Press Release
February 24, 2015

Sen. Bam Aquino during the Mamasapano Hearing (Excerpts)

Sen. Bam: Alam ninyo noong nakaraang hearing, tinanong ko po kay Secretary Roxas, General Espina at General Napenas kung ano iyong hustisya.

This is the last hearing already, kung maaalala ko po, tatlo iyong nabanggit tungkol sa hustisya. At na-clarify namin na ang hangarin sa hustisya ay hindi hangarin sa vengeance o paghihiganti.

Tatlong bagay. Una, iyong katotohanan lumabas at ako, I can safely say, dito po sa ating mga hearing, just apart from a little bit of national security matters, parang lahat po ata lumabas, kahit po pinakamaliliit na detalye nilabas na rin.

Pangalawa na maalagaan ang mga pamilya and I think government has been doing its best to take care of the families.

Iyong pangatlo, iyong tanong sa mga combatants o perpetrators na hindi pa po natin napag-uusapan ang lubusan.

So let me begin by asking Secretary De Lima, hindi po ako nagkakamali, a few weeks ago, the process of filing charges was already started. Mayroon po bang update diyan?

De Lima: Ongoing po ngayon ang investigation and case build up iyong ginawa kong joint NPS-NBI Special Investigation Team because the very mandate of that team from the President himself is to undertake a thorough case build up with the end view of filing appropriate charges against those that may be found responsible, for those deaths.

So ongoing po iyong ginagawang investigation. We'll be getting also materials from some other sources, like BOI, and from this committee.

Hihingi rin ho kami ng resulta ng imbestigasyon ng MILF and even ng CHR, because all of this will end up with us as the lead prosecutorial arm of government.

In fact, the team will also be undertaking an ocular inspection in the area of the incident on Friday.

Sen. Bam: May timeline po ba tayo riyan? Kailan po natin matatapos ang inyong imbestigasyon?

De Lima: In my directive to the team, I gave them 60 days from the issuance of my department order. I issued it February 2.

Sen. Bam: So April 2.

By April 2 po tapos na ang imbestigasyon and you would have filed charges and possibly warrants of arrests have already been issued against those directly responsible.

De Lima: Hindi ko po masisiguro na by April 2 ay mayroon nang warrants of arrests kasi una pong gagawin is magpa-file po sa prosecutor's office.

Sen. Bam: Chairman Iqbal, alam ko po na mayroon kayong sariling imbestigasyon at may sarili kayong proseso. But as you now, there is a parallel process pagdating po sa DOJ natin. Kung mayroon po na lumabas na mga miyembro ng MILF na masabi ho natin ngayon na kino-contest ang nasa video.

Although again, ayaw kong pangunahan pero let's just say for example na lumabas po na may mga MILF na kasama po na gumawa po ng karumal-dumal na mga gawain, ano po ang magiging posisyon ng MILF pagdating po sa mga combatant na ito?

Iqbal: If it is in the nature of a war crime, as stated by the honorable Senator Loren Legarda, we have to submit to the jurisdiction of the international court of justice.

Sen. Bam: Sorry ho, International Court of Justice?

Iqbal: That's the body that has jurisdiction over war crimes.

Sen. Bam: I thought in the previous hearing you mentioned that you would cooperate with DOJ. Gusto ko pong klaruhin niyo.

In the last hearing, sabi po ninyo you would cooperate with the DOJ.

Iqbal: Through a mechanism of peace negotiation between the government and the MILF. The relevant agencies, the ceasefire committee, the ADJAP, and the peace panel of government.

De Lima: I have to react or respond, your honor. That's a bit unsettling for me. There can be only resort to the international criminal court on war crimes, if it's established that were committing really constitute war crimes under international law and under domestic law, if our domestic authorities are unable to work, meaning we are unable, unwilling or failed to investigate or prosecute. That is very clear under both international laws.

Sen. Bam: And this is clear, Secretary, that we are capable of executing our laws?

De Lima: Certainly. We are doing it now. The fact that we are investigating, this is a criminal investigation being undertaken by joint NPS-NBI joint investigation team.

It's working. We are the state and we the power to enforce our laws and we the power to compel people to submit themselves to the criminal justice system of this country.

Sen. Bam: When you say people, you mean everyone involved in the crimes committed against our policemen?

De Lima: Yes your Honor, because we have to note that in so far as this whole issue is concerned in the Mamasapano incident in relation to the peace process, MILF here is a non-state actor involved in a non-international armed conflict.

