart of the city. As the fighting continued more people left their homes to seek refuge in evacuation centers. In addition, the conflict forced business, schools, airports and other establishments to shut down. Mayor Climaco sought the assistance of the national leadership to help her deal with the crisis.

President Benigno S. Aquino III ordered Manuel Roxas III, his DILG Secretary, to go to Zamboanga to oversee the police operation against the militants. As the battle raged on and the number of evacuees increased, the president also ordered Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and AFP Chief of Staff Gen Emmanuel Bautista to go to Zamboanga to further strengthen police and military actions there. Later, the president who is also the commander in chief of the police and the armed forces joined his troops in Zamboanga.

Having previously warned Misuari’s group that the government would not hesitate to use its power and its resources against those who would break the law, the president made good his words. Aside from the troops that were already on the ground, he called in the most elite fighting units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines such as the Scout Rangers and the Special Forces to further strengthen his forces. In addition air assets and naval ships were also directed to bear down on the militants.

The forces of Misuari led by Ustadz Habier Malik however were unyielding. Since they could not engage the government forces head on, they took some civilians as hostages to shield themselves  from government forces’ fires. The militants were even accused of deliberately burning houses to conceal themselves and slow down the advance of government forces.

Eventually, the MNLF forces were pushed and constricted into the coastal villages but were still holding some hostages and exchanging fires. Despite their difficulties, the militant refused to capitulate and gave the government forces as good as what they got. They might have think that by prolonging the battle as long as it take would exacerbate the crisis and bring it to the attention of international media, the intervention of the United Nations or the Organization of Islamic Conference. Moreover, the destruction of homes and properties, the paralysis of businesses and the increasing number of evacuees were about to create a humanitarian crisis in the city. These situations might prompt the government to initiate a ceasefire, a development that would be favorable to the militants.

Meanwhile, Vice President Jejomar Binay had a communication with Nur Misuari on a ceasefire between the government forces and the latter’s armed group. The Vice President then reported to the president in Zamboanga to present his proposal to him. However, the president turned down the idea.               

Apparently the president made the right move in rejecting a ceasefire because it would enable Misuari’s troops who participated in the siege to get away with their deeds. A ceasefire could also be misinterpreted that it was the militants who had the control of the situation, and Misuari might later exploit it to his advantage. A ceasefire would also have given a morale boost to the remaining MNLF fighters and restore the sagging image of Misuari as a leader of the Moros. On the other hand, a ceasefire declared by the commander-in-chief when his troops had already taken a number of casualties, and when they were in the upper hand in the battle would have demoralized them.The surrender of the militants to end the fighting would have been more acceptable to them.

With no ceasefire effect, the remaining militants took a beating from the government forces. As the fighting continued, they ran low on ammunition, and they starved because their supporters could not penetrate food supplies past the cordon of troops. Slowly but surely, the remaining militants surrendered or were killed. It was a surrender or die situation for them. On September 28, 2013, the government declared an end of military operations when all of the remaining hostages were rescued by the soldiers. However, the fate of Habier Malik, the leader of the militants in the siege of the city is still unknown. He was not among those who were captured or had surrendered, and the troops could not identify him among the dead militants either.

The government declared the end of the crisis on September 28, 2013. But losses in terms of lives and cost of properties were enormous. The MNLF suffered 183 killed and 192 members captured. The government forces had 25 soldiers (two officers) killed and 184 wounded. On the civilian side there were 12 dead and 70 wounded. There were about 10,000 houses that were burned and more than one hundred thousand people were displaced. It is estimated that the government must have to spend billions of pesos to rehabilitate Zamboanga City and help its people that were affected by the armed conflict.

The government forces under the leadership of President Benigno Aquino III have decisively defeated the forces of Nur Misuari in the siege of Zamboanga. Many however are perturbed with the massive destruction suffered by the city as a result of the siege. But it is the responsibility of the president to impose his powers under the law to protect his people and assert state’s sovereignty even if the price of doing so is heavy.