By Ducky Paredes
Malaya
Nur Misuari and Ustadz Habier Malik (File Photo)
FINALLY, members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Misuari-faction, including its leader Ustadz Habier Malik have been charged with cases of murder, arson and rebellion under the Revised Penal Code and violation of the humanitarian law, genocide and other crimes against humanity.
CIDG Director Francisco Uyami Jr. said the latest cases were filed against the third batch of 57 MNLF members.
Among those charged include 23 MNLF members who surrendered with city police director Sr. Supt. Jose Chiquito Malayo earlier in the fighting..
The CIDG started filing charges Sept. 20 against the first batch of 25 members and followed with another batch of 22 MNLF members two days later.
Now, charges have been filed against 114 MNLF who were captured and surrendered to the police and the government forces.
“The operation is ongoing and we are expecting there could be more who were either captured or surrendered,”. says Uyami.
Two of those captured were minors Almin Aukasa, 17, and Benhar Idarus, 14 years old. Both tested positive for gunpowder, proving that they participated in the engagement against the government forces.
These two suspects were turned over to the custody of the DSWD.
One also tested positive for methampetamine hydrochloride or shabu.
The CIDG also presented 142 high-powered firearms, including a .50 cal. machine gun, sniper rifle, mortar shell, .30 cal. machine gun, M16 rifles, AK 47, M14 sniper rifles, M4 rifles and several handguns.
Sr. Supt. Nicandro Canaleja, CIDG deputy director for operation, said all the recovered firearms were subjected to etching and ballistic test to determine and trace the owners of the firearms.
Some of the firearms displayed bore serial numbers indicating government property. But investigators believed the guns could be part of those missing firearms recovered by the rebels from previous encounters with government forces.
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This is as it should be. If one takes on the government, rising against it and fighting against government forces, it is only right that charges are filed against them. We have treated revels with kid gloves which makes persons like Nur Misuari regard our government as being toothless and easy pickings. Imagine that a former president even criticized the government for the fighting and even suggested that Nur Misuari and his armed force be given passes to be able to leave the battle field unharmed and uncharged even as there were a lot of dead and wounded among the government forces.
I, for one, am glad that the government is no longer taking things easy and is finally making the MNLF pay for going against the government. This is what should have been done a long time ago.
When Erap, during his shortened presidency, captured all of the MNLF camps and feasted on lechon in the captured territory (an insult to Muslims who shun pork as unclean). That should have been followed up with operations that would have brought them to utter defeat, and. perhaps the disarming of their armies.
Too bad that shortly after, Erap lost the presidency and the camps were returned to the rebels.
Hopefully, the eventual victory of the government forces will also lead to the disarming of these rebels. I realize that the government will not want to pursue this line but, really, how can we have a country where we let armed groups roam the countryside, taking what they can and attacking government facilities and troops whenever they feel like. Government has to push for total victory not only against the MNLF but against all armed militia units including the Communist New People’s Army (NPA). Then, maybe, we can finally have real peace in Mindanao and the rest of this country.
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Senator Jinggoy Estrada gave a speech but only regretted the unfairness of having been one of only three senators charged even as there were also PDAF-related violations committed by other Senators. What Senator Jinggoy did not do (which he should have) was to deny the findings of the Commission on Audit (COA) pertaining to himself and Senators Enrile and Revilla.
I also note that, although Jinggoy talked of Malacañang rewarding Senators with huge cash payments for following Malacañang’s wishes on the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona, the passage of the Sin Tax Law and the RH Bill, Senator Pia Cayetano says that she voted for the impeachment and the approval of the Sin Tax and RH Laws but did not get anything extra from Malacañang for any of these. Jinggoy may only be reporting rumors since he did not vote for either the Sin Tax and the RH laws, while Pia voted to pass them but says there was no reward.
On the other hand, former CJ Corona said after the speech that he feels vindicated and has been proven blameless despite his having been impeached from these revelations in the speech of Jinggoy.
Jinggoy also noted that while COA audited P1.2 billion in PDAF transactions, apparently Senators Miriam D. Santiago, Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Pangilinan, and Manny Villar were not as fully audited as the three of them who are now facing charges.
Jinggoy made special mention of the PDAFs of Rep. Neptali Gonzales who had P420 million in PDAF allocations. He revealed that 28 suppliers of Mandaluyong denied that they had transactions with the City of Mandaluyong and that Rep. Gonzales had P282 million in cash advances and P6.6 million in purchases from Jollibee.
The COA audit also found questionable transactions of LGUs in Taguig, Mandaluyong, Tarlac, and Las Piñas and in the PDAFs of 356 congressmen, 15 senators or 371 legislators included in the COA report, so why is it that only the 3 senators are charged?
Actually, Senator Jinggoy has a proper beef against COA and their being charged while all the others seem to have gotten off scot-free. Let us hope that the Ombudsman will expand her vision and find other legislators to charge.
As a matter of fact, several more legislators have been charged but, so far, only three Senators. Let us hope that everyone as guilty will eventually also be charged. If they are eventually charged, too, they can blame Senator Jinggoy for that!
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