Muslim lawmakers appealed to their colleagues to remain rational
and not let emotions run high as the House of Representatives started its probe
in the Mamasapano incident, saying that Congress must be mindful of
the implications of the investigation to the peace process and the passage
of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
The call came following a heated debate among lawmakers to show a
video trending in social media sites of the Mamasapano incident which claimed
the lives of Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF)
troopers, armed elements and civilians.
“First and foremost, we are here in Manila to know the truth about
what happened in Mamasapano, while most of our people in the Bangsamoro area
are losing hope," Bai Sandra Sema, representative of the first district of
Maguindanao province and Cotabato City, told fellow lawmakers. "The
Senate has already suspended the deliberation of the BBL and we in the House of
Representatives have also suspended [the hearings] to make way for this
investigation."
“Our emotions are high. I saw [PNP officer-in-charge Deputy
Director Leonardo] Espina, and [SAF Commander Director Getulio] Napenas. But
more than these emotions, it is the lives of our people there. More than
grandstanding, it is the lives of the people in the Bangsamoro area who are at
stake," Sema said.
"The representatives from other districts do not know what
war is, and have not experienced it," the Muslim lawmaker, who is very
vocal of her experiences of the decades-old conflict in Mindanao said. "It
is easy to call for war. We are here to know the truth, so that what happened
will not be repeated. So that finally peace can be attained, so that lives of
military, police, MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), and others will be
spared, but most especially the lives of our people,” Sema expressed.
Pangalian Balindong, deputy speaker and representative of the
second district of Lanao Del Sur, also expressed the same sentiments, saying
that the ongoing investigation should not make the “BBL as the sacrificial lamb
in this Mamasapano incident."
“We are afraid, we Filipino Muslims, that the BBL will be lost,”
he said.
“It saddens us that the review of the BBL has been suspended by
the Senate and only yesterday (Tuesday, January 11) by the House of
Representatives,” Balindong added.
The deputy speaker emphasized that the investigations on the
Mamasapano incident should be continued but it should not delay the
deliberations on the BBL.
"The BBL review has no connection with the [Mamasapano]
incident. What happened is purely a law enforcement matter... It is different
from the BBL review. We are reviewing the BBL and we are now more than halfway
[towards its passage]," he said.
According to Balindong, there are several bodies and institutions
that are already investigating the incident, and if Congress will wait for all
the results to come in, it will affect the timeline for the passage of the
BBL.
“There are so many groups or agencies investigating this incident.
We have the Department of Justice, we have the Commission on Human Rights, the
Ombudsman, Public Order and Safety. Here, we are also [doing a] hearing, and
then the Board of Inquiry," Balindong enumerated, noting that there are
also calls for the creation of a truth commission in both the Senate and the
House of Representatives.
"[These investigations] may take some
time," Balindong lamented, adding that the fears of the Bangsamoro
people is that the "BBL will be scrapped."
Sulu second district Rep. Tupay T. Loong and former Senator and
Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon likewise echoed the sentiments of Sema and
Balindong while also calling for accountability.
“If we are crying for justice for SAF 44, we are also crying for
the civilians who died,” Loong said.
Jim Hataman, the lone representative of Basilan, appealed to the
public to support the passage of the BBL as a way to move forward and prevent
the repetition of the Mamasapano incident.
“In this time of national outrage and condemnation, with many
calling for all-out war, the civilian majority of Mindanao continue to fear for
their lives amidst the tension between government forces and rebel
combatants," he said. "I humbly believe that an all-out war is not
the solution to this recent tragedy. To me, the best alternative is still the
pursuit of peace and the passing of the Bangsamoro Law."
Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Quintos Deles
noted that it is important at this stage to continue the peace process.
“The record is that, all over the world, peace negotiations are
conducted by the state with revolutionary movements precisely to end armed
conflicts. To be able to transform the struggle for whatever purpose that armed
struggle has been conducted,” Deles expressed.
She said that the aim of the Bangsamoro peace process is to
transform the MILF “from a violent struggle with arms to a political unarmed
struggle.”
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