Noy held back on order to reinforce SAF — source

Written by  Charlie V. Manalo

AQUINO ON TOP OF BOTCHED MAGUINDANAO OPS

In his obsession to obtain the peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as a political trophy, President Aquino deliberately ignored the pleas from the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) for additional reinforcement to rescue trapped operatives from their dire position.
This was bared to The Tribune by a source within the PNP saying not only was Aquino informed beforehand of the SAF operation against Malay-sian Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Mar-wan,” believed to be a key leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islam-iyah, and his alleged Filipino henchman, Abdul Basit Usman, but that he was actually on top of the operation itself.

“The President was actually monitoring the operation. Everything was being reported to him in real time,” said the source.

According to the source, Aquino was in Zamboanga that time, waiting in the wings for the outcome of the operation, ready to jump anytime to Maguindanao should the two suspected terrorists be captured.

“But when the operation went out of control as the MILF and the BIFF Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) joined forces in attacking the SAF, the President refused to send any reinforcement even as the SAF were already crying for help from heir beleaguered position,” the source said.

Aquino, the source said, cannot deny the fact that he was aware all the time of the SAF operation.

“SAF Commander (Police Director Getulio) Napeñas gave it away. He said that a little less than two hours before the initial gunfighting, the joint monitoring team of the MILF and the government called for a ceasefire. As no one was supposed to have been informed of the operation except (suspended) PNP Chief Alan Purisima, Acting Chief Leonardo Espina, (Executve Secretary Paquito) Ochoa and the President, who could make this possible? No one but the President. He could have called (Presidential Adviser on Peace Process) Teresita Deles to inform the monitoring team of both sides and call for a ceasefire but unfortunately, it didn’t work,” said the source.

In an interview with another national daily, Napeñas averred the joint monitoring team from the MILF and the government called for a ceasefire at a little past 6 am, but the “MILF did not stop shooting.”

“General Napeñas said the ceasefire was called for by the monitoring teams of both sides at a little past 6 am, less than two hours after the first shot was fired around 4:20 am. But the gun battle lasted 11 hours until 3:00 pm, and the nearest Army station is only about one kilometer away from where the gun battle was happening, but no reinforcement was sent,” said the source.

“If the President could make a call so early in the morning to Deles so she could in turn call on the monitoring teams to call for a ceasefire, why can’t he make a call to ask the Armed Forces to send reinforcement for the beleaguered SAF personnel?” the source asked.

“Because he was advised by Deles not to do so. They were so obsessed with the peace agreement, they want to save the Bangsamoro Basic Law as they believe it was the last piece for Aquino to earn the Nobel Peace Prize,” said the source.

“Never mind if 50 dedicated cops were killed,” he lamented.

Meanwhile, Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon lashed at Aquino for skipping the arrival honors of slain SAF officers in Villamor Airbase yesterday, attending the inauguration of a manufacturing plant in Laguna instead.

“Aquino’s absence in the arrival honor ceremony for the fallen SAF men speaks volumes of the president’s lack of basic respect for his servicemen,” said Ridon.

“His choice to instead head to the opening of a car factory in Sta. Rosa shows how little he cares for his uniformed personnel, who died in an encounter that he himself green-lighted,” the solon said.

Aquino’s cold, unfeeling heart,” Ridon said, “cannot even sympathize briefly to the families of the fallen SAF officers.”

“It is truly despicable, especially for the commander-in-chief,” he lamented.

The president’s absence in yesterday’s ceremony, according to the solon, only heightens the people’s disgust in Aquino, describing him as a “spineless leader who let his own men go to battle for the sake of his own vanity, only to disown the whole plan and deny accountability in the end.”

“Aquino’s presidency is yet another great tragedy for our nation, one that heightens our grief and transforms it into seething rage,” said Ridon.

Aquino was a no show during the arrival honors in Villamor Airbase for the slain SAF members as the Palace defended that he already expressed grief over the 49 slain policemen.

Presidential communications secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. in a Palace briefing denied that the President chose not to attend the arrival honors in place of the inauguration of an automotive manufacturing plant of Mitsubishi Motors in Laguna.

