Regional police and military dialogue with Muslim groups

MGen. Raul Del Rosario (seated right), Commander of the AFP Central Command (CENTCOM), and PRO-7 Director Chief Supt. Noli Taliño listen to a Muslim official who vowed that Muslims in the region will support the government in securing the peace and order here (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA).

Kindness begets kindness.

That, in sum, was how the Muslim community in Central Visayas explained its unwavering support for peace in the region.

“We understand each other. You accept us as your neighbor and we also compensate the respect you gave us,” said the highest-ranking Muslim leader in the region Malo Manunggiring, director of the National Commission on Muslim Filipino in Central Visayas.

Manunggiring said that it is for this reason that the Muslim community in the region has been very supportive of law enforcers and local government units for years.

About 30 Muslim leaders heeded the call of the Police Regional Office (PRO-7) for a meeting at the San Nicolas Proper barangay hall in Cebu City yesterday.

PRO-7 director Chief Supt. Noli Taliño and Major General Raul del Rosario, commander of the Armed Forces’ Central Command (CenCom), met with them to ensure that ties between Muslims in the region and the military and police remained strong.

“Lahat tayo ay Pilipino. Iisang lahi ang pinanggalingan natin. Walang Muslim o Kristiyano. Lahat tayo ang magkapareho (All of us are Filipinos. We belong to the same race. There’s is neither Muslim nor Christian. We are equal),” Taliño said in a message during the gathering.

“Magkapareha ang kulay ng ating dugo. Kaya dapat tulong-tulong tayo sa ating inaasam na kapayapaan (The same blood runs through our veins. And so we should help each other attain the peace we all wanted),” Taliño added while addressing the crowd which included six barangay captains and Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, who had been offered the post of deputy mayor for police by Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

Earlier, 25 Muslim community leaders in Cebu City also visited the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) to manifest their support to keep the peace in the city after Friday night’s Davao City bombing.

Taliño, a former chief of the Special Action Force, said that the bomb attack in Davao was “painful” and hoped that terrorists do not succeed in ruining significant changes made by President Rodrigo Duterte in the fight against illegal drugs, crimes and corruption.

“Kung mawawala sana ang ganitong mga bagay, napakaganda sana ng ating kominidad (If there were no incidents like this, we would have a better community),” he said, adding that the cooperation of the local Muslim community was “really a big help”.

For his part, Manunggiring promised to monitor Muslims in the region to avert terror attacks.

“We should police our ranks. We do it not just verbally but also in practice. Let us help our authorities and our President,” he said.

Manunggiring also condemned the bomb attack last Friday which killed 14 people and wounded about 67 others at the Davao City night market.

“That is unIslamic. That has no place in Islam or in any other religion,” he said.
Major General del Rosario, meanwhile, called on the public to always be on alert as terrorists can strike anywhere.

“The threats are always there. Even President Duterte’s own city, which was well secured, fell prey to bombing,” del Rosario said.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has been on full alert status since Saturday after President Duterte declared “a state of lawless violence” to counter terrorism and to strengthen the campaign against illegal drugs.

Hours after the attack, Interior Secretary Mike Sueno said the Abu Sayyaf claimed responsibility for the explosion; however, the terrorist group denied Sueno’s pronouncement.

Muammar Askali alias Abu Ramie, the self-styled spokesperson of the Al Harakatul Al Islamiya, the Abu Sayyaf’s official name, pointed to an ally as behind the deadly blast.

In a phone call to the Inquirer last Saturday, Askali said the group behind the bombing was Daulat Ul Islamiya, an Abu Sayyaf-allied terrorist group who wanted to show sympathy after the President ordered the army to destroy Abu Sayyaf last month.