By Gideon C. Corgue
DUMALINAO, Zamboanga del Sur – Former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) spokesman appealed to
Senators Peter Allan Cayetano and JV Ejercito not to be carried away by their
emotions by withdrawing their sponsorship of Bangsmoro Basic Law (BBL).
In radio interview over RMN dxPR
here, Kabalu said “it is not good for the senators to be affected by their
emotions over the death of 44 SAF members, as they need to see first both sides
of the coins before giving their decision.”
The two
senators were reported to have withdrawn their authorship of the proposed BBL
following the encounter between Special Action Force (SAF) policemen and
fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) last Sunday in Mamasapano,
Maguindanao that led to the death of at least 44 SAF members.
Senator
Ferdinand Marcos Jr., chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Government, has
also declared that he would stop Senate consultations related to the passage of
the BBL.
“The senators withdrawal of support
to the proposed draft bill is inappropriate because they did not know what
really happened in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, which claimed the lives of SAF
commandos,” Kabalu said.
“I think it is entirely unfair if we
suspend the peace process,” Kabalu emphasized adding that there should be a
thorough investigation to get to the bottom of this unfortunate incident and to find the answers to
the questions the nation is asking.
Kabalu said “the peace agreement is very
important” and he urged the government “to be resolute in passing the BBL to bring peace,
stability and progress to Mindanao.”
Meanwhile, Kabalu extended his
condolences to the families of slain SAF victims.
“As vice chairman of
Bangsamoro Transformation Council, I would like to extend my sincerest
condolences and sympathies to the families of SAF members. Despite of this
unfortunate incident, we hope that peace in Mindanao will be achieved through a
non-violent action.
