Don’t force me to reveal my real name, Iqbal asks lawmakers

By JAILEEN JIMENO, GMA News

Published April 10, 2015 3:10pm

(Updated 6:26 p.m.) Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief peace panel Mohagher Iqbal on Friday urged lawmakers not to force him to reveal his real name, appealing for "understanding" to enable him to fulfill his role as peace negotiator.

"I am not asking for special treatment," Iqbal said, urging members of both houses of Congress to avoid a situation where he will find it difficult to balance his role as leader of a revolutionary organization and as peace negotiator.

"Ang pakiusap ko sa Senado...huwag tayong papasok sa isang sitwasyon na mahihirapan ako, kasi tinitingnan din ako ng mga kasamahan ko sa Mindanao," Iqbal said.

The MILF official issued his plea as some lawmakers announced their plan to queston Iqbal's use of a nom de guerre in dealing with government, hinting that the validity of the peace agreement he signed may be challenged.

He explained that as of now, he is an official of a revolutionary organization whose only link with the government is the peace process. "Pag naayos na itong lahat, we will become part of mainstream society," Iqbal said.

Iqbal's use of a nom de guerre was revealed during a hearing in the House of Representatives this week.

In that hearing, Iqbal defended his use of an alias, saying even Filipino hero Marcelo del Pilar was known to have used aliases.

SOP for safety of self and family

In a separate interview, Iqbal told GMA News Online that a rebel's use of an alias was standard operating procedure for one's safety and that of his or her family.

"'Yung issue na 'yan, hindi ko na dapat sasagutin 'yan... kasi paulit-ulit nang ine-explain namin: Ang isang revolutionary, isang rebelde, parang standard operating procedure na 'yan na nag-a-assume ng pangalan," Iqbal said over the phone.

"The reason for that is security issue, lalong lalo na nu'ng panahon ng batas militar. Anybody can just meet a cop and then 'pag ginamit 'yung pangalan namin na tunay, paano naman 'yung mga pamilya namin?" he added.

"There are reasons for that, but the main issue, the main reasons, are standard operating procedure and security," Iqbal said.

Salah Jubair

Government peace panel chairperson Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said Iqbal and other MILF officers "have security considerations as well as privacy concerns for their families."

"The decision to divulge such information can only come from them, as it is their lives and families that are at stake," Ferrer added.

Iqbal has previously admitted that Salah Jubair is one of his several aliases. Using Jubair, he published two books about Mindanao and the peace process.

He said Mohagher Iqbal, the name he uses as leader of the MILF is of Arabic origin.

"Mohagher means 'immigrant,' while Iqbal means 'lofty,'' he explained.

Iqbal said based on a legal opinion he received, one cannot invoke the anti-alias law in the peace process since it is a political, not a legal transaction.

Not allowed?

Early this week, Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles said that Iqbal's use of an alias in the peace agreement is not allowed under Article 178 of the Revised Penal Code and the Anti-Alias Law under Commonwealth Act 142 as amended by Republic Act 6085 which prohibits persons from using pseudonyms in any public transaction or public document.

“He must affix his real or original name and the use of names or aliases or pseudonyms is punishable,” Nograles said.

But Justice Secretary Leila de Lima believed otherwise.

“If the person using the nom de guerre does not deny, that his nom de guerre is in fact the one who signed the document, then I don’t see the validity of the document becoming an issue,” she said during a hearing at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

De Lima said Republic Act 6085 or the Anti-Alias Law allows for an exemption with regard to use of pseudonyms for literary purposes while Article 178 of the Revised Penal Code provides for penalties when pseudonyms are used to conceal a crime.

Estoppel

De Lima on Friday said the peace agreements signed by Iqbal will not be invalidated even if he did not use his real name in signing them.

De Lima issued her remark following Iqbal's admission that he used a nom de guerre when he signed the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro on Oct. 15, 2012 and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro on March 27, 2014.

"I don't think it will affect the authenticity or the very legality of the document just because it is signed under a nom de guerre or an alias kasi in-admit na niya na alias niya iyon so he can no longer deny such representation of his," said De Lima.

"Pumapasok na jan yung doctrine of estoppel," added the Justice secretary, referring to a legal principle in which a person is prevented from denying a previous act he or she has committed.

"He is now in estoppel to deny that that is his signature, that he knowingly affixed his signature in the agreement. So the validity of the agreement cannot be considered as having been affected," said De Lima. — RSJ/NB, GMA News

Tags: mohagheriqbal