|
By Maricel V. Cruz, Reporter
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is
facing a ceasefire violation complaint filed by the military before
the Joint Committee on Ceasefire and Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH)
for allegedly starting the fighting in Basilan on Sunday.
Military Information Chief Lt. Col. Ernesto
Torres, at a news briefing, said the complaint filed by the Armed
Forces Western Mindanao Command called for the delisting of two MILF
commanders—Malista Malangka and Hamsa Sapanton—who were said to
have been in the attack against elements of the Philippine Marines.
Reports reaching Camp Aguinaldo indicated that
two MILF rebels were killed while 17 Marines, including an officer,
were wounded when fighting occurred early Sunday after the MILF
assaulted a Marine detachment in Barangay Tong Batu in Ungkaya Pukan
town.
“The reasons why the protest was filed are the
following: one is to know the reason why the attack was carried out;
and second is to determine the perpetrators of the incident,”
Torres said.
The commander of Naval Forces Western Mindanao,
Rear Adm. Emilio Marayag, corroborated the statement of Torres,
noting that from all indications, the attackers are members of MILF.
Marayag said the MILF could not deny that the
attackers are not their members, citing the remains of two slain
rebels recovered were in MILF uniforms.
Torres also said they would ask the MILF to
“strictly enforce the agreements where they [MILF] should be
roaming.”
“They can roam beyond their areas of temporary
stay but with coordination. That is part of the agreement . . . in
the same manner when military troops would pass through areas of
temporary stay of the MILF,” Torres said.
The JCCCH is the authorized body that hears
complaints of ceasefire violation between the military and MILF
forces for proper action to be taken while engaged in a peace talk.
The government and the MILF forged a ceasefire
agreement in 2001, paving the way for peace talks aimed at ending
the decade-old hostilities here in Mindanao.
Philippine Marine Corps Command Maj. Gen.
Benjamin Dolorfino earlier said the attackers were led by a certain
Hudli Maya and backed by members of Abu Sayyaf.
The attack took place while the Marine Battalion
Landing Team-8 (MBLT-8) was readying to leave Basilan province for
retraining and refurbishing at a marine base in Ternate, Cavite.
MBLT-8 will be replaced by the newly retrained
and refurbished MBLT-10 that disembarked Monday morning from a navy
boat at Majini Pier of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao
headquarters in this city.
“This [attack] happened on the eve of the
regular rotation of a marine battalion. As a consequence, the
military will file today a formal protest before the coordinating
committee on the cessation of hostilities to stress our commitment
to the ongoing peace process and the rule of law,” Marayag said.
|
