In Cotabato, Mar reiterates no harm meant by 'Muslim na mananakop' quip

COTABATO CITY — Administration standard bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II on Thursday defended anew the “Muslim na mananakop” quip he made during the second PiliPinas Debates, this time in Cotabato City, one of the areas he visited for the Mindanao leg of his presidential campaign.

“There is no slight or insult intended. It may have been unfortunate use of words,” Roxas said in a forum with an organization called Friends of Peace, held at the Clergy House with Cardinal Orlando Quevedo.

While not part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Cotabato City is the location of the ARMM regional capitol

“I did not realize that it had created quite a stir. That was not intended... Maybe the more accurate adjective would have been MNLF rogue, mananakop, 'di ba?” Roxas said.

Roxas said he was referring to the Moro National Liberation Front forces loyal to fugitive Nur Misuari that laid siege on Zamboanga City for days in September 2013.

“It simply has something to do with — there’s a city in our country whose peace and order was disrupted, not just disrupted but shattered by the inflow of armed people who wanted to take over the city... I think there’s no dispute that they were mananakop, nagtangkang manakop,” he said.

During the second leg of the presidential debates, Roxas was quizzed about the government’s response on the Zamboanga siege.

While narrating the number of hostages and casualties, Roxas said, “'Yan po ang mga casualties sa pagsisiguro na minimal ang civilian casualties doon sa pagsakop ng Zamboanga ng mga Muslim na mananakop.” —KBK/JST, GMA News