Former Mindanao armed groups turn to rice, cigarette smuggling—security expert

An international security expert revealed that several former armed groups in Mindanao turned from acts of terrorism to cigarette and rice smuggling.

Professor Rohan Gunaratna of S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore disclosed this during the recent two-day “PROTECT 2023: Doing Business Amidst New Threats” conference at the New World Hotel in Makati City.

Gunaratna noted that cigarette smuggling has become an immensely lucrative source of income for various armed groups in Mindanao.

He said that after the extensive efforts by the military, law enforcement agencies and intelligence communities disrupted these groups, their members turned to criminal activities.

“The structure of the Abu Sayyaf, the structure of the BIFF [Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters] and that of the ISIS had already been dismantled. Their leaders had been neutralized, including the last foreign terrorist fighter in the South,” Gunaratna said.

He said, however, the armed groups were transitioning from terrorism to crime. “Terrorism is no longer the real monster in the Philippines; crime is,” he said.

He made this point during a thought leaders round table discussion on national security issues during the second day of the forum. The topics discussed were smuggling, counterfeiting, human trafficking, infiltration of business and government (fraud) and money laundering, with a focus on cross-border crimes and the use of technology by criminals and terrorists.

The PROTECT conference series, focused on “Navigating Business Amidst New Threats,” was initiated in 2005 by Leverage International (Consultants) Inc., in collaboration with the Anti-Terrorism Task Force Security and Safety, later known as the Anti-Terrorism Council. This response was prompted by the escalating threat of terrorism in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York.

The conference, held on Sept. 28 and 29, saw the participation of high-ranking government officials, including National Security Adviser Secretary Eduardo Ano, Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, and former AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Benjamin Defensor. Leaders from the