MILF urged to surrender Usman as an act of goodwill

Senate President Franklin Drilon on Wednesday urged the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leadership to surrender to authorities Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) commander Basit Usman and all those involved in the firefight with the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) over the weekend.

 

Drilon said such an act would be a demonstration of the MILF’s partnership with the government.

Forty-four Philippine National Police-SAF members were killed in the encounter with MILF and BIFF forces in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last January 25. Twelve SAF members were wounded.

 

BIFF is an splinter group of the MILF.

 

“This act of goodwill, if demonstrated, will, without a shadow of a doubt, prove the MILF's sincerity and support to the government’s peace and development program,” Drilon said in a press statement.

 

The Senate leader said the MILF should fully cooperate with government’s efforts in investigating and bringing justice to the victims of Mamapasano attacks, so that doubts and reservations formed as a result of the bloody attack can be erased, and confidence and faith in the peace process can again be restored.   

 

"If they will surrender the suspects in these heinous acts and help arrest Usman, the MILF will show that they are one with the government in the pursuit of genuine and lasting peace, and that the government has made the right decision in negotiating a peace pact with them, because they are and will always be on the side of justice and harmony," he said.

 

He added that “this is a test of sincerity on the part of the MILF on the one hand, and a test of faith in the peace process on the part of the government and the Filipino people, on the other hand.”

 

Drilon said the MILF, as a partner of the government in its peace initiative, should not block but instead assist police authorities in arresting the likes of Usman, a notorious bomb expert with links to the Jemaah Islamiyah terror network, who has been the subject of law enforcement operations for years.

 

"The January 25 police operation was a chance to finally arrest Usman and Zulkipli 'Marwan' Hir, but our policemen had been foiled, and lost their lives in a tragic and deadly event," he said.  

Marwan is one of the most wanted JI leaders operating in Southeast Asia. He was believed to be involved in several bombing and terror attacks in Mindanao involving the JI-assisted Abu Sayyaf group. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has recently offered $5 million bountry for his capture.

 

Drilon further said the government must apply the full force of the law to bring justice to the families of the slain policemen.      

 

He stressed that the encounter, condemnable as it is, should not weaken the resolve of each and every Filipino to aspire and work for genuine and lasting peace for their brothers and sisters in Mindanao.

 

“Peace is never easy. Let us not give up,” Drilon said.

 

Senate inquiry

 

Meanwhile, Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chairman of the Senate committee on peace, unification, and reconciliation, filed a resolution calling for an inquiry on the police operation in Mamasapano.

 

In Resolution 1136, the senator said the probe is needed “to avoid distractions from the peace process and prevent the indiscriminate and wholesale condemnation of the people of Mindanao for the actions of a few violent persons.”

 

“We need to shed light on the facts surrounding the law enforcement operations that caused injuries and death to those involved. There is a need to accurately determine the nature, scope, and objective of the operation and identify those responsible for the unnecessary loss of lives,” Guingona said.

 

Senator Grace Poe, head of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, likewise, filed a resolution seeking a probe on the incident.

 

In Resolution 1135, Poe said the death of the PNP-SAF members indicated possible lapses in tactics and training on the part of PNP-SAF and possible deficiencies in the unit’s operational doctrines, equipment, and resources.

 

“The incident calls for a more definite delineation of the functions and responsibilities of the PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines in particular relation to operations against wanted criminals why may be found in areas occupied or controlled by rebel groups,” she said.

 

She also called on the government to exert all efforts to prosecute and punish all those responsible for the deaths of the police officers and accord the families of the victims the necessary assistance and the justice they deserve.

 

Detained Senator Jinggoy Estrada has also filed a resolution calling for an investigation on the matter. —KG, GMA News