Cebu PMAers: Reject Bangsamoro Basic Law

CEBU, Philippines - With the recent encounter between the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force members and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that resulted to the death of 49 policemen last Sunday, the Phi-lippine Military Academy Cebu Squad Inc. asked that the Bangsamoro Basic Law be discarded.

Lawyer Rameses Victorius Vi-llagonzalo, PMA Cebu Squad Inc. counsel, said they believed that some provisions of the BBL is in violation of the Philippine Constitution.

“With the latest development regarding the murder of the 50 SAF personnel, it is our collective humble opinion that the so-called Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) suffers (from) constitutional and legal infirmities and should, thus, be rejected. Otherwise, the worse or worst is yet to come,” read the letter of opposition the group sent yesterday to the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Supreme Court.

Superintendent Rodolfo Albotra, Provincial Intelligence Branch chief and president of the Philippine National Police Academy Alumni Association Inc.-7, also condemned the killing.

“On behalf of the PNPAAAI7, being its president, and that most of the officers killed were graduates of the academy, we are one in showing support and sympathy for our fallen comrades,” Albotra said.

He said they believe that “the higher headquarters of the Philippine National Police will not sleep on this one and they will give justice to those people who died on that incident.”

Yesterday, Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Noel Gillamac personally handed the letter of PNP Officer-in-charge Leonardo Espina to the wives of two Cebuanos who were among the 49 elite policemen killed during the Maguindanao encounter.

Gillamac said he received a directive from the Espina to personally give the letter to the widows of PO1 Romeo Cempron, who hailed from Consolacion town, and PO2 Wendell Candano of Dumanjug town.

“Today (yesterday) I personally talked and handed to the widows of PO1 Cempron and PO1 Candano the letters of sympathy of the OIC chief PNP. Atong sab gihatag ang financial assistance nga accommodation, travel expenses ug mga gikinahanglan nila didto,” Gillamac said, explaining that the PNP shouldered the travel expenses of family members who claimed the bodies of the slain policemen.

“In fact, nag-appoint ta’g survivor officer aron matagad gyud,” he added.

Black armbands

To show support to their fallen comrades, CPPO policemen also wore black armbands yesterday. Gillamac said they were saddened by the death of the elite SAF personnel, who to him were “massacred”.

Meanwhile, the PMA Cebu Squad Inc. said that aside from questionable provisions, the creation of the Bangsamoro Police, which would result to the country having two police organizations, is unconstitutional.

“The creation of the Bangsamoro Police under Article 10, Sections 2 & 3 of the BBL…makes the Republic of the Philippines having two police forces, in violation of Article 16, Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines,” the group said, adding that creation of the Bangsamoro Command can also be a problem.

It said that under Article 11, Section 15 of the BBL on the creation of the Bangsamoro Command of the AFP, BBL members are not required to take an oath or affirmation to uphold and defend the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. 

Article 16, Section 5; and Article 11, Section 17 of the BBL, the group added, sets coordination protocols with the AFP, which are actually restrictions on the movement and deployment of military personnel.

The PMA Cebu Squad Inc. said the BBL “should be scrapped for good,” as it can be taken advantaged at to result to more “murders and massacres” of  government troops similar to what happened to the 49 PNP-SAF policemen.

On a personal note, Villagonzalo said he was “for peace but never for that BBL.”

“The BBL draft is a product of legislative adventurism,” he said.

Villagonzalo said there are around 200 members of the PMA Cebu Squad Inc. coming from the General Emil Luga class of 54 up to the class 2014. —/RHM (FREEMAN)