Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Tuesday thumbed down moves to reopen congressional investigation on the Mamasapano incident following reports of an American casualty in the botched anti-terror raid.
READ:Unidentified Caucasian killed in Mamasapano
In an interview after the opening of the peace exhibit for the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) in the House of Representatives, Belmonte said he did not want to reopen the probe just because of a picture.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer and INQUIRER.net published a photo and the video of the aftermath of the Mamasapano attack last Jan. 25, showing what appeared to be a Caucasian who was killed in the gunfight between Special Action Force (SAF) troopers and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and other Moro rebels.
The presence of American casualties in the Jan. 25 attack raised suspicions that the United States is involved in the planning and attack in Mamasapano, Maguindanao to hunt down international terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir alias Marwan. The gun fight resulted in the deaths of 44 SAF troopers, 18 MILF fighters and five civilians.
READ: Napeñas admits US hand in intelligence sharing during Mamasapano operation
“At the moment, I don’t like to do that on the basis of a picture, on the basis of conjecture. Let’s have something to start on otherwise we go through the whole rigmarole all over,” Belmonte said.
For his part, Bangsamoro Transition Commission Chair Mohagher Iqbal said it is only counterproductive to bring up the issue of the Mamasapano in Congress again.
He said the reports by the Senate, police Board of Inquiry and the Department of Justice should be enough instead of reopening a congressional probe.
“Dapat hindi na halungkatin yan… Ang dapat tingnan natin yung mga reports na lumabas. I don’t think it’s a wise move on the part of anyone na buhayin ang issue. Wala tayong pupuntahan dun eh,” said Iqbal, chair of the MILF peace panel.
In his speech at the launch of the exhibit for the National Peace Consciousness Month, Iqbal said he remained confident Congress would still pass the BBL, the legislation which seeks to implement the peace deal between MILF and the government, despite the Mamasapano incident.
Iqbal urged the House leadership to resolve the quorum woes that stalled the passage of the BBL in the plenary.
“I still have trust in the collective wisdom of Congress to pass this law… Let me express the hope that this exhibit is the best evidence that the BBL is alive and kicking The problem of the lack of quorum is fleeting and eventually this will be addressed by the House leadership,” Iqbal said.
Belmonte also urged House members to go beyond religious and political differences to pass the bill.
“Let the House, led by the BBL champions and peace advocates, lead beyond religious and political differences. Let us combat this deep-seated divide and finish this story with the Filipino dream of normalcy and prosperity, especially for Mindanao,” Belmonte said. TVJ