Officials confident of MILF action on Kalangangan 1 incident

COTABATO CITY --- Authorities are optimistic the Moro Islamic Liberation Front will censure its members who allegedly attacked on Saturday a village at the border of the city and Sultan Kudarat town, dislocating some 300 families. In a statement Tuesday, the office of Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi said it has filed a complaint against the culprits through the joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) of the government and the MILF.The CCCH helps the police and the military address troubles in conflict flash point areas in southern provinces that are covered by the 1997 ceasefire accord between the government and the MILF.Barangay officials said the groups of Commanders Barang and Erap fired assault rifles and 40 millimeter grenade projectiles at houses in Barangay Kalanganan 1 late Saturday, causing panic among villagers.The two commanders are reportedly hostile to another Moro group in the area.Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the Army’s 6thInfantry Division, said he is certain the MILF will act decisively on the written protest of the Cotabato City local government unit. The government and the MILF have standing agreements on how to address such security issue. The bilateral ceasefire mechanisms of both sides are in place, Sobejana said Tuesday.He said efforts of the 6thID to restore normalcy in Barangay Kalanganan 1, which is covered by the 5thSpecial Forces Battalion, are coordinated with the city police and the CCCH.Danny Darping, chairman of Barangay Kalanganan 1, said the attack on their village on Saturday started with gunmen shooting the house of Napisa Arap Durado with assault rifles and pistols.The suspects also blasted 40 millimeter grenade projectiles in the surroundings using launchers fired from a distance, he said.Villagers said the gunmen were led by Erap and Barang, both members of the MILF’s 105thBase Command.Guiani-Sayadi, who, as mayor, is presiding chairperson of the inter-agency Cotabato City peace and order council, has condemned the attack.The city government is now extending relief services to the villagers affected by the incident.Guiani-Sayadi has asked the MILF’s ceasefire committee to detain the two commanders involved in the atrocity.She has also directed the city police director, Supt. Rolly Octavio, and barangay officials in Kalanganan 1 to help investigators build airtight cases against the duo.Octavio said he is confident the MILF leadership will help address the problem in keeping with its current peace process with Malacañang.