Raised voices mark final Senate hearing on Mamasapano clash

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Tuesday questioned the sincerity of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in pursuing the peace process with the government following the January 25 Mamasapano clash, resulting in an exchange marked by raised voices.

At the fifth and final hearing of the Senate committee on public order on the Mamasapano incident, Cayetano grilled MILF peace panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal over the MILF's alleged lack of sincerity on the peace process.

Cayetano pointed out that despite the ongoing peace negotiations between the MILF and the government, the group kept on manufacturing firearms and explosive devices together with its splinter group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

“Walang engkwentro sa MILF pero in the meantime gumawa kayo ng gawaan ng armas, ang BIFF katabi ninyo ang kampo,” Cayetano told Iqbal.

Misencounter

Cayetano made the remark after Iqbal, during the hearing, maintained that the Mamasapano incident was a “misencounter” as the MILF had no intention of engaging the Special Action Force (SAF) commandos who conducted an operation in an MILF-controlled area in a firefight.

“The January 25 incident, for me, was a misencounter. That’s my view, it was very tragic incident because I believe we don’t have intentions to fight the SAF commandos. Since 2010 to 2011, wala na pong engkwentro maliban na lang doon sa Jan. 25. Ipalagay natin na engkwentro 'yun,” Iqbal said.

Cayetano, however, was not convinced of Iqbal's reasoning, pointing out that the terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and Abdul Bassit Usman, the targets of the PNP-SAF operation, had been residing in an MILF-controlled area for the past years.

“Wala ngang engkwentro sa inyo pero si Usman at Marwan sa inyo nagtatago,” Cayetano said.

Iqbal, however, was quick to deny Cayetano's allegation. “Wala sa amin si Marwan. Dito nga sa Maynila nasa tabing bahay na ang kriminal hindi pa makita. I’m answering in analogy,” he said in a raised voice.

Cayetano countered Iqbal's statement, saying that based on media reports and actual investigation on the Mamasapano incident, the houses of Marwan and Usman were just half-kilometer away from the camp of the MILF 105th Base Command and about 100 meters away from a mosque of the MILF.

“Kahit malapit, hindi ko alam [na nandun sila],” Iqbal replied to Cayetano.



New camp

Cayetano also grilled Iqbal and presidential adviser on the peace process Terisita “Ging” Deles over a photo showing that the MILF was allegedly training with the Abu Sayyaf bandit group in a new MILF camp in Sulu.

“Can we show the picture? Yan ang bagong kampo ng MILF sa Sulu...at ayan oh, may members ng Abu Sayyaf Group na kasama ninyo,” Cayetano said while the controversial photo was being projected on a big screen at the Senate session hall.

In the said photo submitted by Sulu Vice Governor Abdusakur Tan to the office of Sen. Grace Poe, alleged members of the MILF and Abu Sayyaf were seen posing together in a group shot holding their high-powered firearms. A man in blue jacket was also labeled in the photo as Sakallaw “Boy Moro” Jaafar, alleged half-brother of MILF political affairs director Gadjali Jaafar. A man in green polo-shirt, meanwhile, was identified as a certain Cesar Alil, an alleged MILF representative.

The photo was allegedly taken at the demo farm of Camp Akbar located in Barangay Punay, Panglima Estino town in Sulu.

Camp Akbar is reportedly the MILF's new camp.

Asked to comment, Iqbal admitted that the MILF has a new camp in Sulu but added it was not the one shown in the photo. He also said that the same photo has earlier been presented at the House of Representatives in one of the hearings on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), but the location as well as the people in the photo were not labelled then.

Cayetano vs. Deles

Cayetano, meanwhile, grilled Deles for immediately informing the MILF about the photo instead of having it authenticated first.

“Sa militar muna namin binigay [yung photo]. Much later namin ininform ang MILF,” Deles responded.

Cayetano and Deles then figured in a heated argument after she answered the senator's query on the authenticity of the video in a sarcastic manner.

“Binigay ninyo agad sa MILF. Did you have that picture authenticated?” Cayetano asked, to which Deles replied, in a raised voice: “I'm sorry, your honor, but I'm not an intelligence officer.”

“Hindi mo na kailangan maging intel officer dahil ang una mong gagawin ay i-authenticate ang video o picture,” Cayetano said.

“I assumed na in-authenticate nila (Sulu government) iyon,” Deles then replied.

Apparently irritated with Deles' way of answering, Cayetano asked: “Who do you represent in the peace process?”

“Of course the government,” Deles replied. —KBK, GMA News