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Calls for restraint in response to Philippine police killings

Bishops, activists say latest violence should not be allowed to derail Mindanao peace process
Calls for restraint in response to Philippine police killings
Published: January 27, 2015 11:01 AM GMT
Updated: April 21, 2015 07:14 PM GMT

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines and civil society groups on Tuesday called on legislators not to derail the passage of the Basic Bangsamoro Law in the wake of a police offensive that left more than 40 elite policemen dead in Mindanao.

Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito, a co-author of the law in the senate, withdrew sponsorship of the legislation, "considering that such cowardly acts occurred amid finalizing efforts to attain lasting peace in Mindanao".

He said Sunday's incident "led us to contemplate whether the proposed Basic Bangsamoro Law would really address the long-standing problem besetting Mindanao".

Archbishop Socrates Villegas said that while the violence should rightly be condemned, he remains supportive of the peace process.

"We cannot side with those who call for the discontinuance of peace talks," said Villegas, president of the bishops' conference.

"If anything, this sad incident underscores the necessity and the urgency of arriving at a solution that is not rushed but that is inclusive, principled and just to all," Villegas added.

The Mindanao-based Lanao Peace Advocates also called on legislators not to derail the passage of the law.

"The tragedy should not be used to blind us in attaining what we desired as the outcome of the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front," the group said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We call for all parties to continue pursuing the roadmap for peace in Mindanao."

Sunday's offensive against "high-value targets" including Zulkifli bin Hir — one of the United States's most wanted militants with a US$5 million bounty on his head — turned into a bloodbath, with President Benigno Aquino ordering a probe into the incident.

Nearly 400 highly trained Philippine policemen took part in the operation in the remote southern farming town of Mamasapano to arrest top militants — including Zulkifli, who is also known as Marwan — but were ambushed by Islamist fighters.

They managed to escape but strayed into territory controlled by a different militant group, sparking another firefight.

At least 44 policemen were killed, seven of whom were commissioned officers, and one was still reported missing on Tuesday.

At least five Moro Islamic Liberation Front fighters were also reported killed.

Military spokesman Lt Col. Harold Cabunoc said in a statement that the military remains committed to the peace process despite the killing of the policemen.

"We remain supportive of the government’s efforts in pushing for the Bangasamoro Basic Law," he said even as Congress on Monday announced the suspension of deliberations on the law.

"The incident should not serve as a hindrance," Cabunoc added. "We want a stop of these violence, the fighting that we, soldiers, experienced. Soldiers died in front of us. We don’t want a repeat of those," he said.

Congressman Karlo Nograles of Mindanao said the incident could not be swept “under the rug”.

"The issue here is Justice. How will justice be served for the [policemen] who were senselessly killed and what about their family members?”

“Those responsible for the killing must be brought to justice," Nograles said.

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