Guingona: Government may not pursue charges vs Misuari

Jailed former governor Nur Misuari of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) may not be charged with rebellion in court as a "political solution" which could intervene in his case, Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr. said yesterday.

Guingona, who is also foreign affairs secretary, said Misuari’s case can be likened to that of Sen. Gregorio Honasan, who had also been charged with rebellion for leading a coup attempt against President Corazon Aquino in 1989, but was eventually granted amnesty.

"I’m not alone in deciding policies like this," he said. "In the exercise of justice, sometimes a political solution intervenes."

Meanwhile, a Jolo, Sulu judge issued yesterday a commitment order to "legally seal" the continued detention of Misuari at Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and his six followers at Camp Ricardo Papa in Taguig.

Judge Bagis Ismael of Jolo Regional Trial Court’s branch 3 ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to keep Misuari and his six co-accused locked up in jail.

Guingona, however, refused to say if the government would make any concessions in exchange for Misuari’s release from jail and the dropping of the rebellion charges against him.

At Malacañang, Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said it is up to the Department of Justice to determine whether the PNP has a strong rebellion case against Misuari.

Tiglao cited the PNP "claimed they have actual witnesses that Misuari ordered the attack" in Sulu last Nov. 19.

"From what I understand, it will be the DOJ (that will) evaluate it," Tiglao said when asked to comment on Guingona’s revelations that the case against the former rebel chief may be dropped.

On the other hand, President Arroyo has asked Interior Secretary Jose Lina to respond "in accordance with the law" to the claims of Misuari that he is still ARMM governor.

Director Lucas Managuelod, chief of the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, said that since Misuari’s detention is "legally sealed," his lawyers must now prepare for the legal battle in court.

"Better for them to put a stop to all this grandstanding and prepare to defend their client in court," he said.

Managuelod said the police have returned the warrants of arrest to the Jolo regional trial court after serving them on Misuari and his six co-accused, as required by law.

"With the issuance of the commitment order by the court, Misuari’s continued detention in Fort Sto. Domingo has been declared legal," he said.

"Upon the return of the warrant, the PNP prayed before the court to allow Misuari’s continued detention in Fort Sto. Domingo and was approved only today," he added.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Domingo Reyes, Southern Tagalog police director, said students of the Sto. Domingo National High School and Sto. Domingo Elementary School have started attending their classes again.

"Life has returned to normal in (Barangay) Sto. Domingo and environs," he said.

Armed policemen have been deployed in elementary and high school campuses in Barangay Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa since yesterday, he added.

Reyes said he made the decision following a request from parents and teachers during a dialogue at the Sto. Domingo National High School over the weekend.

Policemen are guarding the Sto. Domingo National High School, Sto. Domingo Elementary School, and schools adjacent to Misuari’s place of detention, especially the Seventh Day Adventist University in Silang, Cavite, he added. Since Monday last week, students in Barangay Sto. Domingo stopped attending classes at the urging of their parents, who feared that Misuari’s armed followers would attack Fort Sto. Domingo.

Last Thursday, residents of Sta. Rosa protested in front of the Special Action Force training camp to demand that police authorities immediately transfer Misuari to another place.

Reyes assured the residents that police are "on top of the situation" and that they have nothing to worry about as there was "no threat at all" from Misuari’s followers.

"(Misuari) fled to Malaysia because he no longer has any armed followers," he said. "If they can make trouble in Mindanao, here in Laguna they cannot do that. They will just commit suicide."

Reyes said the government decided to detain Misuari in Fort Sto. Domingo after a lot of careful planning to determine if his presence would affect the security of Sta. Rosa residents.

"After a series of planning, our top government leaders were one that Misuari is most secured here in your place," he said. – With reports from Jaime Laude, Marichu Villanueva