That unfortunate incident, may ceasefire dapat nagkaroon ng violations, nagkaroon ng engkuwentro. As a non-state actor, they have to be subjected to our own laws and to the jurisdiction of Philippine courts and to our own criminal justice system.

Otherwise, this as if we're acknowledging that they're also a state actor with its own separate independent justice system. We cannot do that because we are only one state and we are the state authority.

Sen. Bam: Thank you, Secretary, for clarifying that.

Chairman Iqbal, kanina po kasi doon sa ibang tanong sa MILF, tila nilalapit po ang MILF sa known terrorist groups. Let me ask you and maybe for the record, masagot po natin finally, ano po ba ang relasyon ng MILF sa mga known terrorist groups at pangalawa, kung mayroon po mang MILF na sumasama sa known terrorist groups, ano po ang tingin ng MILF sa mga miyembrong iyan.

Iqbal: We have no relations with terrorist and terrorist organization.

Sen. Bam: Isa-isahin ho natin.

There were some insinuations made that some of your members have relations with Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah. Iba't ibang mga institusyon po.

Categorically, you're saying that the MILF has no relations with these groups.

Iqbal: Yes as an organization. As individuals, especially in Sulu and in Basilan may mga miyembro ng MILF, kamag-anak nila ang Abu Sayyaf.

Sen. Bam: Ano po ang pagtrato ng MILF sa mga miyembro nila na may relasyon sa mga grupong terorista?

Iqbal: Abu Sayyaf ba o you are referring to?

Sen. Bam: For example, Abu Sayyaf po. Kung mayroon po kayong miyembro na maybe na miyembro rin sila ng Abu Sayyaf o gumagawa ng terrorist activities, may mekanismo po ba kayo.

Do you report that to the authorities? Ano ang pagtrato niyo sa kanila?

Iqbal: Sinasabi namin sa kanila na kahit magkamag-anak nila, iwasan nilang makisalamuha sa kanila.

It's a difficult situation kasi magkakamag-anak iyan. Because they are living in one community and in one village.

Sen. Bam: Let's say, nagkaroon po ng BBL in the future and alam natin na ang reality on the ground, may magkakamag-anak. Miyembro ng MILF at mga kasama ng terrorist groups.

Paano po natin mare-resolve iyon with the Philippine authorities?

Kunwari po, mayroon na tayong mekanismo at mga groups na nag-uusap-usap po ang mga lider natin, paano po natin mareresolve iyon on the ground.

Iyon ang tanong na hinahanap ang sagot ng marami po sa mga kasama ko at mga kababayan natin.

You have the opportunity to answer categorically kung mayroon mang MILF na miyembro ng terrorist groups, paano po natin sila madadala sa justice at kung paano natin sila mapipigil sa kanilang gawain.

Iqbal: Kung sakali ma-establish natin ang Bangsamoro Transition Authority, maipasa ang BBL, sa transition authority, ang magli-lead po diyan MILF.

Ibig sabihin niyan, may legal personality ang MILF. Those kind of activities or crimes can be addressed through the legal system already.

Sen. Bam: Very clear po na kahit miyembro ng MILF kung ito'y miyembro ng terrorist group, they should be brought at ipapasok sa ating legal system, tama po?

Iqbal: Tama po iyan. Saka tinitira po natin ito dahil mayroon ding legal system sa BBL. Iyong regular courts naririyan pa rin and mayroon pa ring ibang batas na papairalin so ganoon po ang mangingibabaw.

Sen. Bam: I don't want to belabor the point Chairman Iqbal pero ito ho kasi ang laging paulit-ulit and I want you to give you this opportunity to answer straight.

Kapag sinasbai po na Marwan and Usman were coddled by the MILF, ano po iyong categorical statement tungkol po sa assertion na tinulungan ng MILF sina Marwan at Usman?

Iqbal: Ang nasa isip ko ay unfortunate na comment iyon kasi di naman kami nagka-coddle. Kaya nga we're cooperating with the government with the fullest extent na ang mga terorista mawala sa atin.

Ang mga terorista, di gaya ng revolutionary na legitimate target iyong mga combatants. Pero ang mga terorista, pag naglagay sila ng bomba, kahit bata, kahit lalaki, matanda at babae tinatamaan.

Ayaw namin iyan, salot iyan ng society.

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