COTABATO CITY - An alleged member of Nur Misuari's elite force said Saturday there is a plan to rescue their jailed leader. MacArthur Rasul, who claims to be a spokesperson of Misuari's Mutallah Force, said the group was just waiting for orders to mount the rescue operation. Rasul told Radio Mindanao Network here that some 1,000 members of the Misuari force have been on standby and are prepared to spring their leader from detention in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, at anytime. Misuari, charged with rebellion for the Nov. 19 mutiny staged in Jolo by his followers, is locked up at the Fort Sto. Domingo police detention facility in Sta. Rosa. His pocket rebellion and a subsequent hostage-taking situation resulted in over 100 deaths. "Our field commanders are just waiting for orders from the higher hierarchy," Rasul said. Rasul admitted, however, that even if there was a strong desire among Misuari's followers to free him, the plan would fail if the jailed rebel leader went against it. "If Chairman Misuari would go against (the rescue), we cannot do otherwise (but follow) because he is our commander in chief," he said. But while admitting to the plot, Rasul said Misuari's followers were also appealing to the Macapagal administration to free their leader. "For the sake of peace," he said. Rasul said they could not understand why the government was so hard on Misuari when it was lenient with other leaders who revolted in the past. "If the government was able to extend amnesty to our Christian brothers, like (former renegade Army officer Gregorio) "Gringo" Honasan and others, why can't it accord the same privilege to Chairman Misuari?" Rasul asked. Local Government Assistant Secretary Abraham Iribani called on Saturday for sobriety among Muslim leaders and Moro National Liberation Front commanders amid alleged attempts by certain groups to start a religious war over Misuari's detention. "We should remain calm and let the law take its course," Iribani, designated government spokesperson for Misuari's case, said he told a group of Muslim leaders and MNLF commanders in a dialogue in Zamboanga City. Irabini said he explained to them that Misuari was being held for rebellion, and not because "he was a Muslim, a member of the Bangsamoro people or an MNLF leader." Some Moro groups had claimed Misuari's detention was an affront to the Muslim people and should be cause for a "Muslim war." "I told them the act of rebellion happened in public and the charges were not just fabricated," Iribani said in a phone interview. Dialogue The local government official held a dialogue with the Muslim leaders to officially report to them Misuari's status and answer their questions about his arrest and detention. Iribani also dismissed reports that renegade MNLF commanders were plotting to stage bomb attacks in Mindanao and Metro Manila to protest Misuari's arrest. "That's not true," he said. Iribani said he explained to the Muslim leaders that Misuari's personal demands, including access to the media, could not be granted because these were not within his rights as a detainee. As this developed, the number of lawyers who will defend Misuari grew to 28, after former Davao City Mayor Benjamin de Guzman and two others agreed to serve as his counsel. De Guzman said it was lawyer Macapanton Abbas Jr. who asked him, former vice mayor Dominador Zuno Jr. and city councilor Victorio Advincula to join the team of lawyers that would defend Misuari in court. Misuari's other lawyers warned yesterday the country's judicial system, more than their client, will be on trial because of the legal nuances surrounding his arrest. The deportation of Misuari by Malaysia also drew flak from opposition legislators who warned that it could trigger a reaction in the government's peace efforts. Maguindanao Rep. Didagen Dilangalen said the prosecution of Misuari for rebellion could force the government to revive the cases against other rebel leaders, particularly of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the National Democratic Front. Sen. Aquilino Pimentel expressed the same apprehension. Aside from the sensitive legal questions, Pimentel said there is a growing impression that Misuari could pose a security threat to the country. Among the other members of Misuari's defense team are former Integrated Bar of the Philippines president Arthur Lim, former Court of Appeals justice Omar Amin, former labor relations commissioner Musib Buat, Salvador Panelo, US-based Elly Pamatong and former ARRM solicitor general Jose Lorena.