Whether or not the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is still something worth considering is now beside the point. The more important fact to consider is that a crime has been committed, 44 Filipino police officers are dead, and the perpetrators of this crime are not in any of the “hearings”, “probes”, and/or “inquiries” going on in Manila. They are still at large.
So why isn’t anyone out hunting them down?
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This is not a call for “all out war”. This is a call for justice. If more than 300 men were deployed to the field to capture two of the “FBI’s most wanted”, why can’t a manhunt be mounted to capture and bring to justice the criminals responsible for the massacre of the 44 troopers of the Philippine police’s Special Action Force right now?
Does implementing such an operation depend on a decision on whether or not Philippine society will “give peace a chance” in this instance? Whatever that phrase means in the context of what has happened and where the BBL is now at, does not in any way change the fact of the heinous crime that had just happened.
There is no negotiation to be had anymore — because the other party, the MILF, are no longer in a position to negotiate. As long as the MILF leadership fail to turn over to the Philippine government the commanders and the personnel who butchered the 44 SAF officers, they and the entire organisation are party to the crime and conspire to harbour fugitives.
Whatever the outcome of the probes into where the chain of command was broken, or who in Manila is really to blame, or whether no less than Philippine President Benigno Simeon ‘BS’ Aquino III should be held accountable for the tragedy, criminals are at large and need to be captured.
It seems this is the only thing missing in the discussion today. Filipinos have so far been fixated on what went wrong on the Philippine government side. But there seems to be very little focus on where the enemy went wrong. Which, really, is a no brainer. The killers are not present in any of these Senate or House sessions. None of them are even in Manila.
A YouTube video that seemingly captures the summary execution of a SAF officer is making the rounds (warning: graphic content)…
Department of Justice Secretary Leila De Lima reportedly said that the video of the killing of an “already helpless, defenseless, wounded” man can be used as evidence in an investigation.
“We have to establish … who shot him and from which organization [the shooter is]: Is he [from the] MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front), BIFF (Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) or PAGs (private armed groups)?,” De Lima said.
They are out there where the 44 SAF men fell — guilty of killing unarmed helpless combatants in cold blood.
[Featured photo courtesy The Age.]
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Allahu akhbar pala, ha. TANGNANYO. May araw din kayo.
So, what can you say now, Deles and Ferrer? Are you still in the side of MILF? You both are the traitors. You gave the illusion of peace. You, bitches, you are the traitors here. You deluded everybody, more importantly the SAF. TANGNANYONG DALAWA. You have to pay for this. It would be total injustice if you two don’t go to jail. TANGNANYO.
Yeah, fuck them. Come to think of it, could they be skimming their offices, doing corruption? Hindi ako magtataka kung matuklasan na humuhuthot sila ng pera sa mga posisyon nila at nangungurakot din sila.
it is the AFP duty to call for a revolt, to be followed by the church, then, the people will come out for support. wala kasi mag lead ng uprising yan lang inaantay ng mamamayan.
Forget it, the Catholic clergy in Central Mindanao has no balls. They are MILF tools.
The MILF’s response : http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/02/11/15/milf-mamasapano-clash-video-not-conclusive
@MILF:
Who Else would had murdered/butchered them?
Hacienda Luisita soldiers???
Or AFP soldiers dressed as MILF?
Too much idiocy already…we are not Idiots like you, and Aquino…
Marwan was under the protection of MILF/ISIS/Al Queda…USMAN was under the protection of MILF/ISIS/Al Queda…Aquino financed the MILF/ISIS/Al Queda with our/my Tax Payers’ money…
This is the result…
So Mr. Jaafar is now using technicalities to deny his own groups wrongdoings. Radicals are categorically known for their overzealous and extreme acts of overkill with unconscionable and authentic bragging attitudes. This is a known fact all over the world as intelligence networks in every country would agree and acknowledge.
De Lima must have been adviced by her Driver-Lover…Send De Lima to the MILF territory to investigate who murdered/butchered these Police/Soldiers…
Aquino paid billions of pesos to the MILF/ISIS/AL QUEDA to buy peace.
