Modus operandi targets Bangsamoro police wannabes

Unscrupulous individuals have been monitored to be cashing in on the signed Bangsamoro Framework agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) by recruiting, for a fee, would-be members of the proposed Bangsamoro police force.

These activities have already reached the attention of the leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which in turn issued an advisory on Saturday warning young Moros not be duped by these fake police recruiters posing as MILF officials.

The warning came as the MILF is currently actively campaigning on the grassroots level on the importance of the recently signed framework agreement to the Bangsamoro’s desire to live in peace and harmony in Mindanao.

“How could the MILF recruit policemen when the issue of policing is yet to be discussed by the parties this month in Kuala Lumpur?” said Jun Mantawil, head of the MILF peace panel secretariat, in a statement published by the MILF's official website Luwaran. 

The modus operandi of the syndicate, is to entice young Moros to apply for membership on the proposed Bangsamoro Police and later charge them P500 each applicant after they have accomplished the application form.

Applicants were also promised by members of the syndicate of a sure slot in the Bangsamoro Police, if they pay P2,000.

“Most cases of this false recruitment were reported in Zamboanga and Sulu. Similar incidents were also reported in Tawi-Tawi,” Mantawil said.

He said while policing is part of the normalization process, the government and the MILF have agreed to form another technical working to work on this issue.

He also admitted that policing was one of the most contentious issues tackled by both parties during the Oct. 1-7 negotiation in Kuala Lumpur.

Before the deal was clinched, Mantawil bared the government peace panel wanted policing as fully nationalized while the MILF wanted control over it, in order to protect the lives and properties of the Moros after the decommissioning of the MILF combatants which is also covered by the forged framework agreement.

The issue was resolved only after both parties agreed that members of the Bangsamoro police would be recruited from among the people in the Bangsamoro territory, whose interests, Mantawil said, is to serve the people wholeheartedly.

He said the government had in fact sent a delegation to Navarra, Spain to observe and learn at how policing is being run and handled by the regional entity.

Navarra is a small autonomous region with population of less than one million and with a thousand chartered policemen, taking responsibility of maintaining local peace and order.

He said Spain has 19 autonomous regions. However only three: Catalonia, Basque, Country and Navarra have more or less autonomy including fiscal autonomy.