It seems the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is trying to appease the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) after government troops killed three suspected terrorists in the rebel group’s area of responsibility.
MILF chief and Bangsamoro region interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ibrahim has claimed that government soldiers engaged MILF rebels, not terrorists.
But the AFP insists that the armed men that its soldiers killed were remnants of the Maute group, which is espousing an Islamic State (IS).
The Maute group held Marawi City for several months before the city was recaptured by the government after a five-month-long fighting in 2017.
But should the government adopt a servile attitude towards the MILF, which apparently was coddling the suspected terrorists in the first place?
It was impossible for the MILF to not know that there were terrorists in its midst.
Just because the government is having peace talks with the MILF, does it have to be submissive to the rebel group?
“Our dear constituents in Maguing, Lanao del Sur have been troubled from military airstrikes and most recently firefight incidents that involved the military and forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front,” a statement from Ibrahim read.
AFP spokesman Col. Ramon Zagala gave a conciliatory reply: “The MILF is our partner in peace. They will never be our target. I would like to assure [Ibrahim] that our target was the Daulah Islamiyah.”
Brig. Gen. Jose Maria Cuerpo, commander of the Army’s 103rd Brigade, chimed in: What was raided by government troops was an IS camp near an MILF community in Ilalag.
If the IS camp was “near” the MILF territory, why didn’t the rebel group report the presence of terrorists to the government as a sign of good faith?
It’s very clear the MILF is coddling the Maute terrorists.
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Let’s face it: MILF rebels butchered the 44 members of the Special Action Force (SAF) on Jan. 25, 2016, after the hapless government troops raided a rebel territory to capture Zulkifli Abdhir, a Malaysian terrorist and bomb-maker in Mamasapano in 2016, dead or alive.
The SAF troopers killed Abdhir.
Obviously, the MILF was coddling Abdhir and the reason they made mincemeat of the police commandos was they wandered into their territory.
The government, which was then under Noynoy Aquino, didn’t blame the MILF for the massacre, careful not to upset the peace process.
Although the government would not admit it, the country is in a state of belligerency where places held by rebels are off-limits to government troops.
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Why are there so many abusive cops?
Answer: Because the citizenry who the police is supposed to serve and protect doesn’t guard its rights.
Not so in the United States where the citizenry is vigilant against police abuses.
An example is a police officer in Loveland, Colorado who was dismissed from the service outright for manhandling a 73-year-old woman who has dementia.
Not only was Officer Austin Hopp kicked out from the police force, he has been convicted of second degree assault, attempt to influence a public servant and official misconduct.
After breaking the bones of Karen Garner, who forgot to pay for a soda in Walmart, Hopp even boasted to fellow officers about maltreating the elderly woman.
Hopp didn’t even consider the woman’s age and mental condition.
The community was outraged by Hopp’s misbehavior. Hopp’s fellow cops were red in the face and disowned him.
If that happened in the Philippines, the citizenry would have treated the incident as a matter of course.
The indifference of citizens and their ignorance of their constitutional rights make them prey to abusive law enforcers.
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The Lalamove delivery service left to fend for himself its rider, John Michael Hipona, who was arrested and jailed for trying to deliver a package that turned out to be contraband.
Lalamove received the package from a Jay Marvic Ramirez for delivery to somebody waiting at a restaurant on Roxas Blvd. in Manila.
The online delivery service company assigned the task to Hipona, who is being paid based on the number of packages he delivers.
The package contained an Asian leaf turtle and a Philippine forest turtle, both considered endangered species; their possession is illegal.
Hipona was arrested by a joint group of Manila policemen and employees of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
The poor guy was taken to Station 9, booked for violation of an unknown conservation law and jailed for four days. His motorcycle and cellular phone were also confiscated.
The police didn’t allow him to call Lalamove, his employer. Neither was he read his Miranda Rights.
Despite his protestation of innocence, Hipona was brought before Inquest Prosecutor Aris Panaligan who ordered his release for “further investigation.”
This means that the prosecutor didn’t believe that delivery boy Hipona was liable for the crime of which he was being charged.
The police didn’t charge Lalamove and their inaction is very suspicious. Hipona was made a scapegoat.
Isumbong mo kay Tulfo tried to get the side of Lalamove after Hipona came to us Friday, Jan. 4, a few hours after his release from custody.
The delivery service firm didn’t want to issue any statement. Neither did it want to apologize to Hipona for abandoning him.
Hipona’s motorcycle and cellular phone were still being held by S/Sgt. Ed Dyson Banaag, the arresting officer, despite the messenger’s release.
I asked Banaag the whereabouts of the motorcycle and the cellphone. He pointed to the DENR.
We’re helping Hipona file possible criminal charges against Banaag and the DENR personnel who took part in arresting the messenger.
We’re consulting some of my lawyer friends on what charges could be filed against Lalamove for not coming to the aid of its delivery boy, Hipona.