(CNN Philippines) — Members of the House of Representatives filed criminal complaints against members of the government peace panel and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (GPH-MILF) on Thursday (May 28) for allegedly selling out the country in order to cater to the interests of Bangsamoro rebels in crafting a flawed basic law proposal.
Former Manila mayor and now Buhay Party-list Representative Lito Atienza — along with Representatives Michael Velarde Jr. and Irwin Tieng — lodged the complaint before Manila’s Senior Deputy City Prosecutor Eufrosino Sulla for the serious crimes of treason and sedition.
In layman’s terms, treason is the betrayal of one’s country. Simply put, traitorship.
Sedition, on the other hand, means engaging in acts that can disrupt the peace.
Both are classified as crimes against national security.
Among the respondents were GPH peace panel chair Miriam Coronel Ferrer, presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles, MILF peace panel chair Mohagher Iqbal.
“The acts of the Respondents, in executing the Framework Agreement and in proposing the BBL (Bangsamoro Basic Law), also effectively aided the MILF armed forces to successfully assert their existence as a separate and independent state. Therefore, the Respondents must be held liable for the crime of treason,” cited the complaint.
In a statement, Atienza said the GPH gave in to all the demands of the MILF, to the detriment of the country’s interests and that of other indigenous groups in Mindanao. He added that the “one-sided” peace deal could instead lead to more turmoil as other Moro groups were excluded.
“The GPH should not have committed the government, senate, congress and the Filipino people sa mga probisyon na alanganin. Parang hostage ang bansa,” Atienza said.
[The GPH should not have committed the government, senate, congress and the Filipino people to dubious provisions. It seems the country was held hostage.]
He explained that among the “dangerous” elements of the Bangsamoro bill was the “opt-in” provision.
“The creeping expansion provision was retained; by 10% vote, contiguous barangays can opt to join the Bangsamoro later on. The amendment to guaranteeing non-secession of the Bangsamoro later on was stricken down.”
Instead of the BBL, Atienza said the group was giving its all-out support to strengthening the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) which was provided for in the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines.
In February, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano also raised similar points and sounded the alarm that the MILF apparently got the lion’s share in the proposed peace measure.
Cayetano and Ferrer — together with Deles — got into a heated exchange during a Senate hearing in the wake of the death of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos in Mamasapano,Maguindanao.
The senator fumed over the issue of negotiating with terrorists and the MILF’s reported coddling of slain bomb maker, Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan.
Cayetano’s jaw dropped after Ferrer, when asked whether the government negotiates with terrorists, answered that she was not aware of such policy.
