Palace: Peace process to continue

MANILA, Philippines - The government is committed to pursuing peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) despite the killing of 49 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, Malacañang said yesterday.

The SAF team was pursuing Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, a high-value target belonging to the “Markaziyah” or central command of the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told a press briefing.

He said President Aquino wanted a full report on the incident but the government’s position on the peace process had not changed.

All the facts must be ascertained first and “we should be circumspect” in making pronouncements because the investigation was not yet complete, Coloma stressed.

“The peace process in   Mindanao is important, the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is important and we continue to push for the peace process,” he said.

He said the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and the MILF were conducting regular consultations and exchange of information with regard to the incident.

“The government and the republic are on the side of justice,” Coloma said.

He added that President Aquino was aware of the operation and that the PNP-SAF performed the mission with courage and professionalism.

“Based on latest reports, there is a high likelihood that the primary target – Marwan – has been neutralized,” he said, adding further verification was being done in the field.

Aside from Marwan, reports said the police were also hunting Basit Usman, a Jemaah Islamiyah bomb-making expert, in Tukanalipao village.

As directed by the President, Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin left for Cotabato City yesterday morning to supervise the ongoing operations.

With them were Armed Forces chief General Gregorio Catapang and PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina.

Quoting the Armed Forces, Coloma said a ceasefire had been enforced since 5 p.m. on Sunday and the AFP by 7 p.m. had initiated retrieval operations in coordination with the MILF, the International Monitoring Team (IMT) and the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH).

Coloma said retrieval operations were still ongoing at press time.

When asked why the troops were attacked only because of the supposed lack of coordination between the policemen and the military, Coloma stressed the need to find out exactly what happened that led to the killing of the members of the SAF.

“It will not be reasonable to make any conclusion that is not based on concrete facts or concrete (narration) of what happened,” Coloma said.

He said Roxas and Gazmin would have to make a complete assessment of the circumstances that led to the incident.