THE outcry over the deaths of 44 police commandos in a Maguindanao encounter with armed groups highlights the need for decision-makers to listen to voices outside of the capital.
The Philippines is an archipelago where real power cannot and should not rest on one geographical portion. The unfortunate armed encounter between Special Action Force (SAF) members and people said to be Moro rebels whose organizations are in peace negotiations with the government cannot be decided in Manila by Manila-based people alone.
National decision-makers might not find out the truth about what happened if investigations were conducted in Manila, far from the people who are the biggest stakeholders in this conflict, and investigators should include people in Mindanao so their voices get to be heard.
The history of Mindanao and the clashes over land between original settlers and people from other provinces who moved to the region make it necessary for any resolution to be rooted in the sentiments of the south.
President Benigno Aquino III had been criticized for failing to attend arrival honors for the fallen and reportedly for poor planning and strategy as commander-in-chief.
He made up for his absence on the first day by spending 12 hours with the families of the deceased at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig City last Friday. Officials also corrected early reports that said Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles had advised Aquino not to send reinforcement to the police commandos.
The policemen who died during the encounter with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) were out to arrest two suspected terrorists--Malaysian Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Filipino bomb-maker Abdulbasit Usman.
Police believed Marwan was one of those killed in the clash.
Several investigations are about to start or were started to get to the truth behind what happened and who should account for those deaths.
The police Board of Inquiry (BOI) is looking into it, on instructions of President Aquino. The Senate is studying the option of having a Truth Commission while the House of Representatives wants its own probe.
There are many factors that could muddle the probe--the composition of the board or panel to do the investigating, the context within which the inquiry will be conducted, and having too many investigators who might later have opposing conclusions.
The BOI will have police generals, the proposed Truth Commission will have people to be appointed by the President, and the House probe is still under consideration.
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte cautioned against reckless conclusions and emphasized that it is the people of Mindanao who will suffer if peace negotiations were abandoned because of the police deaths.
If the peace talks fail, he said the “battleground” would be the people in Mindanao. He called on peace negotiators to continue their work and not stop despite the recent killings. He said he hoped that people calling for an all-out offensive against the BIFF and MILF stop their warmongering.
Any investigation should be centered on Mindanao for a fair and honest resolution.
(ninicab@sunstar.com.ph)