News Analysis: Despite bloody clash, Philippine gov't, Moro groups to push through peace process

Despite the bloody clash on Sunday in Mindanao that left 49 elite members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) dead, both the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) have vowed to pursue the peace process and put an end to the decades-old Muslim rebellion in the Southern Philippines.

In his televised address to the nation on Wednesday night, Philippine President Benigno Aquino called on the Congress not to be swayed by rumors and speculations on the incident and expedite the passage of the law that would create the Bangsamoro political entity to be governed by Muslim Filipinos.

"We have already come such a long way in our quest to realize the peace that we have long desired for Muslim Mindanao. All sides exhibited great trust to reach this point," the President said.

On Jan. 25, nearly 400 special action force (SAF) commandos entered Mamasapano town in Maguindanao province, a known bailiwick of the MILF.

They were targeting two "high value targets," Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir, better known as "Marwan," who was wanted for his involvement in the Bali bombing some years back, and Filipino terrorist Abdul Basit Usman.

The bloody incident, which the MILF said was a "misencounter," occurred less than a year after the group signed a landmark peace deal with the Philippine government in March last year.

Aquino said that Mamapasano incident has already given rise to those who want to take advantage of this tragedy to undermine and derail the peace process.

He said that there are calls in the Senate and the House of Representatives to junk the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

"This should not happen. The success of the entire peace process is contingent on this law," Aquino said.

At Camp Darapanan in Maguindanao, the headquarters of the MILF, Chairman Murad Ebrahim also reiterated his group's commitment to the peace process despite the bloody clash between police commandos and Moro fighters. He said it was not the MILF that started the firefight.

Murad said that he did not want the peace agreement to be the " bigger casualty" of the encounter in reaction to calls for junking of the BBL and for the government to abandon the peace process.

He emphasized that the BBL was a "political process," adding that he did not see any relevance of connecting the political process with the security challenges that the two sides are facing.

"An enduring peace and justice remain to be our primary objective," Murad said.

In his address to the nation, Aquino said that the formation by the MILF of a special investigative commission to determine the details of the incident constitutes a good first step.

"I am hopeful that the MILF will show, in the soonest possible time, even more concrete evidence of their solidarity in the pursuit of peace, towards the pursuit of truth, and the accountability of those responsible," Aquino said.

Murad has earlier announced that the creation of such a commission to be composed of members of the Central Committee and the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces general staff.

"Our concern is the truth. There are a lot of speculations as to what happened and until what happened is established with credibility and integrity, the said incident will weigh down our efforts to bring peace to our homeland," Murad said.

On Tuesday, government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer also said that the scheduled meeting in Kuala Lumpur by panels of the government and the MILF in the last week of January to finalize the protocol on decommissioning of arms is pushing through.

Malacanang, the seat of Philippine government, released on Wednesday Proclamation No. 953, declaring Jan. 30, 2015 a National Day of Mourning "in solidarity with the bereaved families of the slain police officers."

"The entire nation is requested to offer prayers for the eternal repose of the souls of the victims and for our people to reclaim our sense of humanity," the proclamation said.

Meanwhile, Police Director Getulio Napenas, the commander of PNP' Special Action Force that launched the manhunt for the two terrorists in Mamasapano, has admitted responsibility for the botched operation.

Napenas has since been relieved from his post pending the investigation of the incident by a board of inquiry within the PNP hierarchy. Endi