Usman death to boost trust but won’t ensure BBL passage

MANILA, Philippines – Senators on Monday, May 4, welcomed news that members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) helped in operations against bombmaker Abdul Basit Usman that led to his death on Sunday, May 3, but stressed that more needs to be done. 

If proven true, Senate President Franklin Drilon said the gesture would help rebuild trust for the MILF but other senators were not satisfied. 

“Certainly. Assuming it’s true – that Usman is really dead – that would help restore trust,” Drilon said. 

Usman was one of the targets of the botched police operation on January 25 in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, that killed 44 elite cops, at least 17 MILF rebels and 5 civilians. 

Malacañang confirmed he was killed on Sunday in Guindulungan town, Maguindanao after months of military offensives targeting the breakaway Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, which allegedly coddled the wanted terrorist. 

On Monday, Armed Forces chief of staff General Gregorio Catapang Jr acknowledged the MILF’s help in providing information on Usman.  

But details on who really killed Usman remained unclear. Initial information showed that there were no government forces in the area when the firefight occurred. 

Limited impact

The MILF signed a peace agreement with the government in March 2014 after 17 years of negotiations. The accord is the basis of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) pending in Congress, which aims to create a new autonomous region in Mindanao that is more poweful than the current one in place. 

But the passage of the proposed law was put in jeopardy following the fallout that resulted from the Mamasapano tragedy. (READ: DOJ readies criminal raps vs 90 for SAF deaths)

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a former Navy Lieutenant said Monday that helping in the hunt for Usman was a “good gesture” on the part of the MILF but rebuilding trust would be a “long process.” 

Asked if the development would have any impact on the passage of the proposed BBL, Trillanes said the issue is “another matter” altogether. 

Drilon also told reporters the Senate has “always maintained the position” that the BBL and the Mamasapano tragedy were different, “in terms of the substantive discussion.”

Surrender MILF men

Senator JV Ejercito, meanwhile, said the MILF’s cooperation in the operation was not enough. 

Ejercito reiterated accusations that the MILF should not have “harbored” terrorists in the first place. The MILF has maintained that it denounces terrorism as an organization but acknowledged a “glaring failure of intelligence” on its part over the presence of wanted terrorists near their area. 

“The ball is in their court on how they can regain the trust they have lost. There is the decommissioning of firearms, surrendering of more terrorists they are coddling. Surrendering also, in case cases are filed, of people involved in the Mamasapano. These are gestures of goodwill,” Ejercito said. 

Ejercito, along with Senator Alan Cayetano, withdrew their authorship of the BBL a day after the Mamasapano incident, depriving the proposed law of a guaranteed passage. Prior to the Mamasapano clash, 13 out of 24 senators signed up as authors of the bill, constituting a majority.

Amid delays, Drilon said the targeted passage of the BBL by June is still on top of Congress agenda. Leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives met Monday to discuss the legislative agenda.

The Senate is set to resume hearings on the BBL Tuesday, May 5. The House of Representatives, meanwhile, is gearing up to vote on the bill section by section on May 11 at committee level. – Rappler.com