New Mamasapano probe may imperil BBL, Drilon fears

Senate President Franklin Drilon is worried that the reopening of the Mamasapano investigation could imperil the approval of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), a key component of the peace agreement that the Aquino administration signed with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) seeking to create an expanded autonomous region for the Muslims of Mindanao.

Drilon said he supports the reinvestigation if it would afford his colleagues the chance to probe into potential new leads, but he wishes that this would have no adverse effect on the BBL measure.

The Senate, which resumes session on Jan. 18, will have only nine full session days before it adjourns for the 2016 election campaign.

Drilon said the passage of the BBL would be the chamber’s top priority when sessions resume.

 ‘Immense political storm’

“The Mamasapano incident had created an immense political storm that seriously affected the peace process which we had hoped would end decades of armed conflict in that part of the country,” Drilon said in a statement.

“The peace process between the Philippine government and the MILF must continue to hold even if the 16th Congress runs out of time in passing the proposed BBL organic law. We must not abandon the many successes we have made so far in the Mindanao peace process,” he said.

The Senate’s decision to reopen the investigation into the incident was prompted by a request from Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, who was detained on plunder charges when the Senate first launched an investigation into Mamasapano.

Enrile indicated he may have new information on the Jan. 25, 2015, massacre of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos who were on a mission to arrest a Malaysian terror suspect, in the hands of Muslim rebels under the MILF, with which the government had signed a peace agreement, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, and private armed groups.

Questioning the sincerity

The passage of the BBL was delayed in the heat of emotions after the massacre, when lawmakers started questioning the sincerity of the MILF as the government’s peace partner.

Leyte  Rep. Martin Romualdez Thursday said he supported the reopening of the Mamasapano investigation as “up to now it not clear who has command responsibility for what happened.”

“Justice should be served for the SAF 44 and their families,” said Romualdez in a press statement.

Romualdez, who is running for senator in 2016 under the United Nationalist Alliance, said the resumption of the probe was in aid of legislation and has nothing to do with politics.

“We should find out what law needs to be crafted so that this unfortunate incident will not happen again,” he said.

Romualdez also said he and the so-called independent bloc in the House that he leads, supports the passage of a BBL that is in full accord with the 1987 Constitution.

“No Filipino who is concerned with the future of our country wants war or conflict. I stand for peace and the people’s welfare,” said Romualdez, a lawyer and the current president of the Philippine Constitution Association.