The Palace official said that it is really part of the President’s schedule, adding that Aquino would still be present for the necrological services of the slain troops in Camp Bagong Diwa today.

“There is no such happening that [he] chose that. It’s really not part of his schedule. The scheduled events is that there will be a National Day of Mourning, and that President Aquino tomorrow in Camp Bagong Diwa would attend the necrological  or memorial service in memory of our country’s heroes that died as part of the PNP-SAF,” Coloma said.

Coloma downplayed the outrage from common citizens expressed through social media due to Aquino’s speech on the matter earlier this week, saying that the chief executive has expressed “sincerely” his grief over the death of the PNP-SAF troops.

“The President has expressed his condolences and sadness of our country, and because of that we will commemorate through a National Day of Mourning,” he said.

“In speaking and in feeling and in action the President demonstrated his being one with all the families and acknowledging the members of the PNP-SAF. If there are other views, we respect it,” Coloma added.

The Palace official, when asked on how the government will appease the reaction of citizens, said that the “majority view” on the matter is not about Aquino “washing his hands.”
“In our monitoring, that is not the majority view. With that, we acknowledge all views, although different, we still continue to call and encourage all citizens to put first the welfare of the whole country,” Coloma said.

Meanwhile, the Palace executive also downplayed calls of the PNP Alumni Association for their members to take a mass leave.

“All the important details on the matter had been said by the President and we wish that they consider this in their decision. I do not know when they came up with the decision, if this is new or right after the President Aquino delivered his speech. On that note we respect their view,” he said.

Coloma said that the Palace has faith that policemen would not follow the call of the PNP Alumni association.

“We trust them to use reason, right thinking and understanding in the importance of their duty to serve the country,” he said.

On another note, Coloma expressed that the focus of the government is winning over and pushing for the fight against terrorism and the peace talks. He said that further details on what the Palace has been calling as a misencounter should be tackled after the findings of the Board of Inquiry.

“First we need to know first the truth behind the incident which will be established by the Board of Inquiry. Second, based on the findings. The government will take appropriate steps to straighten out what needs to be done, hold liable those responsible and change the system because of the importance of pushing for war or or campaign against terrorism,” Coloma said.

The Aquino administration has been under fire after Aquino delivered his speech on the Mamasapano clash earlier this week. Critics have assailed that Aquino has raised more questions than answers in his address.

Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza also called on the House leadership to defer all deliberations on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

“I call on Speaker Belmonte, Majority Floor Leader Boyet Gonzales and BBL Ad Hoc Committee Chairman Congressman Rufus Rodriguez to suspend all deliberations on the BBL while the killing of 44 policemen is being investigated, while the truth is being determined and justice is not rendered,” Atienza said.

Atienza, in a manifestation on the floor Wednesday night, cited three reasons for calling for the suspension of deliberations, namely:  (a) In deference to those who lost their lives; holding these hearings on the BBL will only elicit emotional reactions and they will not get any genuine sentiments from the participants; (b) What is the need to rush it when Congress has all the time to discuss this dispassionately?; and (c)  Why rush it when there are questions on the constitutionality of several provisions of the proposed law?

It has been reported that Rodriguez, Ad Hoc Committee chairman for BBL is trying to fast-track the approval of the proposed measure as it would serve his ticket to his appointment as chair of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“We should first get to the truth and give justice to those who lost their lives before we can even resume discussions.  There can never be peace without justice,” Atienza said. 

Atienza manifested his call on the floor but was immediately turned down by Deputy Speaker Pangalian Balindong. He likewise pointed out that it is not just the Speaker, the Deputy Speaker or the Chairman of the committee who will decide on the matter but it is the whole membership of Congress who are the decision makers.

Vice President Jejomar Binay led government officials in giving honors to the 42 fallen members of the elite Special Action Force (SAF), whose corpses arrived in Villamor Air Base (VAB) aboard military planes.

Aquino, who delivered a televised speech Wednesday night washing his hands in the debacle, was noticeably absent during the emotions-filled event.

