The deadly clash between elements of the PNP-Special Action Force and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Maguindanao on Sunday showed “security challenges” to the peace process with Moro rebels, the government’s peace panel chair admitted Monday.
In a statement, peace panel chairperson Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the incident could have been prevented through “better cooperation.”
“This incident and other recent acts of violence by other armed groups manifest the diverse security challenges that confound the peace process,” Ferrer said.
“With better cooperation we will be able to prevent these kinds of incidents,” she added
Earlier on Monday, a police official in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said the number of SAF fatalities had risen to 50.
Ferrer confirmed that the PNP personnel were on the trail of Malaysian bomb-maker and top Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, known as Marwan, when the incident happened. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has offered a $5-million reward for information on Marwan.
The peace panel chief nevertheless said the Philippine government and the MILF will continue pushing for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law even after the bloody incident.
“Our resolve to see through the process of legislating the Bangsamoro Basic Law and implementing the different Normalization programs, including the security components, is only further strengthened,” she said.
