Sunday, September 07, 2008 Gov't dared to file raps vs Cafgu men
THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) dared the Philippine government to file charges against members of the civilian volunteer's organization (CVO) and the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) who allegedly burned Moro houses in two North Cotabato towns last month.
The challenge came after government raised the bounty for MILF commanders Ameril Umbra Kato and Abdullah Macapaar alias Kumander Bravo to P10 million each.
In a report by the MILF website, www.luwaran.com, MILF secretariat chair Muhammad Ameen dared Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ronaldo Puno to file criminal charges of arson against members of the Cafgus and CVOs, and possibly some Army soldiers for burning of Moros' houses in Aleosan and Midsayap in North Cotabato.
Ameen said: "it is highly malicious that only Moros like Kato and Bravo are charged but those identified with government are spared from the same crime".
"This is one of the reasons why Moros are rebelling from this government, because of this double standard of justice system in this country," Ameen said.
The MILF official said it would be better if the P10 million will be used to buy foods for the evacuees in the affected provinces rather for bounty "which promotes evil values among the people".
"The cases of Kato and Bravo can well be handled with the mechanism of the GRP-MILF Ceasefire Agreement if only the Arroyo did not abandon it in favor of purely counter-insurgency policy," Ameen said.
The MILF claimed that more than half of 132 or so houses burned in North Cotabato belonged to the Moros. Most of the houses burned were in Dungguan, Midsayap, which is a 100 percent Moro village.
The military, on the other hand, denied reports that their soldiers have looted homes and shops in a village in Maguindanao.
The military said it was the lawless groups that earlier occupied the village of Dapiawan in Datu Saudi town before the soldiers arrived to liberate it from the rebels. (BOT)
