Sulu Vice Governor Sakur Tan speaks to a forum in Zamboanga city while Basilan Governor Jum Akbar and Tawi-Tawi Rep. Ruby Sahali and former Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul Sahali listen. The group express its support to President Aquino. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
ZAMBOANGA CITY – Three influential governors and other leaders in the Muslim autonomous region have publicly came out to support the embattled Filipino leader Benigno Aquino.
Many groups are demanding Aquino’s resignation over his failure to prevent the brutal killings of nearly four dozen police commandos by Moro Islamic Liberation Front members in southern Philippines during an anti-terror operation on January 25 deep inside rebel territory.
The elite Special Action Force commandos killed Malaysian bomber Marwan in Tukanalipao village in Maguindanao’s Mamasapano town, but they were ambushed by MILF forces and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters on their way out of the remote village.
Aquino called the daylong clashes between commandos and rebels as a “misencounter” between friendly forces.
The MILF signed a peace accord last year, but the peace process is yet to be completed with passage of Bangsamoro Basic Law now pending in Congress following the carnage.
Aside from the multi-sectoral groups demanding Aquino to step down, lawmakers also wanted him to resign – accusing the president of covering up the deadly clash despite being told by the SAF about the clandestine operation. There were also rumors of a coup d’état and widespread demoralization among members of the police and military.
Sulu Vice Governor Tan, who was among those who openly declared support to Aquino, said he and Governor Totoh Tan and other provincial officials and mayors in the province are supporting the president.
Tan – who represented the Sulu governor – along with former Tawi-Tawi Governor Sadikul – who represented Governor Nurbert Sahali- and Basilan Governor Jum Akbar, including Tawi-Tawi Rep. Ruby Tan, pledged their all-out support during a public forum.
The forum, held in Zamboanga City – was also attended by leaders of various groups from the three provinces, and student and youth leaders in Zamboanga and Sulu.
“We want to reaffirm our unconditional support to the President,” said Tan, who organized the forum attended by over a hundred people.
“We are gathered here to express our full and continuing support to the president. Our support to him is unconditional because we see that he’s very supportive to us and to the peace process,” he said.
Tan emphasized Aquino’s sincere leadership and his aspiration for peace and progress in Mindanao and at the same time strongly criticized those who are calling for the president’s resignation or ouster.
He said Aquino has never spoken about war, but peace for the country, especially in the Muslim autonomous region and other parts of Mindanao where the president poured billions and billions of pesos in development projects in support to peace and development efforts.
“There are certain people who believe in going to war to be able achieve peace. But we are now talking peace because they went to war. There are so many groups, the BIFF, the MNLF, the MILF – they all went to war and now they are talking about peace, but in the case of President Aquino, he has not been talking about war, he’s never talked about war (but peace),” Tan said.
He said although the Mamasapano clash was a tragic incident, Aquino had not resort to violence.
“There are calls for the president to resign, why are there calls for the president to resign? The 2016 elections are fast approaching and everybody is positioning and others are posturing to become candidates both in the local and in national elections, but do you think taking a fall, any destabilization or instability at this time (is helpful to the country?) Dapat tumulong tayo sa (gobyerno at bansa),” Tan said.
“We call, first and foremost, they must not only listen (to the people in Manila), we also have the right to be heard, Philippines is not only Manila . The Sulu , Basilan and Tawi – Tawi and Zamboanga are also Philippines and we are among those who voted President Noynoy. We demand, Mr. President do not step down,” he said.
Akbar and the Sahalis also echoed Tan’s statement, saying, they all support Aquino. “We are peaceful people and we are supporting the presidency. If anybody would cry for war or something else, kami siguro magkibit balikat lang. Yun tao mismo namin, kami will not support instability, we are peace-loving. Maliit man kaming probinsya, we may have been progressing in all aspect, but we always go hand-in-hand with our brothers and sisters in Basilan and Sulu. But in so many huge issues that would define us as people, as Muslims in the Sulu sultanate area, we always concur with the sentiments of the people of Sulu and Basilan,” the Tawi-Tawi lawmaker said.
Tan’s group was the first in Mindanao to come out in the open and express their full support to Aquino. They are also expected to issue their own provincial manifesto in support to Aquino. (Mindanao Examiner)
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