Aquino was expected to lead the arrival honors for the fallen SAF only to skip the arrival honors to attend an inauguration of Mitsubishi Motor Corporation’s plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

The absence of Aquino sparked more disappointment from members of uniformed services, particularly from the ranks of the PNP.

“What kind of commander in chief is that? His presence here was very important not only for the families of the slain SAF members but more importantly to us, to somewhat lift our morale,” a police officer said, requesting anonymity.

“Our comrades die in the field following orders, to serve and protect our people and community. His (Aquino’s) absence here only showed his true character, a weak leader,” he added.

Another officer based in Camp Crame also scored the absence of Aquino in the arrival honors.

“He should have somewhat redeem his weakness if he showed up and joined the families who lost their loved ones in an operation he obviously knew of. Nobody in the PNP believes that the President was not aware of the SAF operation,” the second source told The Tribune.

Even some of the loved ones of the fallen SAF expressed dismay over the Aquino government. They are feeling abandoned.

Aside from Binay, other government officials present were Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Senators Nancy Binay, Bongbong Marcos and Grace Poe, and former First Lady Rep. Imelda Marcos.

Also present was former President Ramos, a retired general himself, and presidential uncle former Tarlac Rep. Jose “Peping” Cojuangco and wife Tingting.

Philippine National Police (PNP) officer in charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. and other senior police and military officers also attended the solemn honors. Joshua L. Labonera, Mario J. Mallari, Gerry Baldo 

MILF fighters rollicking, lounging before SAF massacre

by RIGOBERTO D. TIGLAO

For what was purportedly a fierce firefight, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters were enjoying themselves, rollicking, lounging at times, laughing at their jokes, and occasionally firing their rifles toward a distant rice field where the Philippine National Police Special Action Forces (SAF) troopers were pinned down.

One bored, young MILF fighter, to amuse himself, pretended he was a war correspondent representing the insurgent group’s “105th Base Brigade.” A comrade behind him guffawed. One MILF fighter holding a cigarette tutored another how to properly aim an M-14.

These are shown in a 10-minute video of the firefight, if one can call it that, taken with a smartphone by somebody who was obviously an MILF fighter. The video clip is posted on liveleak.com. Check it out (second video there) for yourself and be shocked.

Partly hidden behind coconut trees, the dozen and more fighters shown in the video were part of the MILF force which had cornered the SAF troops, and were waiting for the elite police force to run out of bullets so that they would surrender helplessly.

The other, shorter video clip on the website shows the gruesome result of the episode: dozens of SAF troops dead, several obviously shot in the face pointblank, the skull of one cracked wide open and filled with leaves, every corpse stripped of all battle gear, one even of its jacket and boots. The MILF claims 64 policemen were killed while the government says only 44 bodies were recovered, including those of seven officers.

Images from an MILF video: (Clockwise from top left) A young recruit, pretending to be a war war correspondent of the “MILF 105th Base Command”; an MILF fighter smiles for the camera before getting coached on how to fire a rifle; a fighter shooting at the SAF force obviously at quite a distance. Last image, a SAF trooper shot at the back of his head.

There are two undisputed sets of information. First, the encounter started before sunrise and the entire episode ended about sundown. Second, the SAF troops, according to an earlier, gloating report carried by the MILF website, had run out of bullets by noon.

With these two reports, along with the video clips, one may view the incident as nearly crystal-clear: a horrific episode and an indictment of the MILF’s inhumanity.

As the SAF troops tried to withdraw after their first early morning encounter with the MILF, the insurgents managed, instead, to box them into an open, harvested rice field with little protection, behind them a river obstacle with only a makeshift, rickety bamboo bridge. The MILF called in reinforcements, including the supposedly renegade Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) to strengthen the encirclement, and man a blocking force right after the river.

A nearby Philippine Army battalion either waited for orders from headquarters, which never came, or naively tried to contact the MILF (to beg them to stop?).

The MILF at the front and back of the SAF fired at them continuously for them to fire back—until they ran out of bullets.

