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Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Same modus operandi noted in arrest of another blast suspect
THE Initiatives for Peace in Mindanao (InPeace Mindanao) has described the identification and arrest of the most recent suspect in the Davao bombings as "tainted with allegations of torture and an indication that authorities are getting nowhere in pinpointing the real masterminds of the terror attacks."
InPeace formed the Mindanao Truth Commission to investigate the spate of mysterious bombings in the island.
"The military storyline on the Davao bombings is getting muddier," said convenor Robinson Montalba on the arrest of Abdul Cacinto, 30.
Cacinto is allegedly a commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
He reportedly acted as a lookout during the March 4 Davao Airport and April 2 Sasa Wharf bombings.
Montalba said both the Malacañang-created Maniwang Commission and the citizen-led Mindanao Truth Commission have virtually dismissed the authorities' theory on the Davao bombings, particularly the involvement of the Sudangs.
The Truth Commission also found that the government had no solid legal evidence against the MILF based on the dismissal of the case of Emran Gumanod and testimonies of Tohami Bagundang and Jimmy Balulao that they were forced by investigators to sign extrajudicial confessions admitting to the crime.
Gumanod also cried torture.
Latest suspect Cacinto also said he was forced to confess responsibility in the Davao bombings because authorities allegedly tortured him.
"The military and the police have not given us a more plausible theory on the Davao bombings and yet they continue to 'produce' suspects in haste and in violation of due process and human rights," Montalba added.
He observed that Cacinto was arrested not on the basis of a warrant of arrest due to his involvement in the Davao blast, but in other alleged crimes.
"We believe that this recent arrest is meant to scuttle the ongoing reinvestigation on the murder charges against the MILF and, by so doing, the government can continue to use these criminal cases as a leverage in the peace talks set to resume next month in Malaysia," Montalba said.
(June 1, 2004 issue)
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