FORMER soldiers and police officers turned lawmakers said that if Justice Leila de Lima failed to file the murder charges against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front MILF), her “unfinished business” would hound her possible senatorial run in 2016.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, the “Saturday Group” in the House of Representatives urged de Lima to file the charges stemming from the botched anti-terror raid in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao or else face a possible backlash.
“If Secretary de Lima steps down from office to pursue her political plans, and that issue remains hanging, yan ang magiging unang issue sa kanya sa pagtakbo niya,” said Magdalo Rep. Francis Ashley Acedillo, a former Philippine Air Force pilot.
ACT CIS Rep. Samuel Pagdilao, a former police director, said de Lima had promised to file the charges in April, and now she is asking for one more month for the Department of Justice to file the charges.
With a month left before the filing of certificates of candidacies for the 2016 elections in October, time is running out, Pagdilao added.
Pagdilao suspects that the filing of charges against the MILF is being blocked to pave the way for the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro basic law, which seeks to create a new Bangsamoro region in the implementation of a peace deal between the government and the MILF.
“If this is a decision of one person, she must bear the consequences. If this is an issue that will be hurdled against her, ang magiging isyu dito ang unfinished business,” Pagdilao said of de Lima.
De Lima had been eyed to run as senator under the ticket of Interior Secretary Mar Roxas of the Liberal Party (LP). She had been tagging along with Roxas, even singing tunes, during the LP’s tour around the country.
De Lima had told lawmakers in the DOJ budget hearing that she is just waiting for the second part of the investigation before it formally files the criminal complaints against those involved in the Mamasapano incident, where 44 Special Action Force (SAF) police officers, 18 MILF fighters, and five civilians were killed last January 25.
The first part of the DOJ investigation covered charges against 90 suspects from the MILF and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) for the deaths of 35 police commandos.
De Lima had said the DOJ is waiting for the investigation involving suspects who killed the nine commandos from the 84th Special Action Company, the 17 MILF rebels, and the three civilians. Marc Jayson Cayabyab