Peace group urges gov’t: Don’t spare MILF in poll gun ban
COTABATO CITY—An international peacebuilding organization has called on the country’s security forces to strictly enforce the election gun ban without sparing erring members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), even as the former rebel group is now now considered “government partners” since the 2014 signing of the peace deal with the government.
Francisco “Pancho” Lara Jr., executive director of Climate Conflict Action Asia (CCAA), said he observed that the election gun ban implementation in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) had been selective and “favoring some sectors.”
He cited a Feb. 6 incident when 17 MILF members were arrested by police and military forces in Sultan sa Barongis town in Maguindanao del Sur, for the possession and public transport of high-powered firearms despite the existing gun ban.
Lara said that less than 24 hours after they were arrested, and with the intervention of the MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, the MILF members were freed, leaving behind their seized firearms.
Local authorities provided no explanation for their release, he added.
“This troubling decision exposes a disturbing lack of impartiality in the enforcement of the Comelec (Commission on Elections) gun ban and calls into question its purpose and effectiveness,” Lara said in a statement on Sunday.
“The favored treatment given to the MILF underscores this deliberate and blatant disregard for legal processes and the rule of law. What makes this situation even more alarming is that authorities so easily turned a blind eye to a serious violation,” he added.
Climate Conflict Action reiterated that no group should have the power to obstruct security forces in implementing the Comelec gun ban and Republic Act No. 10591, the Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition.
Accountability
To help achieve a peaceful local and parliamentary elections in the BARMM, the government must ensure that violations—whether committed by political figures or armed groups—are met with immediate accountability, including arrests and disarming if necessary, said the CCAA statement signed by Lara.
“This is not merely about enforcing a law. This is about restoring public trust and safeguarding lives. If impunity persists, the cycle of violence will only deepen, undermining our democratic process and the prospects for lasting peace,” he said, adding that “there must be unwavering resolve to enforce the gun ban impartially and rigorously, ensuring that no mockery of the law is permitted.”
The 17 MILF members, whose arms had yet to be decommissioned by the government, were reportedly involved in a Feb. 4 clash between two MILF commanders in Sitio Damabago, Barangay Barurao of Sultan sa Barongis.
According to Col. Edgar Catu, commander of the Army’s 601st Infantry Brigade, the forces of MILF Commanders Marato Felmin and Baguindali Felmin clashed over territorial and land disputes in the area.
He said the military’s 33rd Infantry Battalion and the Sultan sa Barongis police seized the firearms of the 17 MILF members, even as soldiers, along with the police personnel from Rajah Buayan and Sultan Sa Barongis towns, joined forces to prevent the escalation of conflict.
Another dispute
The military reported that another clash between two MILF groups erupted again in Barangay Macabual, Tugunan town, in the BARMM Special Geographic Area at 6 a.m. on Sunday, the first day of this year’s holy month of Ramadan.
Lt. Col. Roden Orbon, speaking for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said nobody was hurt and the warring groups ceased firing after the military deployed peacekeeping forces in the village around 12 p.m. on Sunday.
The clashes broke out after Pli Zacaria Abdulkarim, commander of the MILF’s 118th base command, was killed allegedly by the group of MILF Cmdr. Canduntoy on Saturday.
Abdulkarim’s brother, Apang Abdulkarim, was reportedly out to avenge the death of his brother when he attacked Canduntoy’s location on Sunday.
Earlier, CCAA and the Comelec chair noted an uptick in gun violence in the provinces of Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and Cotabato City since the Jan. 12 implementation of election gun ban.