The Negotiation is no longer Relevant. Aquino must be removed from office…he is collaborating with the MILF, like his Grandfather, was collaborating with the Japanese Imperial Army, to kill Filipino Guerillas…
No Justice for those 44 SAS Heroes, No Peace…
Those on the AFP…”YOUR LOYALTY TO YOUR PRESIDENT ENDS, WHERE YOUR LOYALTY TO YOUR COUNTRY BEGINS…” We, the Taxpayers, are paying your salaries, not Aquino..
Ditto very good research…Aquino’s blood is stained with treachery…even history records their ancestors as such..
Reinforcement and the Artillery fire would had SAVED those Police/Soldiers…
However, SOMEONE in the Higher Up , prevented this reinforcement and artillery fire…WHO IS THE MAN BEHIND THE SHADOWS? He must have NO CONSCIENCE to give such order…He sacrificed these Valiant Soldiers?Police, for his own Large Ego to win a Nobel Prize…
Not quite….close, but not quite……
PNoy is petty and vindictive. He bullies and punishes his political opponents and “enemies”.
When it comes to actual enemies of the state like the MILF however, it’s kid gloves!
to gen espina: do not halt the anger of your countrymen regarding the mamasapano massacre. you should instead address your emotion at pnoy why he orders a stand down for the reinforcement. he’s the only one who knows all about it. he’s the command post. secondly, who, where, and how they get those videotapes regarding the incident. i hope your speech at the senate inquiry isn’t to save the king. he’s the one to answer all your why’s.
I had this notion that when Gen. Espina said with conviction “Anong ginawa n’yo sa mga tao ko?” he’s not just directing it to those who did the gruesome crime but also to those who allowed the “misencounter” to happen. And those who were quick to report it as a “misencounter” were MILF and Malacañang.
There was no “Misencounter”, if you View the You Tube video…the butchers/murderers were very happy to shoot and shoot…
There is no negotiation to be had anymore — because the other party, the MILF, are no longer in a position to negotiate. As long as the MILF leadership fail to turn over to the Philippine government the commanders and the personnel who butchered the 44 SAF officers, they and the entire organisation are party to the crime and conspire to harbour fugitives.
=======
And to add to that the government should set a deadline for the MILF to comply with its demand to capture and surrender those who perpetrated the killings. Failure to comply within the deadline would be an option for the government to mount an operation and accomplish the task required.
I know it’s very easy for civilians like us to talk about ‘war’ but the reality is we, the civilians through the president, has the duty to determine such delicate task. And I say, of all the criticisms the president is getting in running the gov’t. this killings will be the acid test of his capability to lead this county.
This is big time. Decision to wage war against enemies has always been a standard leaders are measured of. How will PNoy handle the problem will be put under the microscope because this is no longer an ordinary corruption allegation or social bungling or petty mistakes or political gaffe that we ordinary read on this blog and elsewhere. We are talking of people who were killed while doing official acts under the authority of law. This is about the reputation and dignity of our men in uniform who looks up for guidance and leadership to civilian authority in safeguarding the safety and national security of the country.
What happened was unacceptable and no amount of political rhetoric will right the barbaric wrong done. The mission is to pursue and make the guilty pay and face the the consequence of their despicable deeds and the MILF must be reminded that they are not exempted on that mission.
“Aquino “Acid Test” to lead the country?”
“Surrender those who butchered the soldiers/police?”
Aquino has been leading the country to destruction…the faster he is removed from power; and Tried for Treason, the better for the country.
The MILF/ISIS/AlQueda and whatever color of Islamic Radicals, these people/beast are will never surrender those responsible of the murder/butcher…they will surrender them, when “Hacienda Luisita Swines” will be able to fly…
So, I’m an American with a filipino mother, and my grandparents lived in Basilan. While I think it’s horrible that 44+ officers had to die, from what I have read in news reports, the MILF was not informed of any operation being performed in their area, and they are claiming self defense. From what I am reading here, 100% of the blame is being placed on MILF, but I haven’t seen any recognition of culpability by the Aquino’s administration.
