The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will not file charges against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) over the bloody firefight in Basilan more than a week ago which resulted in the death of three soldiers, a ranking military official disclosed Wednesday, Nov. 16.
Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway, commander of the 101st Infantry Brigade (101st IBde) and Joint Task Force Basilan, said the conflict between his troops and personnel of the MILF-Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) has already been ironed out by Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr. when he visited Basilan and held a dialogue with both parties last Monday.
This means that the filing of charges against the MILF for the death of the three soldiers – Corporal Alberto Dal, and Privates First Class Nelson Bantoc and Junry Vega of the 18th Infantry Battalion (18 IB) – is already out of the discussion.
“Wala. Anong ikakaso mo doon eh member sila ng government dahil sa peace agreement? (No case. What case are you going to file against them if they are members of the government?),” he said.
The Nov. 8 firefight against elements of the 101st IBde and ILF-BIAF in Brgy. Ulitan, Ungkaya Pukan, Basilan erupted when one of the soldiers conducting coordination with the MILF community over the presence of lawless elements there was hit by a sniper.
Gobway earlier said that the sniper is an MILF fighter but this was denied by the Moro group.
“According to them, mayroong third party (there was a third party). Mahirap ipaliwanag. Baka ‘yun nga, ‘yung lawless nga (It’s difficult to explain. Maybe they’re right. Maybe it’s the lawless elements who started it),” Gobway said.
“Sa atin, huwag na natin palakihin na mag-i-investigate pa tayo or what (For us, let us not make a big fuss about it by investigating),” he said.
Aside from the three killed in action (KIA) soldiers, there were 17 military personnel who were wounded in action (WIA) in the fierce fighting that lasted until Nov. 10.
Meanwhile, seven MILF fighters died in the incident while the number of their wounded fighters was undetermined.
Gobway said they extended financial assistance worth P10,000 to each of the families of the slain MILF fighters as a “gesture to appease their fury.”
The MILF and the Government of the Philippines (GPH) signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) peace agreement in 2014 to end decades of insurgency by the Moro group that wants an autonomous government in the Bangsamoro region. This paved the way for the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Government in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Despite all of that, fighting between the two forces still persists, prompting Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman to request the House of Representatives for an inquiry on the incident.
The lawmaker believes this exposed the flaws of the decommissioning of the MILF fighters which as an integral part of the CAB.