Brawner: MILF informed of soldiers' entry in Basilan site before clash

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. has assured that coordination with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was carried out ahead of bloody encounter on January 22 that left as many as four people dead.

Speaking at a press conference Thursday in Basilan, Brawner said the entry of soldiers in Sumisip town was duly coordinated with the MILF and other stakeholders.

"Yes, we want to make it clear na nagkaroon po ng coordination from the top to the lower units. The letter of the Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) was given to many addresses na CC (carbon copy) sa mga iba't-ibang mga units. Hindi lang po sa government side, even the MILF side. So there was prior coordination," Brawner said.

(Yes, we want to make it clear that there was coordination from the top to the lower units. The letter of the Joint Normalization Committee (JNC) was given to many addresses, CC-ing (carbon copy) different units. Not only on the government side, even the MILF side. So there was prior coordination.)

The JNC is a body of the government and the MILF tasked to carry out normalization, which is the second track of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro — the product of years of on-and-off peace negotiations between the government and the MILF.

Normalization follows the political track that involved the passage and ratification of the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Last Friday, Bangsamoro Education Minister Mohagher Iqbal and Butch Malang, chairperson of the MILF Coordinating Committees on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) said the encounter may have been caused by lack of coordination between the two sides. They stressed, however, that the information still needed to be verified.

Two soldiers were killed and 12 others were injured in the encounter in Sumisip when the 32nd Infantry Battalion was attacked by two armed groups, one of which was affiliated with the MILF.

The soldiers were on their way to provide security for United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) personnel, who were on the field for a humanitarian project.

Two armed men were also reported killed in the clash.

Free to enter

Brawner stressed that the movement of troops in the area do not require MILF coordination anyway.

"Second, 'yung pinatawag natin na ATS are nonexistent already. Hindi po puwedeng sabihin ng MILF na hindi tayo puwedeng pumasok sa ATS without prior coordination," the AFP chief said, referring to Areas of Temporary Stay.

(Second, sites referred to as ATS are nonexistent already. The MILF cannot say that we cannot enter these ATS without prior coordination.)

Lieutenant General Antonio Nafarrete, head of the Western Mindanao Command, said the practice of observing the ATS (also referred to as Area of Temporary Homestay) was done "way back, many years back" but has already been rescinded.

Nafarrete said the military's information awareness efforts with stakeholders such as the MILF include disseminating that the ATS is no longer in effect even in other communities.

Brawner added, "So hindi ito law enforcement operation. So hindi talaga kailangan magpaalam. And in fact, in the area, ay pasok-lapas naman 'yung ating mga sundalo dyan."
 
(So this wasn't a law enforcement operation. We really don't need to seek permission. In fact, in the area, our soldiers move freely there.)

"So it was just really very unfortunate that itong mga lawless elements na ito, they started that firefight by ambushing 'yung ating military vehicle," he said.

(So it was just really very unfortunate that these lawless elements started that firefight by ambushing our military vehicle.)

Through letters or messages

Earlier, Malang said that upon checking with their secretariat, they were not informed of the operations.

According to the CCCH, government security forces entering MILF communities are required to inform the Government of the Philippines (GPH)-CCCH through letters or messages. The GPH-CCCH will then coordinate with the MILF-CCCH.

"Wala po talagang na-receive ang MILF-CCCH na coordination na may papasok na security sector sa isang area," Malang said.

(The MILF-CCCH received no information that a group from the security sector was entering one area.)

Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. has called on the MILF to start a probe into the clash. — VDV, GMA Integrated News