SOMO won't stop pursuit of rogue MILF leaders - AFP

The government’s suspension of military offensives (SOMO) against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will not stop security forces from pursuing rogue MILF leaders, the Philippine military stressed Friday. Armed Forces information chief Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the AFP will assist the Philippine National Police (PNP) in going after rogue MILF commanders blamed for several crimes in the past that include murder, arson, and robbery. "Hindi natin pwedeng kalimutan ang ginawa nila. Meron silang warrant of arrest. Katulad kay Umbra Kato meron siyang 147 arrest warrants for murder, arson, robbery at marami pa. Di natin pwedeng pabayaan yan," Brawner said in an interview on dzXL radio. (We cannot forget what these rogue commanders did. One of them, Umbra Kato, has 147 warrants for murder, arson, robbery and other offenses. We cannot let that pass.) For his part, AFP Eastern Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer said the SOMO will "bring about an environment that is suitable for mutual understanding." "The SOMO, however, should not be viewed as a face about on our promise to bring Ameril Umbra Kato and his men to the bar of justice. Law enforcement operations against the lawless MILF Group shall continue with the AFP playing a support role to the PNP," Ferrer said. MILF to declare own truce MILF chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said the MILF will declare its own suspension of military actions (SOMA) on July 25 in response to the SOMO the government issued Thursday. Iqbal said in a statement on the MILF website that the MILF cannot issue a declaration immediately as there is a need to reach out to its commanders in the field. “Compliance is more important than making hasty announcement," he said. On Thursday, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita announced the SOMO but said the police will continue hunting down three rebel commanders accused of initiating clashes last August. These include MILF guerillas under Ameril Umbra Kato, Abdullah “Bravo" Macapaar, and Alim Ali Pangalian, who were accused of attacking communities in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte. "This is a dangerous proposition and this will be taken up as soon as we get engaged in the peace talks," said Iqbal, adding that as far as the MILF is concerned, the three commanders are still legitimate. Iqbal also maintained the MILF still wants an international guarantee that the government will abide by any peace agreement before resuming the peace talks. "We are very clear to the government. Unless a certain mechanism is in place we won’t talk to government anymore because we don’t trust the government anymore," he said in an interview on dwIZ radio. He said that even if government is not too receptive to an international guarantee as it smacks of sovereignty, the MILF is willing to find an equivalent with the essence of a guarantee. Iqbal said the MILF lost its trust in the government since last year, when the Supreme Court barred the signing of, and eventually declared unconstitutional, a memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD). The rejection of the MOA-AD prompted rogue MILF units to attack several areas in Mindanao, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes. - with Johanna Sisante, GMANews.TV