Duterte: Investigate massacre, set aside peace talks

Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte yesterday said Congress should set aside deliberation on the Bangsamoro Basic Law  and investigate first the killing  of more than 40 policemen in Mamasapano, Maguindanao “for justice’s sake”.

In an interview at the University of Cebu before he appeared in a forum on federalism yesterday, Duterte told reporters that he was appalled by the abuse inflicted on the  policemen.

“Hinubaran tapos pinagbabaril (They were stripped of their clothes and shot down),” he said.

The mayor said he joins the public’s call for justice for the slain men and to determine who is accountable for what happened to them.

“If we are thinking of resuming the peace talks, then we should put it off for some other day,” he said.

Out of bounds
Duterte said an independent probe committee needs to be formed composed of Muslims and “whoever.”

Duterte said there are Malaysians and Indonesians who can marshal the peace talks. In the meantime, he said, there should be no more killings.

At least 49 Special Action Forces (SAF) commandos and five Moro rebels were believed to be killed in last Sunday’s gun battle.

Existing realties
The mayor said that he is not pointing fingers but it was  clear that personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) trespassed into territory that was out of their bounds.

“It is very clear that when the Republic of the Philippines signed (an agreement) with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that they should have a territory of their own which cannot be accessed by the rest of the people in Mindanao,” he said.

Duterte said a ceasefire agreement was part of the peace process and yet, the soldiers entered MILF territory, costing them their lives. He said no help was forthcoming for them “simply because the other units in Mindanao know that there are places that they cannot enter.”

While having warrants for the search and arrest of Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir also known as “Marwan,” a known explosives expert, and his Maguindanaon cohort Basit Usman, was legitimate, Duterte said the “existing realities” should have been taken into account as well.

Duterte said the Mindanao conflict is not about religion but about territory.

“It is not a joke for the Muslims, not a joke for the Christians, not a joke for everyone,” he said.

Level field
When asked about his candidacy for the presidency, Duterte said he wasn’t interested because he doesn’t have the funds for a nationwide  campaign.

He said he was focusing on his campaign for federalism as an alternative to the present centralized Manila-centric national government.

“Since I started with federalism, I have always been using my own money,” he said.

By promoting federalism, Duterte said he wants a level playing field for every local government unit (LGU) in the country.

“Manila has been lording it over for centuries now,” he said.

Duterte said the unitary form of government has long been abused by politicians.

Last week, the mayor was in Butuan City to promote federalism.

In the next two months, Duterte said he will travel to different parts of the country to not only promote his preferred type of government but also listen to the people he talks to for their views on the issue.