Early one morning last week, Philippine Brigadier General Teodulfo Bautista, accompanied by 34 of his men (including five colonels), strode trustingly into the tiny marketplace of Patikul on Jolo Island, some 600 miles south of Manila. Bautista, 49, had come to Patikul for peace talks with Osman Salleh, a local chieftain of the Moro National Liberation Front, which has been fighting a civil war in the southern islands for nearly five years. Salleh had hinted that his 150 men were ready to join the government's side. As he greeted Bautista with a smile, a harsh voice shouted, "Dapal!" (Hit the dirt)....
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
