The government will continue to push for the
Mindanao peace process despite Sunday’s encounter between the police and members
of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao,
Communication Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said on Monday (Jan. 26).
“Ang pananaw ng pamahalaan ay hindi nagbabago.
Mahalaga ang peace process sa Mindanao, mahalaga ang pagpasa ng Bangsamoro
Basic Law at patuloy pa ring itinataguyod ang prosesong pangkapayaan,” he said
during a press briefing in Malacañang.
Some 43 members of the Philippine National
Police’s Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) died and 11 were injured during the
encounter with members of the MILF.
The police were in the area to arrest Malaysian
terror suspect, Zulkifli bin Hir alias "Marwan", and Filipino
bomb-making expert, Abdul Bassit Usman, who have been blamed for terror attacks
in Mindanao.
Coloma said this it the Senate’s prerogative on
the announcement earlier made by chairman of the Senate Committee on Local
Government, Senator Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos, that he will stop Senate
consultations regarding the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) due to the incident.
“Ganunpaman, ay patuloy pa rin ang pagtataguyod
natin ng prosesong pangkapayapaan at ang pagtingin sa posibleng pagsasabatas ng
Bangsamoro Basic Law dahil ito ay mahalagang hakbang sa prosesong
pangkapayapaan,” he added.
The government and the MILF signed the
Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro on March 27 last year, in an effort
to end the decades-long conflict in Mindanao.
The draft of the Bangsamoro Basic Law is
currently being discussed in Congress. (PCOO News Release)
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