Govt, MILF: Mamasapano clash should not delay BBL proceedings

MANILA - Top officials from both the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said the deadly clashes in Mamasapano, Maguindanao should not delay proceedings for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

“It is not logical for anybody to delay the process of making the BBL into law because it will be disadvantageous to all parties concerned,” MILF vice chairman for political Affairs Ghadzali Jaafar told reporters.

In a separate press release, government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the Philippines’ resolve to push for the creation of a Bangsamoro political entity is further strengthened.

“This incident and other recent acts of violence by other armed groups manifest the diverse security challenges that confound the peace process. But our resolve to see through the process of legislating the Bangsamoro Basic Law and implementing the different Normalization programs, including the security components, is only further strengthened. With better cooperation we will be able to prevent these kinds of incidents,” she said.

In the absence of a binding law, Mindanao remains at war, Jaafar noted.

“Technically, there is still war in Mindanao because what we only have here now is a ceasefire agreement… There is no solution to the real problem… Until the solution to the real problem in Mindanao is implemented, Mindanao remains as it is,” he said.

Around 30 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force were killed in a clash with alleged members of the MILF in Mamasapano on Sunday – a clash that could test the peace negotiations between the government and the rebels.

The parties are now in the thick of negotiations in connection with normalization procedures – or the decommissioning of armed guerillas.

Ferrer and other government officials said the elite cops were conducting law enforcement operations in pursuit of Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, known as Marwan.

“This objective of arresting the growth of extremist cells lodging themselves in our interior villages and sowing indiscriminate violence remains,” she said.

Some officials said this was not properly coordinated with the MILF.

Jaafar said they have not been apprised yet on the details of the clash.

“It’s not yet clear why some of our elements got involved. Maybe while the PNP was withdrawing their troops, they collided with the MILF troops. We still do not know who was the first one who drew fire,” he said.

He also said there was definitely no coordination made with regard to the SAF operations.

“What I can categorically pronounce now is that there was no coordination made and I think this is a violation to the provision of the ceasefire agreement,” Jaafar said.