Puno Says Police Operations to Continue Amid Upcoming GRP-MILF Peace Talks

August 26, 2009

Mindanao will not see a cessation of police operations against criminals even if there will be a suspension of offensive military operation (SOMO) during the upcoming peace talks between the Philippine government panel and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), according to Secretary of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronnie Puno.

“No. There will be no suspension of action against criminals. This is not covered by the SOMO,” Puno said in a recent news forum on whether the declaration of a SOMO in Mindanao also includes a temporary halt to police operations during the SOMO period.
 
Puno, who is chairman of the National Police Commission and chairman of the National Peace and Order Council, assured the people and local officials of Mindanao that all those covered by warrants of arrest—whether members of the NPA, the MILF, or plain civilians—will be pursued by the police even under a SOMO period.
 
Moreover, he said that police operatives out to serve warrants of arrest can deputize officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) so the AFP officials could help out in serving the said warrants.
 
Puno said that there will be no let-up in the police operations against the likes of Kumander Bravo, Kato and Pangalian, who have warrants of arrest against them.
 
All local peace and order councils in Mindanao should craft their respective plans on how to further strengthen their peace and order work during the upcoming peace talks between the Philippine government panel and the MILF counterpart, he said during a recent Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) meeting in the South.
 
“We have to step up peace and order work in every region, province, city and town during the peace negotiations,” Puno said during the RPOC meeting.
 
Puno said that just as the SOMO period would not hamper police operations work during the SOMO, the peace talks will not cover anything that is not within the Philippine Constitution and existing Philippine laws.
 
Guidelines from President Arroyo will be given to the Philippine peace panel to define the breadth and scope of their negotiating powers, said Puno.
 
Puno said that there are two outstanding features of the upcoming peace talks: the Philippine peace panel drew its members from Mindanao and that the position to be put forward should come only after exhaustive consultation with the people and leaders of Mindanao.
 
“The Philippine peace panel will present a truly Mindanao Consensus, which embodies the dreams, aspirations and the historic longing of the people of Mindanao. It shall not be detached from the actual political, social, religious and economic realities of the region,” said Puno.
 
Puno said that former General Santos Mayor Adelbert Antonino, who was named to head the Philippine peace panel, accepted that position on the condition that the position of the peace panel should be about the needs of Mindanao.
 
“This was the condition of Mayor Antonino: there will be no negotiations without extensive consultations on what the thoughts and ideas of Mindanao are regarding the peace talks,” said Puno.
 
Puno said the DILG has been supporting the Mindanao-wide consultations, adding that he has called on all local officials in the region to help facilitate and speed up the consultation process.
 
During the recent RPOC meeting, Puno directed all local officials to “participate enthusiastically, energetically and honestly“ in the consultations being done by Antonino and the other government peace panel members.
 
Puno said that the success of the peace talks would reap for Mindanao an economic bonanza, especially in the areas of tourism, trade and agricultural production.