‘Coordination not needed for high-value target operations’

MANILA, Philippines - The ceasefire agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) never required prior coordination in operations against “high value, priority targets,” according to former government peace panel chairman Jesus Dureza.

Dureza said the ceasefire agreement and its implementing guidelines clearly do not require government troops, including the police Special Action Force (SAF), to have prior coordination with the MILF before conducting law enforcement operations.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Dureza added Malacañang or the leadership of the Philippine National Police (PNP) should release this information in fairness to the fallen 44 SAF commandos.

“Very important – in fairness to the SAF operations, the ceasefire agreement and the implementing guidelines between the GRP and MILF clearly never required prior coordination in operations against high value, priority targets. Truth to tell, I had to go back to my records as I clearly remember that I signed as GRP panel chair in Oct. 21 with my counterparts, then panel (now MILF) chairman Al Haj Murad, the manual of instructions for the CCCH (ceasefire) and IMT (International Monitoring Team) in Malaysia,” Dureza said.

Dureza said even the recent police and military operational guidelines clearly excluded operations against high value targets.

The slain policemen were part of a team of SAF commandos on a mission to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and Basit Usman.

The SAF commandos figured in separate clashes with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the MILF, leaving 44 of them dead and several others wounded.

The MILF said they were not informed that there was an operation, pointing to the ceasefire agreement.

“Subsequently, the implementing guidelines and even the recent AFP/PNP operational guidelines clearly excluded operations against high value targets like Marwan and Basit Usman. What I cannot understand is why up to now, Malacañang or the PNP higher headquarters have not released this vital information in fairness to our fallen SAF commandos,” Dureza said.

Dureza insisted the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) guidelines signed on May 6, 2002, provides that only regular AFP/PNP operations need coordination with the MILF but not those against high-value targets.

“Except for operations against high priority targets, a list of which shall be provided by the GPH panel to MILF panel, the AHJAG shall inform the GPH and MILF CCCH at least 24 hours prior to the conduct of the AFP/PNP operations in order to allow sufficient time for the evacuation of civilians and to avoid armed confrontation between the GPH and MILF forces,” Dureza said, quoting paragraph 6 of the guidelines.

Coordination required

Government peace panel chairman Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, however, said coordination is required even in regular law enforcement operations.

Ferrer said the required coordination between government troops, law enforcement agencies such as the PNP with the MILF was provided in the revised joint AFP-PNP operational guidelines for the AHJAG signed by former AFP chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista and PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima on July 23, 2013.

AHJAG’s mandate is to coordinate and monitor between the AFP, PNP and MILF to ensure that law enforcement operations against criminal elements within MILF areas are effectively conducted without jeopardizing the ceasefire between the government and MILF.

“There is an existing 24 hours rule on coordination. But if it involved hot pursuit operations, there is an exemption on the 24 hours coordination. The coordination can be done in less than 24 hours. But the coordination is not removed. The only difference is that there is a high-value target and regular law enforcement operations. Only the deadline on coordination differs. But in both cases, there must be coordination,” Ferrer said. – Alexis Romero, Roel Pareño, John Unson