COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Feb. 15, 2012) – Philippine Muslim rebels handed over to the authorities eight suspected criminals they arrested in the southern province of Lanao del Sur.
Von al Haq, a spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), said those arrested were accused of banditry and tagged as behind the murder of a local Muslim prayer leader in the town of Piagapo.
“We handed the bandits to local town officials and we understand that they would be handed over to the police authorities,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
But Colonel Daniel Lucero, commander of an army brigade in the province, said the MILF is still holding the men. “As of 2 p.m. today, not a single of those being held by the rebels are released, according to Piagapo Mayor Ummohanie Bato-Macatanong,” he said in a separate interview.
Lucero said the local council has passed a resolution demanding the pull out of rebels from the town. “The villagers are scared and they want the rebels out of Piagapo,” he said.
He said some of the men were punished by the rebels and received lashes. “The men were given lashes,” he said, adding the MILF is holding the men captive since February 10.
But Al Haq denied the report. “We just arrested the bandits. The MILF cannot ignore the plea of the people to put a stop to criminalities in the town. Even town officials have acknowledged our role in putting a stop to the nefarious activities of these bandits. We have warned them alright,” he said.
Al Haq said villagers have sought the help of the MILF in arresting the gang also blamed for many cattle rustling, illegal drug trade and extortion in the town.
The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, is currently negotiating peace with Manila, and the incident was among those discussed during the three-day peace talks in Malaysia that ended Wednesday.
Chief government peace negotiator Marvic Leonen called on the MILF to work with government to keep the peace on the ground, raising concerns that the rebels have moved and conducted actions without proper coordination with the ceasefire mechanisms, the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group or the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities.
“We do have the AHJAG mechanisms that will enable us to work together to interdict these criminals that find sanctuary within various communities. It is also by working together that we avoid needless panic and instability as we negotiate a final peace agreement,” Leonen said.
The MILF has previously executed publicly over a dozen criminals it arrested in the southern Philippines over the past two decades, despite a strong protest from the government. (Mindanao Examiner)
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