Since I have a limited amount of information about this (and my mother never taught me tagalog), what is the conversation in the Philippines with regard to the Philippine government not informing the MILF of their intended action? If the claim of “self-defense” by the MILF is wrong, why?
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/27/world/asia/scores-of-philippine-police-officers-killed-in-firefight-with-rebels.html?_r=0
Hey Sean, I’m Also an American, My Wife Is Filipino and Our Daughter of course is “Fil-Am”(As She Is Called Here By The Locals). We Live In Bohol. It Is A Very Hard Story To Follow, Even Here. As Every Day The Story Changes. Not To Be A Jerk Or Anything But The Only Thing I Can Gather Is This Is Just Another Thing That The Government Here Will Use To Further Divide Itself, Then Investigate For, Oh Lets Say 30 Years. I Do Find Some Useful Info At http://www.stripes.com, More of a U.S. Military Site But Has A Pretty Good News Section, Just Search Philippines.
Forgot To Add: As Always benign0 Is 100% Correct In His Writing, And I Believe We Should All Take His Advice And Stop The Personal Feeling-Finger Pointing, 44 Members of our PNP-SAF Are Dead! Killed On Their HOME SOIL!—WHERE ARE THE KILLERS–AND WHY ARE THEY NOT BEING HUNTED AND BROUGHT TO JUSTICE–Or Will We Will Just Continue To Point Fingers And Forget All About Them In The Process ?
Well, the point I was trying to make is that maybe benign0 is wrong this time. If it’s true that the government didn’t notify MILF of their operations, then the claim of self-defense seems plausible to me. After all, for all MILF knew, the truce was being broken and armed forces were on their territory. In this case, is MILF “killers”, or just protecting their turf?
It’d be like Mexico hunting down some drug cartel, not telling official American forces, and then not expecting American forces to act when a bunch of armed Mexican troops are operating on our soil.
So I hope there is some soul-searching going on by filipinos that if it is true that MILF wasn’t notified, that there is not a lot of “blood revenge” on their minds. Coming from a Christian lolo, and a Moro lola, I get to hear how moros (ie Maranaos, Maguindanaos, Tausugs, Badjao, etc) have been treated that many don’t hear. And I happen to live near where those 3 muslim students were shot by some guy most likely over a hate crime, simply because they were muslim.
The tragedy is that those police officers never should have been put in that predicament. Not only did the government not possibly warn MILF forces, where was the backups. What’s done is done, but they need to find out what happened, so it doesn’t happen again. And more importantly, the filipino people need to step back and ask themselves if more blood spilled is truly the answer.
What “turf” are you talking about? Is this MILF “turf” even a legal entity? If it isn’t then protecting it with a private army is therefore a criminal act. As such the argument for “self-defense” is VOID as it refers to an act of defending something that the STATE does not recognise using means that are ILLEGAL.
Sean Toner,
To be credible what is ‘self-defense’ for, and who is doing the defending? Is it the MILF or the lost command or breakaway groups in the area? Definitely, what we saw in the video is anything but self-defense.
Granting that the truce have been violated, isn’t there such a thing as ‘ceasefire’? If you think you are at an advantage for outnumbering the trespassers and have the control and mastery of the area don’t you think a cessation of hostility can be had on your own guidance as the controlling force in the area?
With regard to notification, isn’t the absence of it speaks volume about our trust and confidence on the other side? I mean, there was no allegation that the PNP-SAF fired first. Never hear anybody up to now that the police started shooting and killing. Zero. Meaning they were not there to initiate encounter but in fact to serve warrants and/or conduct raids to capture certain wanted individuals.
You know what is sad about this tragic event? It’s not going to be the last.
benign0- from my understanding of the peace treaty, it is required for the Philippine government to notify MILF of any operations in their territory. And yes, they have a territory.
