THE Senate committee investigating the massacre of 44 Special Action Force commandos in Mamapasapano, Maguindanao, will subpoena Mohagher Iqbal, the chairman of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, if he fails to attend the ongoing hearing scheduled on Thursday.
In addition, Sen. Grace Poe, chairman of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, said the panel will submit a report saying that its members doubt the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (Milf) sincerity because of the failure of its leaders failure to attend the hearing.
Una, ipa-subpoena, pangalawang option is puwede naming talagang ilagay sa committee report na dahil hindi nakilahok ang mga pinuno ng MILF, kami ay nagdududa sa tagumpay ng pag-uusap dito sa Bangsamoro basic law [BBL],” Poe said.
She added in Filipino that the BBL would not be passed if the Senate or the House of Representatives will not approve it.
“Kaya talagang kailangang makipag-ugnayan din sila [MILF] sa amin. Mag-eksplika ng kanilang panig para mas maintindihan natin sila.”
“I am not saying that we should dump the BBL because many of our brothers in Mindanao have suffered and they need help to attain peace there,” she said in Filipino.
“But we cannot be ignored by this group even if they say that they are a revolutionary movement—if we don’t sanction them for not following the law, that means that our government is inutile. We will not agree to that.”
Asked if Iqbal’s statement is frightening enough to be considered verging on revolution, Poe agreed.
“Talagang nakakagulat pakinggan. Pero, iyon ang katotohanan. Sila ay talagang revolutionary group. In fact, others describe them as rebel groups.”
“They have their own ideology and outlook how to run their territory in Mindanao but now they are talking with the government, and the way I understand it, they want to be united like a family which they are asking us to give,” Poe added.
Poe said that despite this, the MILF leadership should not ignore the Senate hearing since what was being discussed are the factual situation of what happened which they would like clarified.
“Ito ay para marinig ng ating mga kababayan kung ano ang nangyayari sa gobyerno. Kaya dapat, kung sila ay tapat, magpakita rin sila doon—makiisa ba. Na parang oo, kami ay Muslim, kami ay taga-Mindanao, pero kami rin ay Pilipino.”
Meanwhile, Iqbal on Wednesday begged off anew, this time from members of the House of Representatives that he cannot attend the hearing until after the internal investigation being done by their group is done.
The letter is addressed to the House Committees on Public Order and Safety chaired by Unega Rep. Jeffrey Ferrer of Negros Occidntal and on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity chaired by Liberal Party Rep. Jim Hataman-Salliman of Basilan.
The MILF designated Committee on Cessation of Hostilities Chairman Rashid Ladiasan to read the letter of Iqbal during the hearing.
In the letter, Iqbal appealed for the congressmen’s indulgence but vowed to attend once the MILF has finished its own investigation.
“Since the MILF Special Investigation Commission is still in the process of investigation, may we request that our appearance at the hearings of the committees be made only when the internal investigation is done,” he said.
“Rest assured that we will convey to the committees immediately our availability once we have the results of the investigation,” Iqbal added in the letter.
(With PNA)