Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman (File photo)
MANILA – Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman on Wednesday said he was saddened by the eruption of hostilities between government forces and some members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Barangay Ulitan, Ungkaya Pukan in his island province.
He called for an immediate ceasefire between the warring forces who engaged in sporadic firefights on Tuesday.
“Ikinalulungkot natin ang nangyaring engkwentro sa pagitan ng puwersa ng militar at ng MILF, kung saan isang sundalo ang nasugatan (We are saddened with the encounter between the military and the MILF where a soldier was wounded),” Hataman said in a statement.
“Nananawagan tayo ng isang agarang ceasefire sa pagitan ng mga nagtutunggaling puwersa sa aming lalawigan ngayon, para sa kaligtasan ng mga mamamayan na maaring madamay sa palitan ng putukan at para hindi na lumala pa ang sitwasyon. Kawawa ang ating mga kababayan (We are calling for an immediate ceasefire between the warring forces in our province for the safety of residents who may be caught in the firefight, and to prevent the situation from escalating further),” he said.
Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway, 101st Infantry Brigade commander, said the firefight broke out around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday when a soldier stationed at a detachment in the barangay was hit by sniper shot coming from an area occupied by MILF members and lawless elements.
The official said the firefight continued sporadically “but there was no casualty report yet on both sides” as of Tuesday afternoon.
Hataman said he was perplexed why such an encounter happened amid the peace agreement entered into between the national government and the MILF, that even led to the establishment of the MILF-headed Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The Basilan lawmaker challenged both sides to explain why such an encounter occurred especially with the existence of a coordination mechanism between them under the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group, or AHJAG.
“Dapat maipaunawa nila sa ating mga kababayan, lalo na sa mga mamamayan ng BARMM, kung bakit nababasag ang dapat sana ay matatag na kapayapaan sa Mindanao (They should explain to our countrymen, especially to the residents of BARMM, why the supposed stable peace in Mindanao is being broken),” Hataman said.
He is also calling for a review on the coordination mechanism in the area for cooperation between the government and the MILF.
“Kailangan sigurong pagtibayin na ang mga proseso para hindi na nagkakaroon ng mga ganitong klase ng engkwentro na hindi lamang inilalagay sa peligro ang buhay ng mga tao, kundi pati na rin ang kapayapaang matagal nating pinaghirapang matamo (We need to strengthen the process to prevent this kind of encounters that not only endanger the lives of the people, but also the peace that we have worked hard to achieve),” Hataman said. (PNA)
