Pagpati'ut - Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue

Mediating Violence In Sulu
Barangay Masjid Pujungan is inaccessible to motorized transportation
because of the poor road condition, making mobility of people and goods
extra taxing. The ‘peaceful’ communities, Barangays Punay and Silangkan,
are both accessible. Silangkan, in fact is considered as a ‘mobility corridor’
since it is located strategically as an entry point to other localities.
Moreover, remote communities are attractive to armed groups as the
presence of government in these areas is scarce. This translates to the dire
lack of basic services delivered to the community, which in turn increases
the vulnerability of the members of the community to being radicalized and
recruited by armed groups.
Furthermore, since the ability of government forces to initiate rapid
can enjoy relative physical safety in these communities. Add the fact that
some armed groups traverse identities – as private army of clans involved
of rebel groups (MNLF or MILF) – usually, their membership is based on
convenience. Given that they are embedded in communities (as sons,
fathers, and husbands) it is even harder to dissociate these armed groups
from the local population. Anecdotal reports even link some groups with
‘terror’ organizations (i.e., organizations whose main strategy is to terrorize
civilians), like the ASG, or the more recent addition, the “Lucky 9,” a breakaway
group composed mainly of sons of (former) Abu Sayyaf members.
Whether or not true is not the issue here. The point is, it is always to the
advantage of armed groups to keep their lairs (or communities near their
camps) inaccessible especially to state security forces.
This is the main reason why roads and bridges are almost always the
target of bombings.
4. Absence of dominant political leadership
Respondents claim that most of the municipal Mayors of Sulu live either in
Jolo or Zamboanga. 24
or due to the intermittent government presence in some municipalities,
the people seem to be given a free hand to appropriate the notion of
‘governance’ according to a re-interpretation of rules. Note that while the
municipal Mayors are themselves Moros, the framework of governance
follows that of the 1987 Constitution, a framework that until today is being
questioned by some Moro nationalist.
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24 Sulu has a total of 19 municipalities