LOCAL Government Secretary Ismael Sueno on Thursday discounted the possibility that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was involved in the recent attack in North Cotabato District Jail in Kidapawan City.
In a press conference, Sueno believed that the MILF would not participate in the jailbreak as it is committed to pursuing peace negotiations with the Duterte administration.
The Local Government Secretary also stressed that the government had a “very good relationship with the MILF.”
Sueno said he had already clarified to MILF officials the initial report that some of its members were involved in the jailbreak in Barangay Amas, Kidapawan City.
He said he had called MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaffar as well as Sammy Almanzor, chief of staff of MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Forces, to verify reports but the two denied the group’s involvement.
“I was worried. Why MILF? So I verified [the report]. I called up Commander Sammy Almanzor, the chief-of-staff of the MILF military,” Sueno said. “I called him up and asked him, ‘Is that true, general? Is is true that the MILF was involved in the jail attack?’ He replied, ‘No.’”
Sueno said Almanzor denied that his group has a member named Commander Derbi, who allegedly led the attack. He furthered that the MILF denied that it had a military camp near the provincial jail.
Sueno said he would believe what the two MILF members told him.
“We are doing our own investigation but I personally believe the words of General Sammy Almanzor and Vice Chairman Ghadzali Jaafar,” he added.
Over 100 armed men allegedly attacked the North Cotabato District Jail in Kidapawan City. The siege, which lasted for two hours, resulted in the escape of about 158 inmates and death of several inmates and one jail officer. (Sunnex)
