ADMINISTRATION and opposition senators firmed up a bipartisan stand advising the Arroyo administration against resuming peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) until its renegade commanders have been made to account for the mayhem in Iligan City, Kolambugan and Kauswagan towns in Lanao del Norte and Maasim in Sarangani, as well as earlier attacks in Aleosan, Pikit and Midsayap towns in North Cotabato.

The senators on Tuesday insisted that suspected secessionist rebels who perpetrated the atrocities in various villages in Mindanao, including the ground commanders of the MILF, should be held liable under the Human Security Act, also known as the antiterror law.

“If I were the government, I will charge them under the antiterrorism law; they fall squarely under the Human Security Act. You have to charge them [because the fact is] they committed a crime,” administration Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, principal author of the law that imposes stiff penalties against terrorist acts, told reporters.

The senators cited reports pinpointing a certain MILF Commander Bravo as the leader in the Lanao-Iligan attacks and Commander Umbra Kato in North Cotabato.

In a statement, members of the opposition bloc led by Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. condemned the violence being inflicted on the civilian population in North Cotabato, Lanao del Norte and other places in Mindanao. 

“The MILF leadership, if they are serious about achieving peace in Mindanao, should discipline their ranks and not allow them to wreak havoc on the people of Mindanao. We also urge the government to immediately restore law and order, taking a proactive stand to degrade the military capability of the rebels and, thereby, prevent further loss of lives of the innocent as well as of our troops who are caught in the spiral of violence now engulfing many Muslim provinces in Mindanao.”

Sens. Benigno Aquino III, Rodolfo Biazon, Panfilo Lacson, Loren Legarda, Consuelo Madrigal, Manuel Roxas II, Antonio Trillanes IV and Pimentel also supported the passage of a supplemental budget for the Armed Forces subject to proper accounting to beef up the intelligence capability of the AFP and supply them with their needs to accomplish their mission under the Constitution.

They noted that tens of thousands of innocent civilians have fled from the scenes of conflict but have nowhere to go. “We call upon the central government to mobilize the DSWD, DOH, DILG [Departments of Social Welfare, Health, and Interior and Local Government] and all the civilian departments of government to extend a helping hand to avert a humanitarian crisis in the afflicted areas.”

“We demand that the administration should not use federalism and the peace process as a pretext for ‘Charter change,’ which only exacerbate the already volatile situation in Mindanao,” the opposition senators added.

At the same time, former President Joseph Estrada, at a gathering of leaders of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino in San Juan, called on the Arroyo administration to end all talks with the MILF.

Estrada expressed concern over the recent attacks in Mindanao even as he decried the killing of civilians and the dislocation of communities in these areas. He recalled that the AFP had already expelled the MILF during his presidency when his administration overran 46 camps of the MILF in an all-out war against the secessionist group; but the Arroyo administration allowed it to return in 2001.

“Entering into negotiations with the MILF again was a mistake of the current government, and to have offered the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity as a concession for peace is tantamount to treason, an unforgivable act for a president,” he said.

“The primary duty of the president and commander-in-chief is to protect the territorial integrity of the nation at all costs under one flag, one armed forces, one commander-in-chief and one government.”

According to Estrada, the solution to the ongoing crisis in Mindanao is to stop giving concessions and to stop talks with the MILF, which is taking the government for a ride.

“Given the record of the MILF as a secessionist group engaged in terrorism, engaged in so-called negotiations and talks with the government for over 30 years while continuing their attacks, the government should now know better than to entertain their demands. They should negotiate from a position of strength, not of weakness.”

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ADMINISTRATION and opposition senators firmed up a bipartisan stand advising the Arroyo administration against resuming peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) until its renegade commanders have been made to account for the mayhem in Iligan City, Kolambugan and Kauswagan towns in Lanao del Norte and Maasim in Sarangani, as well as earlier attacks in Aleosan, Pikit and Midsayap towns in North Cotabato.

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