Is poll commissioner Sheriff Abbas a relative of Iqbal? MILF negotiator refuses to answer

THE chief peace negotiator for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Thursday refused to answer questions if he is related to newly appointed elections commissioner Sheriff Abbas.

During the House of Representatives Metro Manila Development committee hearing Thursday, Mohagher Iqbal said the question should be referred to the Commission on Appointments.

“Darating naman yan sa Commission on Appointments eh. Dun na lang tanungin. At this point in time, please, hindi ko muna sasagutin yan,” Iqbal, who also chairs the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, said.

Raissa Jajurie, lawyer and program coordinator of the Alternative Legal Assistance Center, earlier said in an Inquirer report that Abbas is Iqbal’s nephew and a son of one of Iqbal’s siblings.

Abbas, 36, is a graduate of the Ateneo de Davao University and was the chief legal officer of the Civil Service Commission based in Cotabato at the time of his appointment.

Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) also said Abbas served in the Bangsamoro Transition Commission.

Instead of answering the question, Iqbal said he has used several names to keep his true identity secret for his and his family’s protection.

Lawmakers have questioned Iqbal’s credibility as peace panel chair for refusing to reveal his real identity. Mohagher Iqbal is his nom de guerre.

“Rest assured, ’pag napirmahan na (ang Bangsamoro bill)… magiging full disclosure na ang buhay namin,” Iqbal said.

Iqbal met with Metro Manila lawmakers at the Microtel UP Technohub Thursday to discuss the implications of the decommissioning process on the upcoming elections.

The MILF and government are eyeing fully disarming the Moro group before the 2016 elections when it would run as a registered political party.

The ad hoc Bangsamoro committee is expected to vote for the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro basic bill (BBL) which seeks to implement a government peace deal with the MILF by creating a more politically autonomous Bangsamoro region. AC