Local officials here have asked Muslims and Maguindanaons to
help protect local Christians from violence inflicted by the lawless Bangsamoro
Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
Abdullah Sangki town Mayor Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu has
also condemned the Christmas Day offensives by the BIFF that left eight
civilian farmers of Barangays Kauran and Palian, all farming villages inhabited
by Christian settlers.
“It was unjust and inhuman,” Mangudadatu said of the Dec. 24
dawn attacks perpetrated by the BIFF.
“And so we condemn the group that perpetrated this. Our
municipality, Datu Abdullah Sangki, is one of the most peaceful towns in
Maguindanao, where the Christians and the Muslims live peacefully together,”
the lady mayor said in a statement.
She described the attackers as “anti-peace.” Two of the
eight fatalities in the Christmas Day rampage were residents of Barangay Kakal,
Datu Abdullah Sangki taown.
Like village officials, Mangudadatu stressed that the slain
farmers were not armed and were never a member of para military troops as
claimed by BIFF spokesperson Abuy Misri Mama.
Mangudadatu expressed sympathy with the widows of slain
farmers after distributing relief items and financial aid to them.
Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, 6th Infantry Division
commander, condemned the BIFF attacks and vowed to pursue them wherever they go
to give justice to the slain farmers.
“The 6th ID condemns the treacherous act of the lawless
group, BIFF, and will not allow them to continue thriving within Central Mindanao ,” Pangilinan said.
Regional Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) on Wednesday also condemned the BIFF offensives. He
called on villagers in affected villages to remain alert and never resort to
retaliatory attacks.
Hataman told residents the government is doing its best to
address security issues in Barangay Kauran and adjacent communities in
Ampatuan.
Hataman said the BIFF attacks were “acts of terrorism.” He
added no legitimate revolutionary group who is fighting for the Bangsamoro
people would harm or kill non-combatants.
Mangudadatu said residents, both Muslims and Christians,
should look back to the years when they protect each other against lawlessness since
they have been living together. In fact, there were inter-marriages within the
two tribal groups.
The beleaguered residents of Barangay Kauran, Ampatuan,
Maguindanao also urged the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
peace panels to help prevent similar attacks in the future.
Under the GPH and MILF ceasefire agreement, both the
government and the MILFF will mutually cooperate in containing lawlessness in
areas where the MILF operate, like Maguindanao.
Barangay Kagawad Rommel Rodriguez of Kauran, Ampatuan said
the residents expect the GPH and MILF peace panels to interfere in the name of
peace.
“Our village is peaceful, Muslims and Christians live
together and work together, the problem started when the BIFF started dipping
its finger on land claims,” Rodriguez told DXMS-AM Radyo Bida.
Rodriguez stressed there is no land conflict in the area and
that Christians legally acquired the lands from Muslim owners.
“We have titles, we have legal documents, there is no land
grabbing issue in Barangay Kauran,” Rodriguez told BIFF spokesperson who
earlier accused the Christian settlers of land grabbing.
Rodriguez and other local officials were convinced the
GPH-MILF ceasefire committee can do something.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=842370
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