They had no choice but to surrender. The MILF, with the BIFF, shot the SAF surrendering troops point blank, and looted them of their battle equipment, even their boots.

Not a firefight
It wasn’t a firefight. It was first a turkey shoot by an MILF force that encircled the SAF troops, and then a massacre after the policemen surrendered.

The Aquino government is intent on covering up this atrocity. No forensic examination by experts of the SAF troops corpses was made to determine if they were, indeed, shot point-blank. No forensic experts were sent to examine the killing field in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao.

“The SAF didn’t coordinate their operations,” Commander-in-Chief President Benigno S. Aquino, Secretary Mar Roxas who commands the PNP, PNP Officer-in- Charge Leonardo Espina, chief negotiator Miriam Coronel Ferrer and MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar, all said.

But even if they didn’t ask for permission from the MILF — what these people really meant by “coordination” — the insurgents violated all standards of humanity, based on all the teachings of either Mohamed of the Muslims or Jesus Christ of the Christian faith, when they massacred them when they were clearly law-enforcement agents of the Republic who had laid down their arms. The video clip I mentioned, in fact, had a conversation between two MILF fighters. One asked who their enemies were. Another said “policemen from national headquarters.”

This is worse than the first Maguindanao massacre in 2009, when 58 innocent civilians were killed in a rushed frenzy. This second Maguindanao massacre, which snuffed out the lives of our young police officers, was a very calculated, cold-blooded operation that took hours to undertake, and ignored long-held values of respect among warriors.

The MILF was able to mobilize its forces to the killing field as its three camps were not too far away: Camp Omar ibn al-Khattab, Camp Abubakar as-Siddique and Camp Badre in Maguindanao

These are the MILF camps that the “Annex on Normalization” of President Aquino’s “Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro” recognized, in effect the insurgent territory that forces of the Republic cannot enter or even approach. They had become centers of mujahideen recruitment and training. (see my column “Aquino pact restores, strengthens MILF camps,” Jan 30, 2014).

One would have to be extremely, criminally naive to believe that the MILF would soon be surrendering their arms accumulated in these camps as part of the “demobilization” process of the “peace agreement.”

It was a perfect, secured refuge for the two terrorists, Malaysian explosives expert Zulkifli Bin Hir and his Maguindanaon cohort, Basit Usman, whom the SAF attempted to arrest. That itself is something we should seriously consider, that the Bangsamoro will be a refuge for international jihadists. (See my column “Could the Bangsamoro be haven for ISIS in the future?” Sept 18, 2015.

So that the MILF won’t be accused of coddling the terrorists, Aquino, however claimed that the two weren’t in any of the camps, but in a place surrounded by several camps. Brilliant.

What kind of a President is this, when instead of expressing outrage against this MILF atrocity, devoted much of his speech to the issue the other night expounding on the MILF’s and Roxas’ excuse, that “they didn’t coordinate”?

“The truth shall set us free,” Aquino melodramatically said in his speech, referring to the results of an investigation of the episode he ordered.

I hope the truth will, indeed, set us free — of this incompetent, bungling, and compassionless president who has cost the Republic 44 of its elite commandos.

tiglao.manilatimes@gmail.com
FB: Rigoberto Tiglao

The Russian Navy Is on the Verge of Collapse

Big ships age out and Moscow can’t replace them

by DAVID AXE
Published in War Is Boring

The Russian cruiser Peter the Great. RIA Novosti photo. Above—the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov. Photo via Wikipedia

The Kremlin has announced that Russia will hugely boost its naval operations in 2015.

But that’s an empty promise—or threat, if you will. In fact, the Russian fleet is on the edge of a precipitous decline in ship numbers and combat power, owing to huge industrial shortfalls that have been decades in the making.

“As for missions of Russian naval ships, there will be 50 percent more of them than in 2013,” Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian general staff, told a TV audience in December.

But Gerasimov’s vow belies a bleak future for the Russian navy. Even if the fleet is busier in 2015 than it was in 2013, in coming years it will have fewer and fewer ships to be busy with—and those that remain will be progressively smaller and weaker than rival vessels.

