Both the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will look into the abduction of the Marawi City police chief and the attack on the city's police station by alleged members of the MILF, presidential peace adviser Teresita 'Ging' Deles said Friday.
“In accordance with the rules and procedures agreed upon between the GPH (government panel) and MILF, investigations will be conducted immediately by the joint committees,” Deles said in a press statement.
She was referring to the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG), and the International Monitoring Team (IMT), which also played a role in the release of Police Superintendent Christopher Panapan.
The joint CCCH has representatives from the government and the MILF and is charged with checking on the implementation of the ceasefire between the two sides.
The AHJAG, meanwhile, is composed of four members each from the government and the MILF and is tasked with coordinating with military and MILF units "to effect the apprehension and arrest of the suspected criminal elements."
The International Monitoring Team is led by Malaysia and checks "the implementation of the Agreement on Peace between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front of 22 June 2001" and other related agreements.
“As we have declared many times before, what we are after is peace with justice. We will rely on the established mechanisms to ensure that the rule of law is followed and justice is duly served,” she said.
“As we have declared many times before, what we are after is peace with justice. We will rely on the established mechanisms to ensure that the rule of law is followed and justice is duly served,” she said.
Panapan was abducted early Friday morning after some 40 armed men attacked the Marawi City police station reportedly to free two of their detained companions. He was released hours later.
Deles called the incident unfortunate since it happened when the government and MILF panels were in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for talks that are meant to lead to a final peace agreement.
She said the government panel immediately raised the matter with the MILF for urgent action.
“Our panels have closely monitored the situation on the ground, and undertook coordination with their respective ceasefire committees to assist in ensuring the incident’s immediate resolution in the soonest possible time,” said Deles.
She cited the CCCH, AHJAG, and IMT “for the crucial role they played in securing the safe release of city police chief Panapan, and preventing possible escalation of hostilities that might have compromised the existing ceasefire between government and the MILF.”
She also gave recognition to the local security forces for their command and restraint on the ground that enabled peaceful resolution of the incident, and to local government officials who worked together with the ceasefire mechanism.
Deles also lauded the MILF leadership “for working with us on this matter.”
“At this point in time when we are in the last stage of the negotiations towards the completion of a comprehensive agreement, it is important that we are able to prove that we have control over our forces, and can protect our communities in our commitment to deliver the much deserved peace and development in the region.”
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.