Hunt for 130 Abus, MILF members starts Tuesday

The military on Monday announced that the operation against about 130 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayyaf who participated in the killing of 14 Marines on July 10 in Tipo-tipo, Basilan will start Tuesday. The announcement came the same day that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front asked for an extension of the cessation of hostilities in the area, saying that the investigation of the case was unfinished. Von Al-Haq, the MILF's representative to the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH), said they would have to ask “for several days…" "We have to be accurate in the investigation, they say they have 130 names (mentioned in the warrants) but we have to be sure,"he explained. Al Haq said that their request for an extension has already been coursed to government negotiator Rodolfo Garcia. In Fort Bonifacio, Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said that police officers, backed by military units would be serving the warrants of arrest. The announcement came as the three-day window given to the GRP-MILF Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities to complete the investigation on the circumstances of the incident ended Monday. “Tomorrow, warrants will be served by the Philippine National Police. We will be there to assist, to provide security and as a back up force. The punitive action comes in the form of arrest and serving of warrants. It’s a go. The D-day is still tomorrow," Esperon said. Earlier, Esperon inspected the officers and men of the 7th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT) and their equipment at the Marine grandstand. The unit will be shipped to Basilan on Wednesday. The retrained battalion will replace the 9th MBLT in the province which will be redeployed to Palawan while the 10th MBLT based in Palawan will be transferred to the Marine headquarters for retraining and refurbishing. Addressing the members of the 7th MBLT, Esperon said the military cannot allow the perpetrators to remain free “because if we do not punish them, there will be more beheaders and soldiers might not only be the victims but our countrymen. Esperon also said the soldiers should remember President Arroyo’s remarks during her State of the Nation Address last July 23. “We are aspiring for peace and progress especially in Mindanao but her guidance to us is ‘we will not disappoint the hopes, this is of our 14 comrade Marines, we will not waste their sacrifice, we will not be swayed from the course we have set in this conflict for peace and justice throughout the land’," said Esperon. “I am asking you to follow the right process and I believe that once you are already in Basilan, you would be able to carry out our mandate towards a peaceful and progressive Mindanao…We are expecting that law, peace and progress will reign in Basilan," he said. - GMANews.TV