DEADLY BLAST. Residents look at destroyed motorbikes after bomb explosions in Isabela City, Basilan Province, Philippines, on Tuesday morning.
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Put Basilan under martial law.
This was the call of various sectors in Mindanao yesterday following the attacks on Isabela City in the province of Basilan Tuesday morning by the Al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf that left 15 people killed.
Monsignor Elmer Abacahin, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines’ (CBCP) Basic Ecclesiastical Community (BEC), said Bishop Martin S. Jumoad and even Cotabato
Auxiliary Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo have urged the government to place Basilan under martial law.
“During our talks yesterday right after the bombing of the Sta. Isabel Cathedral in Basilan, bishop Jumoad told me that it would be best to put Basilan under martial law,” he told this reporter by mobile phone.
“Even Bishop Bagaforo, the auxiliary bishop of Cotabato urged the government in a radio interview this morning to declare martial law in Basilan,” he added.
Abacahin, however, said that the calls for the imposition of martial law in Basilan are “purely the personal calls” of the two bishops and not endorsed by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
“I understand their calls because this needs a purely police and military action,” he said.
The Anak Mindanao (AMIN) party-list group also said there is a need for government to “flex its muscles” in Basilan to prevent further bloodshed.
Calls for a declaration of martial law in Basilan began circulating yesterday morning, with some floating the name of Lt. Gen. Benjamin Dolorino, chief of the Armed Forces’ Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) as martial law administrator.
Dolorfino, the twin “peace general” of Eastern Mindanao Command’s (EastMinCom) Lt. Gen. Reymundo Ferrer, is also a primemover of the Operation Peace Course (OP Kors!) peace trainings conducted by the peace and development non-government organization Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc. (BMFI) and Institute for Autonomy and Governance (IAG).
While not endorsing the calls for martial law over Basilan, which is the home province of AMIN’s Rep. Mujiv Hataman (who is running for governor), the party-list group it will be prudent for government show it is still in control especially in light of reports that the ASG is plotting an attack similar to the infamous 1995 massacre in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.
“Government must exercise prudence in handling the Basilan attacks and show it is still in control so as not to let the attacks degenerate into more bloodshed which will ultimately exacerbate the hardships of an already suffering people there,” AMIN’s Rep. Ariel C. Hernandez said.
Both Abacahin and Hernandez said Tuesday’s attacks on Basilan will have a chilling effect on the upcoming elections synchronized automated elections “because people will now fear for their security.”
“This attack is also anti-development because investors and business people will now have second thoughts in pouring their capital in Basilan,” Abacahin said.
It will also affect the ongoing peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) especially because of unconfirmed reports that some MILF guerrillas were involved in the attacks.
Aside from putting Basilan under martial law, the government’s security sector “especially the police and the military should come up with a comprehensive and detailed peace and order plan for Basilan and Mindanao,” Abacahin said.
“Personally, I am urging the police and military to intensify their action against these terrorists,” he added. (Bong D. Fabe)
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