Iqbal reiterates: Murad and I are Filipinos

COTABATO CITY –  Amid claims that he is a Malaysian, Moro Islamic Liberation Front  peace panel chairman Mohaqher Iqbal on Wednesday morning reiterated that he is a Filipino holding a Philippine passport.

Also, he said MILF chairman Al Haj Murad is holding a Philippine passport, and that those who are questioning their citizenship are some sectors and politicians trying to "make mountains of a molehill" to discredit the MILF's peace panel.

“I only have one passport, I am not [a] Malaysian, we travel with our counterpart in the Philippine peace panel so they know my passport is issued in the Philippines, Iqbal told GMA News.


^{Photo by Ferdinandh Cabrera}

In a status message posted on his Facebook page last Friday, former Interior Secretary Rafael Alunan III said the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Department of Foreign Affairs and Bureau of Immigration might already be aware that Murad and Iqbal are carrying Malaysian passports.

“Ano pa ba kailangang gawin ng MILF para matauhan ang taumbayan na ang ating gobyerno ay nasa pigang kamay ng Malaysia? Tanga ba sila o traydor?” Alunan said.

But Iqbal insisted, “I only have one passport, I am not a Malaysian, we travel with our counterpart in the Philippine peace panel so they know my passport is issued in the Philippines."

Moreover, Iqbal said some sectors and politicians want to discredit the MILF peace panel.

“We are not hiding anything, we are partners in the negotiation,” he added.

Iqbal even cited a Malaysian embassy statement certifying that he and Murad are Filipinos.

“In fact, the Malaysian embassy has issued a statement declaring I and Chairman Murad were not Malaysian citizens,” Iqbal said.

As of posting time, GMA News Online was trying to get a copy of the Malaysian embassy statement.  — Ferdinandh Cabrera/LBG, GMA News