MANILA, Philippines—House Speaker Prospero Nograles said on Tuesday Malacańang should “drop all political considerations” in its probe of the Maguindanao massacre to determine the culprit behind the killing of civilians and journalists.
“This is already beyond political alliances. I still cannot imagine how a man can be so brutal and cold-blooded in employing violence just to achieve one's political end. It is really unbelievable,” Nograles said in a statement.
The Mindanao lawmaker said “the effort to identify the culprits, particularly the masterminds, should be done swiftly but with cold objectivity and all partisan considerations, including their political alliances should be set aside.”
Nograles urged the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police to beef up security in Maguindanao and avert more violence in the province. “The AFP and the PNP should now step up efforts to disarm private armed groups (PAGs) in Mindanao,” said the Speaker.
He warned that any further vacillation by government could allow a full-blown clan war or rido to erupt.
Nograles also asked the Commission on Elections to assess whether it would be feasible to hold an election in six months time with the palpable tension in the area. “The Comelec can already suspend the election in the area until things cool down. Right now, the situation can be really volatile and we don't want more killings in the area,” he said.
