We are not to blame, MILF insists

COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) yesterday insisted anew that it was not at fault in the Jan. 25 Mamasapano incident, which now challenges its 18-year peace overture with the government.

The MILF’s Mohagher Iqbal, who chairs the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), said while they respect the findings of Senate on the incident – as stipulated in an executive report by its committee on public order and dangerous drugs as well as the committees on peace, unification, reconciliation and finance – they stand pat on their position that the their forces could not be blamed.

Iqbal said the incident could have been avoided had the police coordinated with the MILF.

“We respect the results of the Senate inquiry on the incident. We also respect the result of the investigation on the incident by the Board of Inquiry. However, we stand by our position that the MILF was not at fault and that there are security agreements binding us and the government on how to cooperate on such kind of operations,” he said.

Iqbal said there is a ceasefire mechanism that has clear guidelines on how to execute such operations in areas covered by the government-MILF Agreement on General Cessation of Hostilities.

The agreement was signed in Cagayan de Oro City in July 1997 by MILF vice chairman for political affairs Ghadzali Jaafar and representatives of then-President Fidel Ramos, including his executive secretary Ruben Torres.

Iqbal said the MILF is still wrapping up its findings on the incident, which has been collated and documented by their Special Investigative Commission and activated several days after the Mamasapano incident.

He said his involvement in the Senate inquiry on the Mamasapano incident was based on his being the chairman of the BTC, not as the chief negotiator of the MILF.