EDITORIAL - Turf war

One batch of suspects down; how many more to go? After the fanfare that accompanied the apprehension the other day of 17 suspects in connection with the Rizal Day bombings, a sheepish Armed Forces of the Philippines released 14 of the men yesterday, with the AFP chief apologizing to those detained.

Across EDSA, at the headquarters of the Philippine National Police, the chief was fuming over the raid conducted by military intelligence agents early Thursday on the Muslim community in Barangay Culiat, Quezon City. PNP officials groused that the raid by the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines was conducted without coordinating with the police, compromising the PNP’s own operations to get the suspects in the bombings.

The botched operations did not stop the PNP from filing charges of multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder yesterday before the Department of Justice against – why aren’t we surprised? – seven members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Only one of the seven is in PNP custody: Ismael Abbas of Barangay Pineda in Pasig City, who was nabbed last Jan. 4 and is alleged to be the MILF’s man in Metro Manila. Charged together with Abbas were MILF chairman Hashim Salamat, vice chairman for political affairs Al Haj Murad, vice chairman for military affairs Ghadzali Jaafar, vice chairman for internal affairs Aleem Aziz Mimbantas, Safilla Unos and Mohammed Guindolongan. The MILF was also tagged in the bombings that rocked shopping malls in Metro Manila last year.

Oh well, the arrest of Abbas fulfilled the promise of PNP chief Panfilo Lacson to come up with suspects within 48 hours. Are they the real bombers? This remains to be esta-blished by a competent court. In the meantime, don’t let down your guard since the PNP has warned of more bombings.

And in the meantime, the AFP and PNP should start getting their act together. Institutional rivalry can be healthy, but there are times when competing units can do their job better when they coordinate their movements. In this case, it’s no secret that there’s no love lost between the heads of the PNP and ISAFP. The only reason the public will not mind such rivalry is if it leads to the arrest of the real culprits behind the terrorist attacks last Dec. 30.