Because of ongoing Muslim insurgencies in the south, the Philippines would appear to be a risky place to travel during the current worldwide crisis, but at least one piece of good news was announced Oct. 8 when a spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) stated that the group would not respond to the jihad called for by Osama bin-Laden. The MILF is in the middle of a cease-fire with government forces and will honor that agreement until peace negotiations resume in Kuala Lumpur later this month. There would be no sympathetic attacks, the spokesman said, noting that they are far from the fighting in Afghanistan and their mission is a peaceful resolution of grievances in Mindanao.