Today the Russian navy possesses around 270 warships including surface combatants, amphibious ships, submarines and auxiliaries.

On paper, that is. But that count includes many ships that are inactive and in poor material condition plus scores of small patrol vessels with very limited combat capability.

Of the 270 ships, just 125 or so are in a working state. And of those 125, only around 45 are oceangoing surface warships or submarines that are in good shape and deployable.

All the above figures come from Dr. Dmitry Gorenburg of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University.

By comparison, the U.S. Navy possesses some 290 warships. Pretty much all of them are well-maintained, deployable, oceangoing vessels.

All the same, a force of almost 50 large warships is no insignificant thing, and outguns the fleets of all but the most powerful countries. The problem, according to Gorenburg, is that today’s Russian navy is old … and won’t last much longer.

“The Russian navy is still primarily a Soviet legacy force,” Gorenburg writes. “There are relatively few new warships in service at present and the ones that have been commissioned in recent years are all relatively small. In terms of large surface units, the navy only operates what it was able to save during the years when it received virtually no funding.”

Many, if not most, of the Soviet-vintage ships will decommission in the next few years as they became too old to sail safely and economically.

Under Pres. Vladimir Putin’s regime, the Kremlin has laid plans to rebuild the fleet. But that’s easier said than done when the vessels most badly in need of replacement are also the most difficult to build—heavy cruisers, powerful destroyers and Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s sole aircraft carrier, which is barely seaworthy after nearly three decades in service.

Buy ‘The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, 16th Edition,’ the best guide to the planet’s navies.

“Russia’s shipbuilding industry is not in good shape,” Gorenburg explains. He estimates that the industry could build somewhere between half and 70 percent of the vessels Moscow wants by 2020. “The earliest that Russia could build a new aircraft carrier is 2027, while new destroyers are still on drawing board, with the first unlikely to be commissioned for 10 years.”

And it doesn’t help that Russia has invaded and alienated Ukraine, which built Admiral Kuznetsov and until recently supplied Russian shipyards with many of the heavy components they need to complete new warships.

Moscow tried to inject new hardware and expertise into its rusting shipbuilding industry by acquiring two new Mistral-class amphibious assault ships from France—and also licensing the design for possible continued construction of the class in Russian yards.

But Paris suspended the deal last year after Russian troops annexed Ukraine’s Crimea region and also infiltrated eastern Ukraine to aid pro-Russian separatists.

Russia’s shipyards are still capable of building small corvettes and other uncomplicated coastal patrol vessels. And that’s shaping the fleet’s operations.

“Whereas the Soviet navy focused on building ships designed to take on carrier groups,” Gorenburg concludes, “the new Russian navy will be primarily focused on defending against smaller adversaries closer to home.”

So the Russian fleet’s 50-percent-more-hectic 2015 could be one of its last busy years for a good long time—at least in any meaningful sense of the word “busy.” More and more, Moscow’s navy will have to stay home.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Chinese navies continue to grow and modernize. The American fleet is working hard to expand to around 306 large ships by the 2020s. And Washington is already deploying more of its vessels overseas.

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/the-russian-navy-is-on-the-verge-of-collapse-b0ce344ebf96

American Sniper ignites debate about hero status and glorifying the US war machine

 SOURCE: NEWS.COM.AU

Former US Navy SEAL Chris Kyle killed 160 people during four tours of Iraq. Picture: Paul Moseley / The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Source: AP

WAS American Sniper Chris Kyle a hero or a villain?

The former US Navy Seal’s war record — 160 confirmed kills including 19 kills in a 24-hour period — is the subject of the Hollywood blockbuster that has grossed more than $128 million at the US box office. But the movie has been labelled “pro-war” and has been compared to Nazi propaganda by some early reviewers.

Australians are expected to flock to the cinema to catch a glimpse of Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of the now-deceased Kyle this weekend. Before that, we take a look at the man behind the rifle and what people are saying about him.

