1 year after Mamasapano incident, what now?

MAMASAPANO, Maguindanao – The sound of silence was deafening on Monday when this writer visited the place. The area, that claimed the lives of 66 persons generally, remains the same, a quiet shallow river, huge dry fields that easily soften and turned muddy riverside in a 30-minute moderate rain. This is Barangay Tukanalipao, with the river and the vast corn fields as silent witnesses to the bloody January 25 carnage that left elite police unit, Moro rebels and civilians dead. A mission was accomplished, that was to put the country’s most wanted foreign terrorist, at the cost of 66 lives. Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan,” America’s most wanted man in the Philippines, was neutralized. But before the nation, including Philippine President Aquino who was said to have been monitoring the operation while in Zamboanga City, was to celebrate the death of a man blamed for killing innocent civilians in a series of bomb attacks in the past, the operation turned ugly that traumatized the 17 years of peace negotiations between Manila and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). On January 25, the nation will commemorate one of the bloodiest skirmishes in recent history. The sleepy village that turned noisiest for several days and months after the carnage remain the same. There were changes, like the newly built walkway, a Mosque and the government assistance extended to the locals. The landmark wooden bridge that connects two ends of corn fields was still here, serving as mute witness to the carnage. Locals no longer use it after it has overtaken by events and had deteriorated that endangers anyone crossing it. Residents said it was a very sad event but something good came out of it, a blessing in disguise, they say. The new bridge was one of them, so they say. Villagers cross the new bridge with their work animals, even four wheeled vehicles. Sala Kayanga and his wife Bai Kanutan crossed the bridge on a water buffalo pulling a cart with the carnage still lingering in their minds. We used to cross this river on foot, now we can do it over without difficulty,” Kayanga said. Soldiers of the 40th Infantry Battalion serve as peacekeepers, fully aware that MILF forces are a stone throw away, including outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and private armed groups. Infantrymen regularly patrol the area, the river and near a place where Marwan” was neutralized. They do not do it alone because villagers are with them. The provincial government had put up a school, a village hall and soon a village multi-purpose gymnasium as part of the government’s efforts to restore normalcy and peace in the once troubled land. We are happy at least government projects came over,” a villager said.
andltpandgtOn Monday, January 25, Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Toto Mangudadatu will lead a grand medical outreach mission in partnership with the military and peace advocates. Maguindanao 2nd district Rep. Zajid Mangudadatu has filed a bill seeking to declare January 25 as national day of mourning to remember those who perished in the carnage. Many lessons have been learned in the bloody incident that reports said involved the United States. Many hoped the lesson learned will help prevent similar incident in the future. That genuine peace will forever reign in the troubled land of promise. As January 25 draws near, some of the country’s legislators are pushing for a reinvestigation of the carnage which many see as in aid of election.” The Aquino government has named personalities to be arrested after charging them in court. Arrests are yet to take place. (Ferdinandh Cabrera)