Opportunity for the former rebel group to show what it can do for Mindanao
THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) can prove it has mastery and control of Mindanao by going after the group of armed men who abducted foreign tourists and a Filipina on Samal island, Sen. Vicente Sotto 3rd said on Sunday.
According to Sotto, the MILF is now presented with the opportunity to show it can help protect the people against lawless groups in Mindanao by joining efforts to rescue the four kidnap victims who were snatched by a still unidentified group on September 2.
Authorities on Saturday said they found an outrigger in Sulu suspected of having been used by the perpetrators.
The boat was found abandoned at the coastal town of Parang town in Sulu, but authorities could not confirm if the gunmen and their victims were in the area.
“This is an opportunity for the MILF to show that they too can protect the people against lawless groups in Mindanao,” Sotto said.
Sotto’s call comes amid his programmed interpellations on the proposed Basic Law on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BLBAR) or the alternate version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), which was authored by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., chairman of the Senate committee on local government.
Both Houses of Congress are currently deliberating the proposed law which will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR) that will be initially ran by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) composed mostly of MILF members.
The BTA shall serve as the interim government of the Bangsamoro during the transition period and shall exercise executive and legislative functions.
Marcos in an earlier interview said that under the original concept of the BTA, the body will be led by and composed of members of the MILF.
This was changed by Marcos in his substitute bill and allowed other groups to have representation in the BTA to make it inclusive.
Marcos said while the BTA will still be led by the MILF, indigenous people, sultanates, council of elders, the business sector and other parties that will be affected by the enactment of the BBL can expect to be represented in the BTA.
The Bangsamoro will also have its own Bangsamoro Autonomous Regional Police (BARP) and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Regional Police Board (BARPB) which will be under the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Police Commission (Napolcom) respectively.
Since the Bangsamoro autonomous region will have its own police force under the BLBAR, it would be a welcome move if the MILF will help in going after the kidnappers and rescued to victims.
The MILF was earlier accused by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano of coddling suspected terrorists particularly Zulkifli Bin Hir, alias Marwan, who was killed in an operation launched by members of the Special Action Force (SAF) last January 25.
According to Cayetano, the fact that Marwan’s hideout was situated 500 meters from the house of MILF commander Wahid Tondoc is enough proof that MILF is helping Marwan.
He added that for Marwan to be able to stay in an area surrounded by MILF, and other armed groups it means that he enjoys their protection.