Peace agreement with MILF renders anticrime drive in Mindanao ‘useless’

From the Business Mirror (Jul 8): Peace agreement with MILF renders anticrime drive in Mindanao ‘useless’

A KIDNAPPING suspect and seven members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were arrested this week by soldiers manning a checkpoint in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, but both the Moro group and the government wanted the Moro fighters released because of the peace talks.

The military refused to officially confirm the arrest because of the signed peace agreement between the government and the MILF, but a police official, who requested anonymity, confirmed the arrest.

An initial report said Jaloud Ditacan and the seven armed MILF fighters were arrested at a checkpoint in Pawak Saguiaran, Marawi City, by soldiers. Ditacan is a member of a kidnap-for-ransom group and is the subject of a standing warrant of arrest.

Some members of the MILF have been accused of involvement in criminality, if not acting as protectors or even accomplices of criminals operating in Mindanao.

The report said Ditacan and the seven Moro fighters, who yielded eight assorted firearms were taken to the headquarters of the Army’s 65th Infantry Battalion for “security reasons.”

However, the MILF and the government’s Ad Hoc Joint Action Group reportedly wanted that the seven Moro rebels released because of the peace talks between the government and the Moro group.

“They wanted the seven MILF men to be released to the International Monitoring Team,” the police official said, adding that “if such is the case every time Moro fighters are arrested even on ordinary criminal cases, then the anticrime campaign in Mindanao would be useless.”

In January 44 National Police Special Action Force commandos were killed after they operated against regional terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, inside what is considered “MILF territory” in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The MILF has been accused of coddling and according protection to the member of the Asean terror group Jema’ah Islamiyah who was killed during the police operations.

The MILF has yet to explain Marwan’s presence in its so-called territory.

The same was said of the MILF in the case of local terrorist and expert bomber Abdul Bassit Usman, who was killed several months ago, also in Maguindanao.

The accusations were, however, denied by the leadership of the MILF.

Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has allowed police investigators to have continued custody of confiscated firearms involved in criminal cases through Department of Justice Department Circular 067.

This was clarified by the National Police’s Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management  which issued a memorandum to all police regional commanders and directors of national support units directing them to inform and explain to investigators the provisions of DOJ Department Circular 067.

The memorandum also instructed police units to refrain from turning over custody of confiscated firearms to prosecutors and to warrant the continued custody over said firearms for purposes of conducting ballistic examination and cross-matching.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/peace-agreement-with-milf-renders-anticrime-drive-in-mindanao-useless/