Did you read the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro?
http://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/PH_121015_FrameworkAgreementBangsamoro.pdf
Read page 2, article I, section 3:
If your argument is that the Bangsamoro must rely on defense and external security from the central government, notice that they are still entitled to their own internal police (internal security), and page 13 Article 8, section 5 says that MILF shall gradually relinquish their armed forces. In other words, they have accounted that MILF won’t immediately surrender their arms.
Also, did you read the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro?
http://www.opapp.gov.ph/sites/default/files/Comprehensive_Agreement_on_the_Bangsamoro.pdf
I find it interesting that they admit that the moro people have legitimate grievances.
From what I understand, it is now confirmed from the hearings that indeed, MILF was not informed. So I say, yes….it _is_ their turf, and they did have a right to defend themselves.
Since you want to characterize all of MILF as “butchers” in one wide stroke of typing, what then of:
Jabidah Massacre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabidah_massacre
Manili Massacre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malisbong_massacre
Malisbong Massacre:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malisbong_massacre
Or how about the Llaga?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilaga
Now, I will grant you this. I am highly suspicious of how MILF and BIFF forces just happened to be in the same area at the same time. Does this mean MILF is sleeping in bed with terrorist organizations? More than likely.
My point is that turning this into a black and white, MILF is 100% evil is non-intellectual, beyond reasoning, and in the end, does no one any good. Both sides need to admit that they have done bad, evil things, and neither side has clean hands. So, I hope you realize that this isn’t as one-sided or black and white as you think it is.
jameboy-
As for ceasefires, how was MILF supposed to know? Try to imagine the scenario reversed, and MILF forces operating on Luzon soil, attacking some small village. I wish someone could stop the circle of violence, but unfortunately, I doubt that will happen anytime soon.
With regards to who started shooting first, I haven’t heard anything about that. And unfortunately, it will be one side’s word against the others.
Sadly, I agree with you 100% that more will happen. I sometimes wonder what would happen today if my lolo was still alive. My lola was a Maranao moro, and my lolo was a Catholic. And yet they were married, and happily so. And living in Basilan mind you.
Actually, no, it is a one-sided issue. On one side is the STATE. And on the other side is, well, all the rest. The issue is framed on artifacts ratified by the state; i.e. its laws, the way of life that underlie the crafting of those laws, etc. Granted that atrocities were also created by state forces, there are state measures in place to resolve those cases. As citizens of this state which is officiated by people said citizens elected, the lens through which we view the state of affairs is via that constituted by said artifacts enacted by the state.
In short, though “progressive” types would like to regard this situation over a levelled thinking landscape, the REALITY is that it is the state’s perspective that takes precedence over any perspective. Thus any action coming from a purely third-party regard of this case will never be implemented — because there is no channel to effect it outside of the frameworks provided by the two parties at loggerheads in this case, the Philippine government and the MILF. And, as I said earlier, the framework of the Philippine government takes precedence over the framework of the party that CHOOSES to situate itself outside of it.
Sean,
As for ceasefires, how was MILF supposed to know?
========
They have to know, they should know because officially they are the forces in control of that area. I know it would be hard once firings start but being in control not only of the area but also of the forces on the ground, I would expect the MILF to give the intruders a warning or notice or anything to identify themselves or else it’s going to be a mess. Nothing sort of that was attempted. I don’t think the killings can even be attributed to impulse or knee jerk reaction for there was an obvious effort to spare no one. It was really an opportunity for the killers to kill and they took it. Of course we can only surmise for we are not there. But evidence and past experience can more or less help us deduce what may have happened there.
Try to imagine the scenario reversed, and MILF forces operating on Luzon soil, attacking some small village. I wish someone could stop the circle of violence, but unfortunately, I doubt that will happen anytime soon.
