MILF MAMASAPANO REPORT | AGFO: Why Malaysia? Not a good move

From InterAksyon (Mar 14): MILF MAMASAPANO REPORT | AGFO: Why Malaysia? Not a good move



Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan (Ret.) being interviewed on the MILF's Masasapano investigation report. Photographed by Jaime Sinapit.

The chairman and president of the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO) on Saturday lambasted what he calls the arrogance manifested by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in not submitting or furnishing a copy of its own Mamasapano investigation report to the government.

The MILF leadership had said, instead, that it was submitting the document, instead, to the government of Malaysia, citing certain protocols pertaining to the Bangsamoro peace process.

Malaysia has been brokering the peace talks between the Aquino administration and MILF.

Earlier, leaders of the MILF, such as Jaafar Ghadzali and Mohagher Iqbal, said they would submit their investigation report to Kuala Lumpur through the International Monitoring Team (IMT).

They said that if the government wants a copy of their investigation report, then it should request one from Malaysia, being the facilitator of the peace talks.

"That, to me, is not really a good move in connection with the peace process," said Adan. "While there is a third party facilitator, the Malaysian government, the MILF, to show good faith and that they recognize the authority of the Philippine government, they should submit their report to our government."

Adan Jr. told Interaksyon.com in an interview at the sidelines during awarding ceremonies of the pre-graduation rites of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Sinaglahi" Class 2015 at the Fort Del Pillar in Baguio City that he was appalled by the MILF's show of arrogance.

The former spokesman of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and executive director of the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) said that, the protocols cited by the MILF aside, "for purposes of building trust and if they are sincere in building that trust, then that report should have been coursed through the Philippine government."

Hundreds of MILF fighters joined forces with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), in repulsing commandos from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force (SAF) last January as they were withdrawing after neutralizing international terrorist Zukifli Abdhir (nom de guerre Marwan).

Marwan, a Malaysian national and terrorist of the regional Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) movement, which has links with Al Qaeda, was tracked to his hideout in Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The 12-hour firefight killed 44 SAF men, 18 MILF and 5 civilians, while 16 other SAF men and officers were seriously wounded.

This show of arrogance by the MILF, Adan said, will tend to aggravate public uproar against the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

But, Adan said, the damage has been done by the MILF as the Filipino people, as a nation, has become enlightened about certain unconstitutional provisions in the BBL that are being scrutinized in Congress.

"Not in its present form," Adan said about the problematic provisions, "there are so many defects there, unconstitutional provisions."

"My organization, the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO), of which I am now the chairman and president, does not believe that these provisions augur well for peace. Because it violates the fundamental law of the land."

What is unbelievable, Adan said, is that the BBL is apparently not beholden to the commander-in-chief, the President.

The proposed law grants certain powers to the Bangsamoro "that diminishes the role of the commander-in-chief. It gives them the opportunity to maintaining an armed force, which is a violation of the Constitution, because the Constitution only provides for one Armed Forces of the Philippines. That's a violation of the authority of the President down to the Chief of Staff, which must never be compromised," Adan affirmed.

Furthermore, Adan said, the quest for justice for the massacred 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos cannot be completed without the arrest and detention of the perpetrators: "There is no closure of the Mamasapano carnage without giving justice to the victims. "There should be justice, of course. All the perpetrators should be held accountable; they should be surrendered by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as demanded by our senators and congressmen." Adan said that, if the perpetrators refuse to surrender and continue to be coddled, then long arm of the law will catch up with them: "The nation's security forces and law enforcement agencies must conduct law enforcement operations to arrest them, and, if they resist, neutralize them." The PNP and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have yet to file criminal charges against the perpetrators believed to be members of the MILF and some of them members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/106932/milf-mamasapano-report--agfo-why-malaysia-not-a-good-move