1,000 families evacuated; 130 MILF, Abu forces face arrest

The police and about 5,000 soldiers in Basilan province are ready to serve arrest warrants against 130 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) believed responsible for the death of 14 Marine soldiers last July 10 in Al-Barka town. About 1,000 families were evacuated Monday night from Al-Barka, likely locus of the imminent battle. Provincial police commander Sr. Supt. Alex Macapantar said his office received the arrest warrants on Monday morning. "We received it around 10:30am. It was delivered by the sheriff of the issuing judge here," Macapantar said. Macapantar said the arrest warrant was for 127 identified members of the MILF and ASG for the crime of multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder in relation to the July 10 incident. The case was filed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines before the Zamboanga City prosecutor's office but it was forwarded to the Basilan court, said Macapantar. "It is different from the case we filed last Thursday at the Basilan provincial prosecutor's office," he said, adding that the court may just consolidate later instead the two sets of charges. Macapantar said the warrants were issued by Basilan Judge Leo Jay Principe last July 26. "We are ready to serve this warrants tomorrow (Tuesday), based on the pronouncement last Friday by the President. As of now, there is no order for us not to implement it," Macapantar said. The service of the warrants was held off by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last week to give a fact-finding team from the ceasefire committee of the government and MILF until Monday to finish its probe into the Al-Barka incident. National Security Adviser and concurrent acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales is expected to announce Tuesday the decision whether or not to extend the Monday deadline for the ceasefire committee following a request by the latter for such due to time constraint. Military forces in Basilan, that now total about 5,000, will assist the police in serving the warrant. Meanwhile, as the military starts pursuing the killers of 14 Marines, about 1,000 families or 5,321 persons have been evacuated from six villages of Al-Barka town . Sun-Star Zamboanga (www.sunstar.com.ph) reported Tuesday that the Department of Social Welfare and Development-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has moved the families to safer grounds. This developed as the military’s Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) Chief Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo said the perpetrators would be pursued and apprehended so that justice would be given to the slain Marines. Wesmincom has already deployed additional forces to Basilan in preparation for the launching of punitive actions against the perpetrators of the July 10 incident. Al-Barka Mayor Karam Jakilan said he believes the perpetrators of the incident are still hiding in his town despite suspicions they have already escaped. During a dialogue in Zamboanga City, Jakilan showed a sketch pointing to the location of the camps where perpetrators are hiding in his town. Last Friday, President Arroyo ordered government forces to arrest the perpetrators in the Basilan ambush after a three-day halt to give way for a fact-finding team to probe the incident. - GMANews.TV