Time for reassessment

The negotiating peace panel of the MILF has flatly rejected the government proposal of making them a partner for a massive social and economic development program for the Muslim areas.

What was significant was the MILF’s panel statement that they are referring the Government of the Philippines (GPH) panel proposal to a Central Committee for rejection. Who constitutes the MILF Central Committee? It looks like Al Haj Murad Ibrahim is not the controlling MILF leader. There are talks that ex-Gov. Zacarias Candao is still the controlling figure.

What is pitiful is the release of P5 million which looks like a downpayment for the establishment of a Bangsa Moro Leadership Management Institute. After receiving the check from GPH negotiator Marvic Leonen, they took a hardline position on the creation of a substate including a demand for two senators to represent them.

No less than Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has said that the peace talks have been doomed from the start because the demand for a substate and two senators is violative of the Constitution. “I expected the peace talks will bog down and I expect it will always bog down. I never had any doubt it will bog down. How can you negotiate something when in effect it violates your Constitution?” Enrile declared.

“The substate will dismember the country,” Enrile added.

It now appears that President Aquino’s decision to humble himself and meet Murad Ibrahim in a foreign country was all for naught. It only served to harden the MILF’s demand for a substate.

President Aquino should now consult former Presidents Joseph Estrada and Fidel V. Ramos and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and review and reassess his position.

Marvic Leonen should instruct the bank to stop payment of the P5 million check. It’s a waste of funds. It’s a clear indication that the bottom line for the MILF is money. That is proven by the fact that the MILF panel did not return the check when they rejected the government proposal.

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GET HIM: MILF Vice Chairman Ghazali Jaafar has confirmed they no longer have control over Commander Ameril Umbra Kato and considers him as “lost command”.

Kato accused the MILF of wasting time talking with the Aquino Administration and giving up its demand for independence.

In 2008, Umbra Kato waged several attacks after the Supreme Court struck down the MOA-Ad, killing hundreds, burning and looting villages, displacing more than 700,000 persons.

The government launched an all-out campaign against Umbra but failed to get him. He now controls a big part of Maguindanao and North Cotabato and has been protecting kidnappers and murderers in his area.

With MILF considering him a lost command, the AFP should now mount a new campaign to capture him and put him on trial for rebellion or sedition. Is the AFP up to it? That’s the billion peso question!

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NO CLOSURE: The first anniversary of the Luneta Hostage fiasco has reopened new wounds for the families of 8 Hong Kong tourists who were killed. One victim, several relatives and one legislator went back to Hong Kong even angrier than before.

The President refused to receive them, refused to apologize. To make matters worse, Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda declared that the visit of the Hong Kong group was engineered by a Hong Kong legislator to gain political mileage for the forthcoming Hong Kong elections.

President Aquino had good reason not to apologize, but it would have been an act of compassion and humility if he had received the Hong Kong victims and relatives.

The bottom line, fire those officials charged by IIRC, relieve Usec Rico Puno and expedite the payment of compensation from whatever source.

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ADDED PROOF: Retired Colonel Jose Gamos, PMA ’76, confirmed cheating in Sulu in the 2004 Presidential elections. He said the cheating occurred when the canvassing was transferred to 104th Infantry Brigade headquarters from a Jolo High School. He estimated that FPJ was dagdag-bawas by 100,000 with GMA emerging as the winner by 20,000 votes.

He also confirmed that the election returns for Tawi-Tawi province were also manipulated. 

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ANGRY SENATOR: Senator Antonio Trillanes has asked for the resignation of DOJ Sec. Leila de Lima. He accuses De Lima of inaction on the charges filed against President Gloria Arroyo.

Sec. De Lima has a full plate handling over three dozen controversial cases. Give her time, Mr. Senator.

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TIDBITS: Restaurant owner Cristina V. Perido, 45, was abducted and killed by two patrons who refused to pay their bill in a bar in Trece Martirez City.

PO2 Ronaldo Rodriguez was shot dead three times at San Rafael, Bulacan.

The latest PNP-FEU report says that there are 1.4 million licensed firearms and as many as four million unlicensed firearms. As we have observed several times before, why has there been no serious drive to collect loose firearms?

The SM Foundation donated 8,000 books to the City of Calamba as part of its donate a book project. 

The doubling or even tripling of dengue cases in Metro Manila and three regions adjoining the National Capitol Region, implies failure of government efforts so far, to handle the health emergency.

Chief Insp. Romeo Salvador, one of the negotiators in the Luneta hostage incident expressed his regrets he did not jump Chief Inspector Rolando Mendoza when he had the opportunity to do so. 

NPA rebels raided a sugar farm owned by Ecofuel Land Dev. Inc. in San Mariano, Isabela and burned a tractor. NPA rebels also attacked the police station of Medina, Misamis Oriental killing a police SPO2.

Greetings to our avid readers, Jane Honasan, Sen. Boy Herrera, Rhiana Hechanova, Pabling Calma, Dalmacio Lim Sr. of Ozamiz and Leo Magno of Davao.