========
The scenario given is not possible. The MILF cannot operate elsewhere and even if they do they’ll never succeed not because they will be massacred but because they will be captured or their plan foiled.
benign0- Even if I buy into the argument that this is a one-sided issue, which I do not, the problem still exists that the side which broke the very lawful treaty it purports to uphold…is that STATE itself (ie the Philippine government). It has now been revealed that Napenas did not inform MILF as required by the peace treaty (which the government agreed to).
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/672644/saf-had-3-reasons-to-abort-operation-exodus-aquino-review-notes
Now, that being said, executing someone on the field is not self defense. They should have been taken prisoner. Whether the ones doing the executing were BIFF, MILF, or some private armed group needs to be determined, and those performing the execution should be punished. Even MILF negotiator Iqbal said so.
I should also note that according to Iqbal, MILF saved 28 SAF commandoes from being killed. If this was a lie, I’m pretty sure we would be hearing from the SAF members themselves. So far, I have heard of no repudiation of this claim.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/02/12/15/read-remarks-milf-chief-negotiator-mohagher-iqbal-senate-hearing
Iqbal has seemed to me, to be very level headed about this so far. Given that MILF will return the weapons and personal belongings of the fallen SAF, that they are battling BIFF forces and Abu Sayyaf forces, that MILF itself has expressed concern over the videos seems to give them at least some credibility that they are earnest for peace. In fact, I would say that it is Filipinos who are showing little taste for peace (despite their own government being the one to blame for breaking the rules of the peace treaty).
Against MILF rules to execute:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/670809/firefight-erupts-between-milf-biff-rebels-in-north-cotabato-army
Fighting against BIFF:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/670809/firefight-erupts-between-milf-biff-rebels-in-north-cotabato-army
Fighting against Abu Sayyaf alongside the AFP:
http://www.rappler.com/nation/83325-afp-milf-abu-sayyaf-basilan
Return of weapons and personal items:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/10/us-philippines-rebels-idUSKBN0LE0EU20150210
My personal beef with Islam in general is not so much the violent actions of the minority, but the silence of the majority. As Martin Luther King said, “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty of the bad people, but the silence over that of the good people”. In other words, there are not enough good muslims condemning the bad muslims. And at least MILF seems to be doing that. They are fighting Abu Sayyaf, BIFF and declaring that executions are against true Islam. If they are being genuine (and they seem to be), at least give them a chance.
Getting back to the one-sided issue, there are always 2 sides. Don’t confuse truth (of which there is only one objective truth) with perspective. Just because the government has “authority” does not give it absolute power or control or that the state’s perspective is the only valid one. No form of resistance to authority could possibly be considered legitimate in such a world view, even if the state’s actions are morally (or legally) wrong. But in a one-sided world view where the state is the only channel that provides legitimacy to actions, there would be no possibility for peaceful protests much less violent ones. Civil disobedience would be impossible, and violence would become the only possible action. No government can call themselves a democracy if they take the attitude of “winner takes all”. By your very own argument, what the Marcos regime did was perfectly legitimate because it was the state.
To Filipinos though, I see a total lack of empathy towards the bangsamoro. In their eyes, moros wanting independence is:
a) just another example of bloodthirsty muslims
b) a bunch of sore losers who should just learn to integrate like their ancestors did to the spanish
c) greedy, because why should muslims get special rules just for them?
A: While there is definitely a disproportionate amount of islamic groups which resort to violence as just another tool, it wasn’t so long ago that christians were the same. Also, many so-called islamic groups are muslim in name only, and are as Clausewitz would say, just an extension of politics by any other means. However, like I said, the silence of the majority (of good muslims) is deafening, and this seems to indicate implicit approval for the terrorist muslims. But that’s why Filipinos should be supportive of muslims who not only denounce radical Islam, but even fight against them.
B: This attitude belies the idea that moros are just so stubborn that they could never admit defeat. Technically though, they never were truly defeated (at least by the Spanish…the Americans did somewhat). The idea that they should just assimilate is never itself questioned. Instead ask, why should they assimilate? Would you assimilate to a foreign invader? Just because your ancestors did doesn’t mean others should give up. Even the Comprehensive Agreement admitted that the moro people have legitimate grievances….so why don’t average filipinos recognize this too?
