SAF massacre: So many questions without answers
I was doing this column while my TV was tuned to ANC's headline news and saw ABS-CBN's George Cariño interviewing a masked man, who said private armed groups also joined in the firefight that killed the 24 Special Action Force. Accordingly, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front lost 18 fighters. But then we did not see photographs of their dead. Ten days after this dastardly carnage that happened in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, people are still asking questions and getting no answers.
That interview by Cariño was very interesting in the sense that the man with the garbled voice said that he was neither part of the MILF nor the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. Yet he admitted that he took part in the firefight that led to the deaths of the 44 SAF soldiers, and he even showed his booty an M-1 rifle and satellite radio that the SAF troopers carried, but I am sure that he did not want to show everything that he took to the ABS-CBN reporter. For sure the MILF or BIFF fighters knew him.
What we learned from that interview is that, aside from the MILF, MNLF, BIFF, Abu Sayyaf or the New People's Army, there are still many other armed groups that roam parts of Mindanao which obviously the Philippine government does not have any control of that part of our territory. This fact alone should be enough to do a thorough police action because of the violation of Philippine laws on firearms.
I gathered that there are now five groups that are now investigating this incident. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is conducting their investigation, the Philippine National Police has its own investigation, the Office of the Ombudsman is having an investigation in the involvement of suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima. Then the Justice Department was tasked to investigate this incident. And now the House of Representatives wants to conduct its own investigation. This is not to mention that the MILF is also doing its own investigation, which for sure will lead to the conclusion that the SAF soldiers may have committed a mass suicide.
Clearly the problem here stems from the fact that if just one group would whitewash this incident, it would throw a monkey wrench into the investigation of the other groups. As an old saying goes, "Too many cooks spoil the broth." At this point, we should warn Pres. PNoy Aquino to ask all those investigating bodies to stop their investigation. He must create a truly independent body that should act as a "Truth Commission." But then, Pres. PNoy has lost all this credibility. So if he chooses anyone slightly identified with the Aquino family, that Truth Commission is dead in the water.
Meanwhile, a great number of Filipinos are still very angry, why they are not getting the truth as to who ordered this mission? Why was there no support from the military and most important of all, what was the role of suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima and why hasn't he surfaced before the media? Rumors have it that he is in Saipan attending a Masonic convention. Hmmm, isn't this the same group that is considered as one of the mortal enemies of the Catholic Church?
Anyway, Karen Davila's Headstart the other day had former National Security Adviser and former National Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales as her guests. Bert told her that during the time of then Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, upon his advice, she immediately declared Martial Law in Maguindanao and had the military raid the fortress compounds of the Ampatuan family, which is why they are now facing criminal charges. Unfortunately, our snail's paced justice system is working in favor of the Ampatuans, were vital witnesses are being killed, one-by-one.
Yesterday, Karen Davila had former Pres. Fidel V. Ramos as guest and he clearly pointed out that the President could not wash his hands from his responsibility under the chain of command doctrine. This is exactly what we wrote in our column in the Philippine Star yesterday - that the hands of Pres. PNoy and MILF Chief Al Haj Murad have been bloodied by this incident. That is what we call command responsibility.
While our angry people are suggesting for an all-out war against the Moro separatist, I fully agree with FVR that this is not the solution. I strongly believe that the military and the police should go out and search the countryside for armed groups and neutralize them if possible. But it should not appear like an all-out war scenario, because if there is war, it is the soldiers who die.
However we must make an effort to maintain and keep all territories under Philippine sovereignty intact. We do not ever want to hear of armed groups demanding that they seek permission with them first before anyone, especially the Armed Forces can enter their territory as it is an insult to the sovereign will of the Filipino people.
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