ZAMBOANGA CITY – The local government of Zamboanga has strongly criticized the secretive programs being implemented by Presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles for Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels and their supporters here.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Salazar said Deles, without informing the local government, has since 2013 implemented the so-called “Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program for MILF communities,” raising fears that rebels and their supporters have encroached Zamboanga.
Salazar said there are no MILF communities in Zamboanga and that local residents and village leaders are opposed to the inclusion of the city in the proposed Bangsamoro autonomous government.
She said village officials learned of the Sajahatra program through residents themselves.
“Barangay officials have been tasked to strictly monitor their areas of responsibility for possible uncoordinated activities such as those implemented purportedly for communities that are not recognized by the local government,” Salazar said.
“There may be individuals who are sympathetic to the MILF, but we would like to emphasize that there is no MILF community nor do we recognize one in the city,” she added.
Civil groups and politicians have previously demanded the resignation of Deles over the killings of 44 police commandos by MILF rebels and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters on January 25 in Maguindanao’s Mamasapano town where members of the Special Action Force fatally shot Malaysian bomber Zulkifli bin Hir deep inside MILF territory during a secret anti-terror operation.
Some groups in Zamboanga wanted Deles be declared “persona non grata” for the secretive Sajahatra program here.
Salazar said Senen Bacani, a member of the government peace panel, admitted that Sajahatra Bangsamoro Program was started in 2013 in Zamboanga City without the knowledge of the local government.
“Barangay officials have a very important role to play to ensure that all activities happening in their AOR are sanctioned by the local government. Please be vigilant and report to us any and all activities similar to this being implemented in your area. The city is not part of the ARMM nor shall the city be part of the Bangsamoro,” Salazar said.
“The non-coordination of such activity has caused alarm that led to anxieties and apprehensions on the part of the barangay officials and residents where the project is being implemented,” she added.
The Sajahatra is a program that aims to uplift and develop the health, education and livelihood conditions of Bangsamoro communities, especially in the MILF areas in southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner)
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