Search on for Kato

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – A senior Moro Islamic Liberation Front commander, who is wanted for leading a series of attacks after the botched signing of memorandum of agreement for the ancestral domain control, is not exonerated even if he was already elevated to their central committee holding a political post, a police official said yesterday. 

Police Director Felizardo Serapio, chief of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operation Western Mindanao, said the hunt against Ameril Umbra Kato has been ongoing for leading the spate of attacks in North Cotatabo and parts of Central Mindanao in August 2008. 

Kato, who is the MILF’s 105th Base Command chief of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), was recently transferred to the MILF central committee as one of the senior political staff members.  Serapio, whose DIPO team acts as supervisory group to the territorial police forces in Central Mindanao and Western Mindanao, said he has not heard whether the charges against Kato has been dropped by the local police in North Cotabato. 

But the MILF leadership has already exonerated Kato who is tagged by the military as a rogue MILF commander and placed a bounty of P20 million for his capture.

Muhammad Ameen, MILF’s secretariat chair, in a statement said Kato is not a rogue commander but a leader “who is deeply committed to fight the enemy and liberate his people from the yoke of servitude and oppression.” 

The official also clarified that the MILF leadership is not close to having Kato and two other front commanders to be the subject of investigation by a third party acceptable to both the government and MILF provided the military commanders should be investigated on the 2008 atrocities. 

The two wanted by government forces were Abdurahman Macapaar alias Commander Bravo and Aleem Solaiman Pangalian, leaders of the MILF base fronts based in Lanao pro­vinces.