President Aquino assures the AFP will go after Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter members to protect Filipinos

From the Philippine News Agency (Jan 29): President Aquino assures the AFP will go after Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter members to protect Filipinos

President Benigno S. Aquino III assured on Wednesday that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) remains committed to go after Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighter (BIFF) members and other lawless elements to protect the Filipinos.

In an interview with the media following his attendance at the 2013 The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) awarding ceremonies at the Insular Life Auditorium, Insular Life Corporate Center, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, the Chief Executive said the AFP continues to carry out its mandate to prevent lawless elements to inflict harm on the people.

"Iyong BIFF, I understand, the current operations, are due to the fact that they were engaging in harassment activities situated along the banks of the Polangui River — snipping attacks and so on," the President said.

"So the AFP, in its role to protect our people, is going on this operations to prevent these lawless activities from inflicting harm on our populace and to seriously degrade their abilities to again act as spoilers," he said.

The President also assured that the AFP and other law enforcement agencies are working to ensure that the peace process will not be disrupted.

"Ngayon, siguro batid naman ng lahat na merong mga grupo tulad nung Abu Sayyaf, for instance, na nakikinabang sa pananatili nung tinatawag na status quo sa Mindanao kung saan may kaguluhan lalo na po dito sa mga saklaw ng ARMM," he said.

"Inaasahan po natin na dito sa pagkapirma nitong agreement natin at saka nang mga annexes — at nangyayari na po na nagkakatulungan ang MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front) at ang gobyerno para masugpo itong mga lumalabag sa ating mga batas; at lalo pang magiging mas maigting ang pagtutulungan ng bawat isa at lalong mahahabol natin lahat nga nitong mga desididong gumawa ng karahasan sa Kamindanaoan," President Aquino said.

Last Saturday, the Government of the Philippines (GPH) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) panels signed the Annex on Normalization and Addendum on Bangsamoro Waters.

The Annex on Normalization is the last of the four Annexes to the GPH-MILF Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro (FAB).

The Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, signed on October 15, 2012, serves as a roadmap for the creation of a Bangsamoro entity that will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and lays down the groundwork to achieve lasting and genuine peace in Mindanao.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=1&sid=&nid=1&rid=610626