C: If people knew their history, they might not even think this way. Imagine that in the near future, China invades the Philippines, and America, fearing WWIII lets them take it. Now Filipinos are forced to accept Chinese rule. Would you expect Filipinos to give up without a fight? Without insurrections or rebellions? What if the Chinese started a forced emigration into the Philippines to essentially colonize the land and not only introduce their customs, but denigrate and insult the Filipino culture? Now, take the above scenario and replace China with Spain, and Filipinos with moros.
The common theme in all attitudes is that the moros don’t really have any right for any kind of grievances. Just as the average Christian Filipino feels a boiling rage at this tragedy against the MILF (or BIFF or Abu Sayyaf)….the same sentiment is denied to their moro brothers who have also experienced their own massacres over the years.
The inability to put one’s self in another’s shoes is exactly what leads to war and more death. The inability to see that there is indeed another side, is why the cycle of violence never stops. Until you can feel sorry for the other side and understand why they feel the way they do, there will be no peace.
@Sean: Indeed, as you said, the state “broke the very lawful treaty it purports to uphold”, the MILF could have engaged them then taken survivors in the skirmish into custody. But what did they do instead? They butchered then looted these police officers.
And so Iqbal also “said so” after which the next step should have been the immediate surrender to the Philippine government of the commander and personnel involved in the savagery.
Whatever way Iqbal comes across to those who watch him speak, does not change the fact of this imperative next step. Perceived “credibility” and “sincerity” are nice, but hardly of much substance to latch on to. It seems Filipinos are regarding this exercise the same way they regard election campaigns — they latch on to emotional hooks but fail to follow up on the actual DELIVERABLES.
It seems to me, seeing the lengths you go through to point out “historical context”, the appeal is to the emotional rather than the LOGICAL points in the “debate” surrounding this case. To be fair to that approach, it does work on Filipino minds quite well, I must say.
benign0- I point out the historical context, because I am surprised how little native born Filipinos seem to know of it. I was born and raised in America, don’t speak Tagalog, and yet I seem to know way more about the history of the Philippines than the average Filipino there. To be fair, it was because of this article that I started doing deep research into MILF, MNLF, and the moro insurrections.
The idea that “MILF should have surrounded the SAF forces and taken them prisoner” seems to be a common one. Unfortunately, war make chaos quite easy. Try to imagine things from the MILF perspective. They hear a bunch of gunfire and find SAF commandos on their territory. They were told according to the treaty that they would have been notified if any special operations in their territory was to be done….and they weren’t informed. And from reports I saw, several civilians were killed, and surviving civilians claimed it was SAF commandos that killed the civilians. Is it possible that MILF was informed of these deaths and wanted revenge? Moreover, the idea that MILF outnumbered the SAF, how were MILF forces supposed to know that at the time? They did not know it was only SAF troops, and the 6th Infantry forces were not far away.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/669237/moro-group-7-civilians-killed-3-wounded-in-mamasapano-clash
And finally, there’s the point about calling MILF “terrorists”. Have MILF forces killed civilians? Yes they have. Do they deserve to be called terrorists? Yes. But what of Philippines government forces? Are they terrorists? Yes they are indeed too. Has PNP or AFP forces killed unarmed civilians? Yes they have. Again, neither side can claim moral superiority here. Did those 44 SAF commandos deserve to die the way they did? No, they did not. Neither did the 18 MILF troops or 7 civilians. Since neither side can claim moral superiority, what is left?
