Trillanes, Osmeña against BBL

In a surprise statement, Senator Antonio Trillanes, a key ally of President Aquino, said the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) could wait until the next administration for as long as the ceasefire, the peace talks are still in place.

Trillanes vowed the Senate would not pass the BBL in its present form that would create a monster of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) with its own army and police force, and would receive P100 billion in national government funds.

The massacre of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) troopers has raised fears over the powers the MILF stands to get under the BBL.

Since trust has been lost between the MILF and the government after the Mamasapano incident, Trillanes said the Aquino administration should not insist on its timeline, especially now that emotions are high.

Senator Sergio Osmeña asked President Aquino to apologize for the fiasco since he committed a “triple whammy” – for allowing suspended PNP Director General Alan Purisima to direct the Mamasapano operation; for not coursing instructions through the PNP’s chain of command; and for bypassing Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina.

Despite the Mamasapano fiasco, the President was adamant on the passage of the proposed BBL.

Representative Rufus Rodriguez, chair of the House ad hoc committee on the BBL, said the MILF should surrender their members who brutally killed the 44 SAF commandos, otherwise it could derail the passage of the proposed BBL. However, he said the MILF should only be asked to surrender its members once the Department of Justice (DOJ) concludes its investigation and identifies fighters from the Moro group as among those liable for the death of the SAF troopers.

But the MILF has ruled out the gesture, saying its leadership will be responsible for meting out sanctions for its fighters.

Rodriguez said there was very little chance that the BBL could be passed in the House and the Senate by June when Congress was scheduled to adjourn. But if the House failed to pass the Bangsamoro bill on third and final reading by June 11, he said he is open to holding special sessions during the break from June 12 to July 26, or before the third regular session of Congress starts on July 27.

Also expected to oppose the BBL are Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Miriam Defensor Santiago and Gregorio Honasan.

Senator Santiago has received testimony from well-known authorities like former Congressman Pablo Garcia, former UP College of Law Dean Merlin Magallona, and Justice Vicente Mendoza that the BBL is full of unconstitutional provisions.

All-out war against BIFF and ASG

General Gregorio Pio Catapang has ordered the military to wage all-out campaign against the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in Maguindanao and North Cotabato, and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu and Basilan.

In an operation last week, scout rangers killed 24 ASG rebels, including wounding top ASG leader, Radullan Sahiron.

Against the BIFF, the military used artillery and helicopter gunships, which they did not deploy in the Mamasapano encounter.

At last, the military woke up to go all out against BIFF and ASG after the embarrassing massacre at Mamasapano.

General Catapang pledged to make the BIFF and the ASG extinct before he retires in July 2015. Catapang promised significant decimation of the 400 BIFF force within the next three months.

Twenty thousand civilians have evacuated seven villages in Pikit and Pagalungan, North Cotabato.

Let’s wait and see if General Catapang can execute his promises to extinguish the BIFF and ASG by July.

Approve house arrest

There’s widespread public support for the house arrest of 91-year-old former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, including Vice-President Jojo Binay.

Enrile is susceptible to have a stroke or heart attack. He was recently confined at the Makati Medical Center due to pneumonia. This incident triggered calls for the detained senator to be placed under house arrest due to his advanced age and fragile health condition.

As Pope Francis said, we should have mercy and compassion for our senior citizens.

Also proposed is the house arrest of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is in her seventies.

But Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said only the Sandiganbayan can decide whether to grant such a request, adding that President Aquino has not yet stated his position regarding the matter.

President Aquino should set a precedent in case he is charged with plunder after he steps down.

Tidbits

March is Fire Prevention Month. On its first day, March 1, a fire started with a blaze destroying 13 houses in Cubao, Quezon City. Also in QC, a fire broke out at a commercial building that started Saturday and lasted Sunday morning and another in Araneta Avenue, Quezon City, one person died. In Marilao, Bulacan, four siblings, including a four-month old baby, died when a fire razed their home. A fire in Pasig City left one thousand residents homeless. Over 2,000 fire incidents were recorded for the months of January and February.

The provincial governments of Sulu, Basilan and Tawi-Tawi have passed resolutions expressing their support for President Aquino.

Five soldiers died in an NPA ambush in Quirino, Ilocos Sur.

Prayers are requested for the recovery of Vice Governor Jolo Revilla, who shot himself accidentally.