Aquino faces treason complaint for Mamasapano attack, BBL

MANILA, Philippines—Former immigrations commissioner and assemblyman Homobono Adaza filed a treason complaint against President Benigno Aquino III, his allies and Cabinet members in the Ombudsman over the botched Mamasapano operation and the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

The complaint against Aquino was filed on Wednesday even when under jurisprudence, the President is immune from suits.

According to the complaint-affidavit filed by Adaza and Herman Tiu Laurel, Aquino, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., Senate President Franklin Drilon, presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles, peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, as well as the MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal, chair Murad Ebrahim and vice chair Ghazali Jaafar are liable for treason.

The complainants said Aquino should be charged with treason for entering into a peace deal with the MILF and for backing what they call an “unconstitutional” bill that seeks to create a more politically autonomous Bangsamoro entity to the benefit of the MILF.

According to the complaint, Aquino should be charged for giving Murad P5 million which the complainants said could have been used in the attack against the Special Action Force (SAF) cops in a botched Jan. 25 antiterror raid that left 44 elite cops dead.

Malacañang has said the P5 million donated in 2011 formed part of the previous administration’s commitment and would be used to establish the Bangsamoro Management and Leadership Institute.

The complaint said the President should be charged for allegedly issuing a stand down order from sending reinforcements to the SAF in a bid to save the BBL.

The complainants said Drilon, Belmonte, Deles and Ferrer should be charged for treason for the endorsement and drafting of the BBL. The MILF representatives should also be charged for waging war against the Philippine republic, they added.

The complainants said the Bangsamoro entity under the BBL is more unconstitutional than the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) that was struck down by the Supreme Court under the Aquino administration for being contrary to law.

“They are citizens of the Republic of the Philippines concerned with the dangerous drift of the country due to failure of leadership and treasonous and incompetent behavior of many of our national leaders and public officials,” the complaint said.

The complainants said the BBL is unconstitutional for promoting a substate; for promoting Islam which they said tolerated the unconstitutional tenets of polygamy and divorce; for promoting a parliamentary system of government against the constitutional presidential and unitary system, among others.

According to the Revised Penal Code, Filipinos convicted for treason, or for levying war against government or for adhering to state enemies, face reclusion temporal or 12 years and one day to 20 years imprisonment, as well as a P20,000 fine.