Sniper Chris Kyle served four tours of Iraq and was once dubbed the ‘Devil of Ramadi’. Picture: Rick Homan Source: Supplied

AMERICA’S DEADLIEST SNIPER?

Chris Kyle was killed in 2013 by a fellow veteran at a shooting range in the US, aged 38. His legacy as America’s deadliest sniper was already written.

During four tours of Iraq, Kyle recorded 160 kills though that number is somewhat misleading. The real number is closer to 250 because 90 additional kills were never confirmed. He did most of his damage in the city of Ramadi in 2006 where he was dubbed the ‘Devil of Ramadi’ by insurgents.

His long-distance kills are what separated Kyle from other snipers. In Fallujah in 2004, then one of the most dangerous cities in the world, Kyle delivered a kill shot from more than 1400m. Later, he eliminated an enemy holding a rocket-propelled grenade from almost 2km away.

Sniper Chris Kyle lies on a baby crib turned on its side during a staging for the assault on Fallujah. Picture: Rick Homan Source: Supplied

Former Black Team sniper Howard Wasdin later commented that “you’ve got to be good” to take a man down from that distance, according to the New York Post.

“There was a point I was arrogant enough to say you don’t need any luck. But a 1,600-yard shot? OK, you’ve got to be good — you really need to refine your breathing and squeezing skills, eye relief, shoulder placement, all that. But you still have to have a little bit of luck,” Wasdin said.

His exploits were first covered in detail in the book Modern American Snipers by Chris Martin and later in the Clint Eastwood-directed film making waves for its depiction of Kyle’s heroics.

A billboard for the film in west LA was defaced on Tuesday night. Picture: Sky News. Source: Supplied

HERO OR VILLAIN?

A prominent billboard in west Los Angeles was defaced with the word “murder” on Tuesday night local time, Sky News reported. Despite all the Oscars buzz and glowing reviews, there are still many who believe the film glorifies war.

Slate reported American Sniper “convinces viewers that Chris Kyle is what heroism looks like: a great guy who shoots a lot of people and doesn’t think twice about it”. The Guardian called the real American Sniper a “hate-filled killer”.

Controversial documentary maker Michael Moore tweeted that “snipers aren’t heroes” and that he was taught snipers were “cowards”. He later clarified his tweet, saying he was not talking about Chris Kyle specifically.

Bradley Cooper has spoken publicly about distancing American Sniper from the politics of war. Picture: Warner Bros. Keith Bernstein / AP Photo Source: AP

Actor Seth Rogen compared the film to a fictional Nazi propaganda movie from Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds. “American Sniper kind of reminds me of the movie that’s showing in the third act of Inglorious Basterds,” he wrote.

In that film, a German rifleman shoots dead hundreds of enemy soldiers to the cheers of a pro-German audience in a French cinema.

http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/american-sniper-ignites-debate-about-hero-status-and-glorifying-the-us-war-machine/story-e6frfmw0-1227195578168

Can we have a peace process without peace?

by FRANCISCO TATAD

Fifty-two members of the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police (according to the latest report) are dead. They were massacred, many of them mutilated, in an armed encounter in barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Sunday with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a breakaway faction of the MILF.

This happened while the Aquino government was trying to fast-track the passage in Congress of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (Babala), which seeks to create a new political entity for the MILF to replace the present Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), which was created earlier by law for the Moro National Liberation Front. It is supposed to be a formula for peace.

Mohaqher Iqbal, the MILF chief negotiator and presiding officer of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, called it a “mistaken encounter,” caused allegedly by the government’s “failure” to notify the MILF about the movements of the police, who were reportedly in pursuit of a notorious terrorist in the supposedly “government-recognized” MILF enclave under the current ceasefire agreement with the MILF.

Despite the incident, in which the MILF sustained only light casualties, the ceasefire still holds as far as the rebel group is concerned, Iqbal said. But the immediate reaction of Congress was to denounce the massacre and suspend its hearings on the Babala. “How can you negotiate a peace process when one party is still at war?” Senator Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos Jr., chairman of the Senate committee on local government, which was conducting the hearings in the Senate, was quoted as saying. Some senators, although never known to be the paragon of moral integrity, have disowned their previous co-authorship of the Babala because of the incident.

