The Senate will
resume hearings on the Bangsamoro Basic Law after receiving the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's (MILF) report into the Mamasapano tragedy HEARINGS.
In this file photo, Senator Bongbong Marcos (left), chair of the Senate
Committee on Local Government, talks to Office of the Presidential Adviser on
the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Teresita Quintos-Deles (right) and
Bangsamoro chairman Mohaguer Iqbal (center) before the start of a briefing on
the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. File photo by Albert Calvelo/PRIB
MANILA, Philippines – The Senate will resume
hearings on the Bangsamoro Basic Law after receiving the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front's (MILF) report into the Mamasapano tragedy.
Senate local government chairman Ferdinand
“Bongbong” Marcos Jr said he will continue tackling the bill on April 13 even
while the Senate is on session break.
“Since I have received the MILF report and I
already have the report of the Board of Inquiry and also the Senate report, I
can now resume the hearing on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law,” Marcos said
on Tuesday, March 24.
Marcos and Senate public order committee
chairperson Grace Poe received copies of the MILF report on Tuesday, a week
after the Senate released its draft findings on the deadly encounter that
endangered the peace process.
In tackling the bill, Marcos said on top of
his agenda is strengthening the ceasefire mechanism, a key point of discussion
during the Senate hearings into the January 25 clash. (DOCUMENT: Bangsamoro Basic Law
Primer)
“Because what happened in Mamasapano was, as early as 5:30 am to 6 am on
that Sunday, the MILF was already told that it’s the government troops that
they were firing at. But the total ceasefire was only achieved around 4 pm.,
that’s almost 11 hours. If it only took 11 minutes to implement the ceasefire,
then, some lives could have been saved,” he said.
Several lawmakers questioned the delay in
implementing the ceasefire, saying the MILF already knew early on January 25
that it was fighting government forces. The rebel group responded that it was
difficult to stop the fighting as its members acted in self-defense, and saw
fellow rebels die.
Marcos made the submission of the reports of
the Senate, the MILF, and the police Board of Inquiry (BOI) a condition for the
resumption of the hearings on the bill.
The bill aims to create an expanded region
with more powers and resources than the current Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM). The creation of the Bangsamoro political entity is aimed at
ending 4 decades of fighting and poverty in Muslim Mindanao. It is a priority
measure of the Aquino administration.
The measure became unpopular after the clash between elite cops and
Moro rebels. The operation to arrest terrorists in the MILF stronghold of
Mamasapano, Maguindanao led to the death of 67 Filipinos when Moro rebels and
armed groups engaged the policemen in a daylong firefight. The MILF blamed the
lack of coordination as a factor behind the heavy death toll. (READ: Public misinformed about BBL,
says peace panel head)
In its report, the MILF said that it was the
Special Action Force (SAF) troopers that first fired on its members.
The MILF also said it was not clear that its
members were the ones who shot at the commandos at close range. The group said
it is not liable for violating international human rights law.
Poe to tackle 'contradictory
findings'
Like Marcos, Poe welcomed the submission of
the MILF report but noted that its findings were “contradictory” to the Senate
report. (FULL TEXT: MILF report on
Mamasapano)
The Senate report branded the clash a “massacre,” and
blamed the MILF for putting “finishing touches” on the SAF members who were
wounded in the firefight. The Poe-drafted report also questioned the sincerity
of the MILF, calling the peace process a “casualty” of the encounter.
Poe said she stands by her committee report.
“However, as I announced previously,
amendments may be proposed and considered when we resume session in May. How
the MILF report should be treated, considering certain findings of fact which
are contradictory to a portion of ours, shall also be discussed by the joint
committees,” Poe said in a statement on Wednesday.
The senator said it was “understandable” that
the MILF and the Senate had different findings.
“We have divergent views on certain issues
and events, particularly on the nature and gravity of the killing of the
members of the 55th SAC. This may be because we had access to different sets of
witnesses or we have a different appreciation of facts,” she said.
With the clashing conclusions, Poe said it
will be up to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to determine how to act on the
findings.
“It is more imperative for the DOJ to
expedite and finish its investigation, identify the culpable individuals, and
prosecute them accordingly,” she said.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said her
department is still conducting its own investigation into the incident.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) also has
not yet finished its probe but said that the Senate report was “based on
emotions,” questioning
its use of the term “massacre” and conclusions against the MILF. – Rappler.com
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