THE Malacañang-controlled House of Representatives expressed full support for President Aquino’s no all-out war policy against the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) but pushed for an active pursuit of the “lawless elements” responsible for the killing of soldiers in Basilan and Zamboanga.
“What happened to our soldiers in these encounters is a tragedy and we must bring the perpetrators to justice. It is precisely in avoiding more losses of lives that we are pursuing all paths to genuine peace,” said Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.
In supporting Mr. Aquino’s stand against total war, Belmonte cited Article 2 Section 2 of the Declaration of Principles of the 1987 Constitution that states: “The Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy, adopts the generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation and amity with all nations.”
House Deputy Speaker Raul Daza, for his part said that, “If this is applicable in our international relations then it is more compelling that it applies to our own domestic relations with our Muslim countrymen.”
House leaders said the role of the Armed Forces should be as clear as is stated in the Constitution that, “Civilian authority is at all times supreme over the military. The Armed Forces is the protector of the people and the State.”
“How can we possibly seek peace and contradict ourselves by declaring an all-out war against our own people?” Daza asked.
But the proadministration legislators said that this stand in no way condones the violent incidents in Basilan and Zamboanga that have senselessly ended the lives of soldiers.
‘All-out justice’ fails to appease demoralized troops
THE delayed and even selective “all-out justice” that the government implemented on Monday against wanted MILF personalities by way of a deliberate police-military action solely in Zamboanga Sibugay has failed to appease the demoralized Armed Forces ranks, with soldiers believing it only gave credence to the status of the MILF as an “untouchable” under the Aquino administration.
Some soldiers noted that while the MILF had readily admitted that its forces, particularly members of the 114th Base Command, which is based in Basilan, were the ones who massacred the 19 Army Special Forces members eight days ago, the government, particularly Mr. Aquino and even the military top brass, were “too fearful” to mention the name of the separatist group. Rather, Mr. Aquino called MILF’s wanted members as “lawless elements.”
“Our Commander in Chief and even Gen. Eduardo Oban, [Armed Forces chief of staff] called our operations in Zamboanga Sibugay as an all-out justice against lawless elements and not the MILF or its members. Why? Are we too afraid to mention the name of the MILF? Are we protecting them? Is this the result of the meeting of our Commander in Chief with the leaders of the MILF some weeks back in Tokyo?” a soldier said.
On Monday evening, text messages circulated within military circles asking soldiers to go or extend their holidays, a call that was apparently related to the earlier threat of a group of some senior military officials to resign as a form of protest over the way the government handled the slaughter of soldiers in Al- Barka, Basilan.
The text messages circulated just hours after Mr. Aquino issued his all-out justice pronouncement in Malacañang.
Extended holiday
“IN order to respect the order of the President, the soldiers will declare an extended holiday to allow the peace process to proceed…all units return to barracks and cease all pursuit operations,” said one of the messages.
Earlier, the senior military officials threatened to resign en masse to protest the alleged lack of action by the Executive Department on the death of soldiers in Basilan.
Oban dismissed the reported demoralization on the ranks, although he told military reporters on Monday evening that they were also grieving with the soldiers over the loss of their colleagues.
One soldier noted that while Mr. Aquino belatedly acted against “lawless elements,” headed by Juaning Abdusalam in Zamboanga Sibugay who killed seven soldiers and policemen, he kept his hands tied in the Al-Barka case, which is now the root of the demoralization.
“Although delayed, we were expecting the operations to take place also in Basilan, but there was none,” he said.
Oban said the pursuit operations against those responsible for the killing of soldiers will continue until they are accounted for, but in Basilan, such will have to go through the cease-fire mechanism.
A soldier said they do not expect the MILF to surrender its men in Basilan as it had already claimed that the Special Forces troops were the ones who encroached in its area of temporary stay.
“We are only fooling ourselves with the belief that the MILF will turn over its fighters. We tried going through the cease-fire mechanisms after the beheadings of the 14 Marines also in Basilan in 2007, but was there anyone surrendered?” he asked.
“In the first place, if such mechanisms really work then we would not have been running after the same individuals who have been declared as fugitives so many years back,” he added.
(With R. Acosta)
