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COTABATO
CITY—The
central committee of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
is willing to surrender its fighters who were involved
in the July 10 ambush in Al-Barka, Basilan, that
resulted in the killing of 14 Marines looking for
kidnapped Italian priest Fr. Giancarlo Bossi.
Brig.
Gen. Eduardo Guerra, chairman of government’s panel to
the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of
Hostilities (CCCH), said on Monday his counterpart, Von
Al Haq of the MILF, assured the government of the
surrender of the rebels if it will be recommended by the
fact-finding mission currently investigating the Basilan
clash.
Earlier,
rebel leaders said they will not surrender their
fighters who killed the 14 Marines. The MILF has
admitted earlier to engaging the Marines in battle, but
denied responsibility for the mutilations of the bodies.
Ten of the Marines were beheaded.
As this
developed, operations to get members of the MILF who
beheaded 10 Marines early this month will push through
on Tuesday, the military said.
Gen.
Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Armed Forces chief of staff,
said that the postponed punitive action against the Moro
rebels would be launched, as the military leadership
expects the joint government-MILF panel tasked to
investigate the incident to have wrapped up its
investigation on Monday.
“It’s a
go. D-day is tomorrow [Tuesday],” Esperon told reporters
in Fort Bonifacio after inspecting Marine Battalion
Landing Team 7 that would be sent to Basilan.
The
additional Marine battalion would be sent to Basilan on
Tuesday to augment the Marine brigade deployed there.
Esperon,
however, expressed hopes that the MILF rebels implicated
in the kiling of 14 Marines will surrender to the police
peacefully when the warrants for their arrest are
served.
Esperon
also hopes that the MILF will not intervene as a group
when policemen serve the warrants of arrest that have
been issued by a local court, as this may possibly
result in a shooting war.
He said
that for days, the Armed Forces held back military
action against the rebels in deference to the ongoing
investigation of the CCCH.
“They [MILF
leaders] are now willing to hand over [those involved in
the ambush] if such were recommended by the fact-finding
team. He [Al Haq] even made the assurance during a press
briefing in Isabela City in Basilan recently,” Guerra
said.
The
six-member fact-finding committee, composed of three
representatives each from the government and the MILF,
left for Basilan on July 27 for the first leg of its
investigation. The team, along with a full secretariat,
is conducting extensive interviews among combatants from
both sides, as well as the civilian population.
Col.
Danilo Garcia, 604th Infantry Brigade commander, said
that troops in Central Mindanao have been alerted on the
possible outbreak of hostilities as MILF fighterts have
been a placed on standby for possible escalation of the
planned punitive action in Basilan.
“The
troops are prepared for whatever may happen on the
ground,” Garcia said.
Meanwhile, the Southeast Asia Global Partnership for the
Prevention of Armed Conflict expressed worry over the
situation in Basilan, as the condition on the ground
remains uncertain.
“Our
attention should not only be confined to the
5,000-strong Marines who are poised to conduct offensive
operations. We cannot imagine the possible heavy
casualties and bloodshed that both sides will sustain,”
Antonio Manaytay, research officer of the Initiatives
for International Dialogue, said in statement.
“But our
concern should mainly include the nameless and faceless
victims of war: the thousands of children, women and the
elderly. The latest reports from Bantay Cease-fire or
Cease-fire Watch, a grassroots cease-fire monitor, put
the number of evacuees at around 5,000. We cannot help
but be alarmed of the dire consequences on the health as
well as the livelihood concerns of these evacuees,”
Manaytay added.
As peace
advocates, he said they cannot just fold their hands and
be indifferent to the situation in Basilan and its
implications to the peace and security situation in
Mindanao.
“Let us
be reminded that the Basilan tragedy was not just
another crime that happens everyday. It has adverse
consequences to the ongoing peace talks between the
government and the MILF. No matter how tedious and
contentious the ongoing peace talks, we should learn to
appreciate its value and count the blessings of
temporary peace it has secured for
Mindanao,” Manaytay said.
The
group urged the government and the MILF to exercise
maximum restraint over the situation in Basilan, as they
recommended to them to provide spaces of peace in areas
affected by the military offensive, in order to give
time for relief and rehabilitation work to be conducted
by concerned government agencies and civil society
groups.
A
congressman, meanwhile, asked the government to mobilize
an inter-agency task force to oversee the protection of
civilians in Basilan and its neighboring areas as law
enforcers are set to serve the warrants of arrest for
MILF and Abu Sayyaf Group members implicated in the July
10 ambush of 14 Marines.
“There
should be a plan for massive evacuation of local
residents and temporary assistance to civilians who may
be affected by the police and military operations. These
should all be handled by an interagency task force for
proper coordination and immediate implementation,” said
Lakas Rep. Relson Jala of Bohol.
Jala
said no one knows how long the joint Armed Forces and
National Police operations will last, whether these will
get into a full-scale war and whether these will spill
over to other areas.
“While
the serving of the warrants of arrest for the beheaders
had been left to the police, with the support of the
military, the government should identify the agencies
that would be responsible for the civilians’ needs and
protection,” said Jala.
He said
the government cannot just let civilians scamper and run
for their lives. (With R. Acosta and F. Marasigan) |