In the House of Representatives, the ad hoc committee chairman, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, suspended the hearings upon motion by Muntinlupa City Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, a former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. There was hardly any dissent from any member; on the contrary, a number of them aired their grievance against the MILF’s “continuing recruitment” of fighters in their respective areas in Mindanao, even after it had signed the peace agreement with the Aquino government.

“It cannot be business as usual,” said Zamboanga Rep. Celso Lobregat, a staunch critic of certain provisions of the peace agreement.

Several things defy our understanding. The government has said–and nobody has tried to contradict its statement–that the SAF contingent had entered the area in hot pursuit of Malaysian “bomb expert” Zulkifli bin Hir, better known as “Marwan,” said to be a member of the Indonesia-based al-Qaeda cell, Jemaah Islamiyah, in the company of Basit Usman, a Filipino bomb-maker and BIFF commander. They had warrants for the arrest of the two notorious suspects. The policemen were all in their official uniform, and they were clearly embarked on a law enforcement mission rather than on a military operation. Assuming they had failed to give the MILF prior notice of their operations–precisely they did not give such notice to avoid a security leak that could alert their “high-value targets”—-was a “take-no-prisoners” assault the only way to deal with the “unauthorized intruders?”

Since both parties profess to be genuinely committed to the peace process and to making the ceasefire hold, shouldn’t the MILF have challenged the “unauthorized presence” of the SAF “intruders” first, before opening fire? At the outset, shouldn’t the government have insisted, in the peace agreement, that no MILF “camp or controlled-territory” should be used as a safe haven or sanctuary for terrorists, criminals or bandits, and that the MILF would cooperate with Philippine authorities in apprehending persons wanted by the government for terrorism or other related crimes who would seek refuge in their areas?

Not everyone, especially those who have a little understanding of military matters, is willing to accept the whole incident as a “mis-encounter.” Many look at it simply as a cold-blooded massacre. A highly trained company of law enforcers simply walked into hostile territory and was wiped out without a fighting chance. They were apparently overwhelmed before they had a chance to respond. Vastly outnumbered and outgunned, those who did not fall at the first burst of MILF gunfire tried to pull back, but they were instantly stopped by the BIFF. And they were not just killed, many of them were savagely mutilated.

These questions have to be asked: What kind of intelligence was made available to the SAF “commandos” before they entered the area where they were all killed? Did they have any inkling at all that the area they were entering was some kind of “rogue territory” whose population was heavily infiltrated with anti-government elements?

When the commandos ran out of ammunition, and sent out distress calls for reinforcement and replenishment of supplies, who received these calls and who decided to simply ignore them? Isn’t it unspeakably tragic that while the MILF, which from the very beginning had enjoyed every advantage over the commandos, got reinforcement from the breakaway BIFF, the commandos got no relief or assistance from any allied units because no one wanted to risk any undue consequences to the ongoing peace process?

So 52 brave policemen are dead, while the peace process, as a consequence thereof, also lies in extremis. Do we honestly believe the Babala would survive, or should survive? Why have we not heard anything at all from the Secretary of Interior and Local Government, who commanded the last siege of Zamboanga where a couple of hundred MNLF fighters were killed and 10,000 homes were razed to the ground? Indeed, why have we not heard anything from the President and Commander-in-Chief himself, who oversaw that disastrous Mar Roxas operation from his own quarters inside the Western Mindanao naval base? Why the Sphinx-like silence?

Have we not run out of sand in our shores where this particular ostrich could hide its head while this crisis rages?

As for the rest of the Aquino government, is the suspension of the Babala hearings the best possible response we could expect from Congress? Wouldn’t it have been better if the Congress had summoned the highest leaders of the MILF to explain to the nation why the massacre was necessary, and the mutilation of some of the dead policemen could not be avoided? And why we must remain as eager as all those foreign NGOs, the Malaysian government and the other foreign powers in defending a peace process that, as of now, seems to promise so little peace.

fstatad@gmail.com