3-day suspension of military ops in Maguindanao pushed for graduation rites

CAMP SIONGCO, Maguindanao – Local government and education officials here are asking the military for a three-day suspension of law enforcement operations, to allow peaceful graduation ceremonies in several areas in the province.

Maguindanao 1 Schools Division Superintendent Meriam Kawit on Thursday proposed the idea at a peace and order council meeting inside the 6th Infantry Division headquarters.

An Army-led law enforcement operation against outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Maguindanao’s 13 municipalities is ongoing, stemming from the Jan. 25 clash in Mamasapano town that left over 60 people dead, including 44 police commandos.

In that bloody clash, some members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, its splinter group BIFF, and armed groups in Maguindanao battled Special Action Force troopers who were on an anti-terror mission in Mamasapano.

Leaders from two more towns were also present during the March 19 peace and order council meeting, representing a total of 125,302 people displaced by pockets of clashes due to the onging military offensive that began on Feb. 25.

Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu presided over the Provincial Peace and Order Council (PPOC) meeting, which was also attended by municipal mayors, disaster management officials and health and relief aid agency representatives.

Some 13,000 elementary and secondary students are set for their graduation rites, Kawit said, even as she proposed that the suspension of hostilities could be done from March 25 to 28.

“We are planning to conduct clustered or centralized graduation or we [could] make new platforms where the graduation ceremonies can be held,” Kawit told reporters after the meeting.

For his part, Mangudadatu said, “Our concern really is the graduation of pupils, when and where to hold commencement the exercises.”

Also, Mangudadatu said he has directed the mayors of 13 towns to hold municipal peace and order council meetings to determine the specific dates of graduation rites.

On the other hand, 6th ID assistant division commander Brig. Gen. Manolito Orense said the military wants a total stop to law enforcement operations in Maguindanao.

“However, there are some areas where the lawless elements still exist so the Army will stay,” Orense said.

“In this PPOC, we hope to determine which areas in Maguindanao the IDPs (internally displaced people) can return back home, we are conducting joint assessment here,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mangudadatu asked town mayors to help the military identify BIFF members in their respective communities using their “assets.”

The PPOC will convene again early next week to determine if, by then, IDPs can return home. No skirmishes have been reported in the past three days. — LBG, GMA News