The fighting erupted on Tuesday in the town of Pikit, about 570 miles southeast of Manila. About 25,000 people have sought shelter in schools and government buildings. Negotiators representing the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which has been fighting for a separate Islamic state in Mindanao for 25 years, were to meet today to discuss ways to stop the fighting, but the front’s representatives did not appear. Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes said that as a result, the president ordered the resumption of attacks against rebel positions this afternoon. “We’ve given them enough elbow room to show their sincerity,” he said. Full Story