MILF to GMA: Show us the evidence first
By ROMER S. SARMIENTO
TODAY Correspondent
and
MANUEL T. CAYON
TODAY Reporter
Instead, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), through
spokesman Eid Kabalu, turned the table against government officials for
purportedly weaving up lies in a bid to malign the rebel movement.
"The MILF has nothing to [dis]prove on the challenge issued
by President Arroyo. In fact, we have officially offered our help to the
government to resolve the incident but we were flatly rejected,” said Kabalu,
who reiterated the front’s innocence in the spate of bombings in
President Arroyo on Monday called on the MILF leadership to
disprove their alleged involvement in the wharf bombing, even as she ordered
Mohamad al-Haj Murad Ibrahim, MILF chairman for military affairs,
echoed Kabalu’s response in a radio interview, saying that the government should
have the unimpeachable evidence to show that the MILF pulled out the twin
bombings.
“The best way [for Malacañang] was to show the evidence [that the
MILF conducted the bombings]. It is an unjust accusation without evidence,” he
said.
As this developed, the MILF accused the government of allegedly
having information on who really perpetrated the bombings in Davao, but despite
its knowledge continue to pin down the Moro rebels over the incident.
He cited the case of American Michael Meiring, who was reported
to be in possession of explosives in one of the hotels in
Meiring’s feet was blown off by
dynamites he kept inside a budget hotel room on May 16 last year. He was later
spirited out reportedly by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation agents from
his hospital bed and has not been heard of since then.
Kabalu said despite the discovery of explosives, which he claimed
to be C-4 bombs, from Meiring, the government did not pursue the case against
the foreigner.
"The government did not even bother to investigate why the
foreigner had explosives in his possession. Pinabayaan na
lang. You see, other groups or certain individuals are capable of
assembling bombs. For the MILF, we have nothing to gain if we bomb innocent
civilians,” he said.
“There is an apparent bid [by certain quarters in the government]
to destroy the reputation of the MILF as a legitimate revolutionary
organization,” Kabalu said.
He was referring to the accusation of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo
Duterte, which was supported by the military hierarchy that the Special Urban
Terrorist Action Group (SUTAG) of the MILF, in partnership with the
al-Qaeda-linked Jama’ah Islamiyah, carried out the Sasa wharf bombing.
The rebel spokesman denied the existence of SUTAG, which,
authorities claimed, has been involved in at least 20 bombings in
So far, Duterte has yet to back with evidence his allegations
against the MILF.
Kabalu said SUTAG was just a concoction of Duterte and the
military as part of the government’s psy-war operation against the MILF, adding
that SUTAG has not been heard of until Duterte pointed it out.
Ibrahim echoed, “It was the first time I heard [about SUTAG]. It
is not in the organization [MILF],” adding that there was no foreign component
in the rebel group. “The MILF is composed purely of Bangsamoro [literally
meaning Moro nation].”
Kabalu strongly believes that there is an elaborate effort to
“bedevil” the secessionist group through the coinage by Duterte of SUTAG.
But the MILF, Kabalu claimed, is already used to the “dirty
tricks” employed by the government officials against the rebel movement.
Kabalu also chided the government for thrashing the offer of the
MILF to help in the resolution of the
According to him, the government is afraid that the “truth will
come out that the Moro rebels have nothing to do at all with the bomb attacks.”
Kabalu claimed the government denied the MILF a role in the
investigation into the
“Who will the government blame if after thorough investigation
into the