Human rights abuses by Philippines government:
https://www.fidh.org/IMG/pdf/ph493a.pdf
But I hope my point has been made that MILF does seem to be saying more than words. It also seems that the MILF forces and the local 6th Infantry had been getting along well (until the tragedy). I think you should trust those who live near the moros and deal with them personally.
https://www.facebook.com/agm4458/posts/10205857604184534?fref=nf
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/669698/dont-blame-the-military
I am still suspicious though that BIFF and MILF forces just happened to be right next to each other. I did find a good article that sheds some light on how finding criminals and terrorists in the ARMM region is supposed to work though. But I can understand why people would be suspicious of MILF’s motives. The problem seems to be that MILF has no jurisdiction to apprehend terrorists themselves (according to an article I will link below). That seems odd to me, because it would be a great way to show the filipino people exactly whose side MILF is on, if MILF themselves is allowed to capture known terrorists.
http://www.asianewsnet.net/MILF-Don%E2%80%99t-blame-us–we-suffered-heavy-casualtie-71214.html
I am truly hoping that MILF is being sincere and Filipinos in general understand moros better. It is very sad to me to read comments by Filipino posters basically saying to kill or wipe out all the moros, how MILF is evil or cruel or will stab you in the back (and yet being ignorant of their own injustices…hence why I point out history).
I can detect from reading all the comments by posters (not specifically you, or just on this site, but on others too) a deep and seething hatred by Filipinos against not just MILF, but against the moros in general too. This is why I keep trying to ask people to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. If we can’t do that, then it becomes all too easy to hate.
“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him”- Martin Luther King
@Sean: I assure you, I don’t disagree with anything you say. As I acknowledged before, there is a lot of historical and circumstantial context at play here.
STILL, that does not excuse butchering 44 police officers in cold blood. The enemy may plead “chaos in battle” as their defense. But that only further highlights the fact that they are an armed ILLEGAL group that, in comparison with state forces, lacks the discipline to PRUDENTLY wield arms.
So the solution options are still quite limited if not all pointing to one end-goal, which is to disarm and render the enemy incapable of further killing.
From what I understand, it is now confirmed from the hearings that indeed, MILF was not informed. So I say, yes….it _is_ their turf, and they did have a right to defend themselves. -Sean
========
Granting they were not informed and the PNP violated the ceasefire, the ‘right to defend’ is not a right to kill, murder or massacre. In fact, to justify such right the accuse should prove his life was threatened or put in danger that failure to put up a defense will result on his death.
The right to defend do not give you license to randomly kill, murder or massacre. You may maim or impair physically the aggressors OR to arrest them.
And if you are superior in numbers and in control of the area, the right to defend stands on a wobbly legs.
Disgusting depraved country where a dollar bill is worth more than a human life.
Gov’t should at the very least mass troops into the area to show them that they are serious.
And take Iqbal hostage
Put IQBAL in a steel Cage. If they cannot surrender those butchers/murderers. Burn IQBAL in the cage also, like the ISIS did to the Jordanian pilot…this will surely teach them a lesson…
Interesting :”Why can’t a manhunt be …”?
Start by asking some questions,eh? What were the SPF doing at the time they were killed? The highly trained SPF just happened to stumble into an open field where they were surrounded by a force that they knew were more than likely heavily armed and all with no escape route?
Then the question asked in this article and that is quoted above is asked at the same EXACT time that ‘Blue Ribbon’/’High-level’ government hearings (just like the all the other ‘Blue-ribbon’/’High-level’ hearings that produced NOTHING ????)are taking place in Manila?
R U KIDDING? The horse that is having his head shoved underwater in the hopes that it will somehow take a drink one day discovers that its head is no longer being shoved under the water and that all the water in the lake has been stolen.
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2015/01/17/proof-terror-plots-hoax/
MAYBE?
Good points with Sen. Mirriam Defensor Santiago at the Senate Hearing. Whoever has the motive after the reward money probably knows what will happen on that bloody encounter. Who cares about reputation if you have that huge bounty? Sad to know that those SAF troopers became sacrificial lamb to those greedy and heartless officials. Funny though that such important operation lacks coordination with higher bosses in- charge(Espina and Roxas), instead the order and supervision of the said operation was through a suspended Purisima. How could that happen?
If we admit that human life can be ruled by reason, then all possibility of life is destroyed.