‘First sin’ belongs to MILF – Senate report

Carmela Fonbuena

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‘First sin’ belongs to MILF – Senate report
The report says the 'massacre' in Mamasapano would not have happened if the Muslim rebel group did not 'allow themselves to coddle criminals and terrorists'

MANILA, Philippines – While President Benigno Aquino III is “ultimately responsible” for the bloody Mamasapano massacre and the Special Action Force (SAF) committed the “most fatal mistake” in keeping the military out of the operation, the Senate draft report also stressed that the “first sin” belongs to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“It bears emphasizing that the first sin in the Mamasapano incident is the fact that the MILF leadership and community allowed themselves to coddle criminals and terrorists. During the hearings, there were blanket denials on knowing the presence of Marwan, Usman and a host of other elements in their midst, and yet, these terrorists have been their residents for almost a decade. Marwan, in fact, has been training recruits in the area and breeding people who will maim and kill,” the report said.

The report questioned the sincerity of the MILF in the peace process. It also doubted MILF control over its fighters, and expressed concerns that provisions in the BBL, if passed and implemented in its current form, will be unfair to the government.

If the Muslim rebel group that is talking peace with the government did not “allow themselves to coddle criminals and terrorists,” the report said the “massacre” that killed 67 Filipinos, including 44 elite cops, 18 MILF fighters, and 5 civilians would not have happened.

The SAF planned a surgical operation to get international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir or “Marwan” and Filipino bomb maker Abdul Basit Usman inside known MILF territory. They killed Marwan but the initial firefight with members of his security alerted the entire community. Usman escaped, and the many armed groups, including MILF members, pinned down the SAF troopers pintakasi-style (free for all).

MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal adamantly denied coddling Marwan and Usman, saying their huts in barangay Pidsandawan, while near MILF areas, were located in a secluded area that is hard to reach because of rivers that need to be crossed. He blamed SAF’s failure to use the ceasefire mechanism that would have prompted the MILF to instruct its men to get out of the way. 

The MILF also claimed that the SAF troopers fired first and that their men also fought in self-defense.

The senators are not convinced. “The PNP-SAF troopers were in uniform, yet, the firefight went on for hours. The fighters from the MILF, our so-called “partner” in the peace process, fired at the troopers of the 55th SAC even when they already knew that they were engaging policemen,” the report said.

‘OPAPP should defend government’

It also scored the government peace panel for defending the MILF instead of the government. “In the process of achieving peace in Mindanao, we should not overlook the seeming inadequacies of our partner in this process, the MILF, such as their lack of control over their ground forces and their disrespect for legitimate government operations,” the report said.

A ceasefire was put in place only at 4 pm on January 25 when all but one of the 55th SAF company were decimated. Attacks against the other group of SAF commandos, the 84th SAC, slowed down after the military fired at 6 pm artillery aimed at the hostile forces.

“The sincerity of the MILF’s proclaimed quest for peace is, thus, put in serious doubt. A group that claims to seek peace with the government should have exercised restraint. It does not massacre policemen on a legitimate law enforcement operation simply because the policemen did not give them prior notice about their operations. This also has implications upon the safety of government troops who must conduct law enforcement operations within MILF controlled territory,” the report said.

‘MILF cannot control its men’

It shows the MILF leadership cannot control its men, the report said. “If the MILF leadership had already sent word to the ground troops to cease fire, but did not have the capability to stop the action of their ground troops, then this shows that the leadership does not exercise a strong ocmmand or control of the BIAF,” the report said.

The Mamasapano clashes broke a long-protected ceasefire between the MILF and government troops and imperilled the peace process. 

Senator Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate committee on public order, who drafted the report was kinder to the MILF during her press conference earlier this week. She said she does not make the MILF organization liable for the massacre but only the members who participated in the pintakasi.

She recommended murder, frustrated murder, and robbery charges be filed against them. She also said she wished the MILF would just submit their names. Otherwise, the government can get them from civilian informants, she added. – Rappler.com

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