Will raps vs MILF rebels over SAF deaths affect peace process?

Mohagher Iqbal. FILE PHOTO

COTABATO CITY – A ranking Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) official on Friday expressed confidence that the filing of criminal charges against some of the rebel group’s members over the January 25 Mamasapano incident will not affect the peace process.

Earlier, President Aquino said those to be indicted for murdering members of the Special Action Force include members of the MILF.

READ: Raps OKd vs 90 MILF, BIFF, others in slay of 35 SAF in Mamasapano

Aside from MILF members, also to be charged were members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and private armed groups.

“It’s internal and a legal process of the Philippine government. I am confident it will not affect the entire negotiation,” Mohagher Iqbal, MILF chief negotiator, said.

Iqbal said any possible consequences of the filing of the charges could also be properly addressed through the ceasefire mechanism.

“Whether it will affect or not the peace process, our ceasefire mechanism can handle such kind of situation,” he told the Inquirer by phone.

READ: Iqbal says no turning back on peace

He said what was important for the MILF was that the “lines of communication with our government counterparts are not closed.”

Early this year, the rebel group has announced that those suspected of involvement in the Mamasapano incident would be sanctioned based on the code of conduct of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces and the Sharia Law.

It did not specify what possible sanctions would be meted or if these had already been carried out.

“If the government has its own internal process, we hope it would also consider our internal process,” Iqbal said.

The Mamasapano incident has become the thorniest issue that continues to threaten the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, which seeks an enlarged area for Moro governance.

It also put the MILF’s sincerity toward the peace process under tight scrutiny, although the rebel group has maintained that its forces on the ground did not fire the first shot and that they were dragged into the fray because of their defense of their territory.

The rebel group also appealed for understanding, saying what happened was a legitimate encounter and that it was normal to lose fighters.

The MILF suffered 17 fatalities during the clash that lasted for about 10 hours and was considered one of the bloodiest battles recorded in Maguindanao in recent years. Jeoffrey Maitem