Duterte bares ‘arrangements’ for Misuari’s travel abroad

President Rodrigo Duterte meets with MNLF founder Nur Misuari in Malacañang on Monday, Feb. 25, 2019. (Photo by ROBINSON NIÑAL JR. / Presidential Photographers Division)

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday revealed he had made “some arrangements” to allow Nur Misuari, founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) to travel abroad.

Misuari is facing rebellion charges for the 2013 Zamboanga siege and is facing trial before the Sandiganbayan for two counts of graft and two counts of malversation through falsification of public documents over an allegedly anomalous purchase of educational materials when he was still governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Misuari met with the President in Malacañang on Monday night.

READ: Duterte meets Misuari in Malacañang

“Now there is Misuari, he saw me last night,” the President said in a speech before the General Assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) in Manila.

“He was not allowed by the court to go out because he has pending charges when he was armed,” he continued. “So I had to make some arrangements. Sabi ko, this is a personal request of me, which I do not do at any time, at any other time. Sabi ko, papasukin — ah palabasin ninyo [I said, let him in — I mean, let him out].”

The President did not make it clear with whom he made the arrangements.

Misuari is set to travel abroad to attend the 46th session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the meeting of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) in Morocco.

The Sandiganbayan on Tuesday granted Misuari’s motion to travel abroad.

The President met with the Moro leader after revealing there were “rumblings” within the MNLF following the naming of the 80-member Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), which was composed mostly the MNLF rival, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

In a speech before barangay officials in Pasay City on Monday, the President told the police and the military not to arrest Misuari as he was set to travel abroad. /atm

READ: Duterte bares ‘rumblings’ in MNLF after BOL ratification