|
Thursday, August 07, 2008
Piñol denies urging people to arm selves
DAVAO CITY -- North Cotabato Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol vehemently denied that he was urging his constituents to arm themselves and fight the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Piñol said he merely advised his people to "defend themselves" against rebel atrocities.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
"Iba naman yung arm yourselves from defend yourselves. I'm not encouraging them to buy guns. They can defend themselves with whatever they have at hand. Karayom, bolo or kahit ano," he said.
The reports came following the opposition of North Cotabato from its inclusion in the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity to be under the MILF control.
Piñol, along with other local officials, wanted the contents of the Memorandum of Agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) be made public before the signing. The signing was supposed to happen in Malaysia on August 5.
But the Supreme Court (SC) last Monday issued a temporary restraining order against the signing of the MOA-AD between the Philippine government and the MILF.
Top government officials are allegedly in word war now with North Cotabato officials due to the suspension of the territorial deal.
According to Piñol, Peace Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. told him that he should not blame the military if it's not there to help should the rebels attack his province.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) hierarchy, however, assured North Cotabato of its continued protection.
"Our mandate remains clear - we will protect the Filipino people and preserve the sovereignty of the state," AFP Chief of Staff General Alexander Yano said in a text message.
Yano said there is no policy restraining the military from defending the Filipino people from any threat regardless of his creed, political belief, and ideological position.
"Hence, we assure our brothers in North Cotabato and all our countrymen, that your AFP is capable and aptly equipped to address the threats besetting them," he added.
The AFP chief also said that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has instructed them to maintain vigilance amid the recent developments.
"We are directed to take appropriate actions while upholding the primacy of the peace process," Yano said.
Meanwhile, Piñol said he is not reviving the Ilaga group or any other anti-Islamic groups that used to operate in North Cotabato years back.
He made the clarification after priest-killer Norberto "Kumander Bucay" Manero was seen in the crowd during Tuesday's peace rally at the provincial grounds in Amas, Kidapawan City.
"The presence of Manero is not planned. We have never invited him but he came here on his own and we have no right to prevent him from coming over. His presence is not an indication though that we are calling him for active duty," the vice governor said.
Manero was with his wife, Kumander Inday, during the rally. Inday said they would really oppose entry of MILF rebels in their area in Tulunan.
She also warned that they still have enough force to thwart any atrocity by the MILF rebels.
In the midst of the controversy over North Cotabato's opposition to the MOA-AD, Piñol said security situation in his province is indeed very tense.
On Monday, malicious text messages abound that the vice governor was wounded in an ambush. Piñol said this could be part of his enemies' tactic to condition the mind of the people on the harm that's waiting for him.
Piñol, however, said he is not backing out from his quest to stop the inclusion of the 173 North Cotabato barangays in the proposed Bangsamoro entity. (BOT/CPM/Sun.Star Davao/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (August 7, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
More Pinoys spend less on food: survey