MANILA, Philippines - A lady Mindanao lawmaker on Friday lambasted the chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines for being overcautious," trying not to agitate the Muslim secessionist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
This stance, Cotabato Rep. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza said in a statement, have emboldened armed groups to continue attacking civilians.
The congresswoman was referring to a remark made earlier by AFP Chief Gen. Alexander Yano who said that the military could not run after the groups responsible for recent attacks in some areas in Mindanao because MILF might misconstrue it as hostile actions.
"We're afraid General Yano has just given armed outlaws a virtual license to continue their hostile actions in Cotabato and nearby provinces," Taliño-Mendoza said in her statement.
She said that fresh attacks by unidentified groups in her province have forced hundreds of farmers and their families to flee their homes.
Talino-Santoas said more than 500 families, mostly women and children, have been displaced in the towns of Pikit, Aleosan and Midsayap, following repeated acts of aggression by armed groups.
On Thursday, a passenger died and 34 others were wounded when a bomb exploded inside a bus in Digos City, Davao del Sur.
Authorities suspect the Al-Khobar extortion group was behind the incident, noting that it had demanded P500,000 from the Metro Shuttle bus management.
Talino-Santos said the MILF has already categorically disowned armed groups targeting civilians which should give the military the cue to hunt the outlaws.
Having been disowned by the MILF, the unidentified armed bands are now legitimate military targets," said the lawmaker adding that the military can coordinate closely with the MILF in run after the armed groups.
She said that if Armed Forces and the MILF are truly interested to obtain peace in the region, they should combine their force to neutralize the bandits.
"The MILF too, if it is truly committed to the cease-fire and the peace process, should be interested in helping the Armed Forces run after these unidentified armed gangs," Talino-Santos said.
The lady lawmaker appealed to both the military and the MILF to spare civilians that risk getting caught in the crossfire if they cannot stand by the truce. - GMANews.TV