Noy blames GMA for P5M MILF gift

It is again former President Arroyo who should be blamed for President Aquino’s “generosity” with public funds while giving Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chieftain Ebrahim Al Haj Murad P5 million during their “secret” meeting held in a hotel in Japan last August.

Malacañang yesterday washed its hands off on Aquino’s decision to give P5 million to the MILF which is now being largely blamed for a series of deadly attacks against government troopers, claiming that the P5 million “donation” to the MILF was merely the Palace’s implementation of a previous commitment made by the adminis-tration of the former president.

It was not explained, however, why it took over a year for Aquino to “implement” the commitment of Arroyo to the MILF, and why the Palace never said at the time that the funds were for Moro institution building.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda stressed that the P5 million

check that was donated to the MILF during his secret meeting with Murad in Japan last month.

Lacierda’s statement contradicts the previous pronouncements made by chief government negotiator Marvic Leonen, after the story broke out about the P5 million check during the first round of peace talks in Malaysia which took place a few days after the Aquino-Murad secret meeting months ago, had earlier claimed it was he who had handed the check to the MILF peace panel

In that admission of Leonen on his handing the P5 million to the MILF peace panel, there was never any statement that this was a donation for some MILF institution for leadership training, although it is today being claimed by the Palace as the reason for the donation.

“This is institution building capacity measure, which we found worth pursuing,”Lacierda said in a radio interview, adding that the fund was meant for the establishment of a Bangsamoro Management and Leadership Institute, where the Muslim rebel group plans to train its Bangsamoro leaders.

In a separate radio interview, MILF political affairs chief Ghadzali Jaafar confirmed the MILF received the money in Japan, and bared that this amount is “intact” in a bank where the MILF had deposited the full amount.

Jaafar also confirmed the money was for the MILF Institute for training of their leaders.

And to deflect claims that the fund was used by the MILF to buy more and arms and ammunition, Malacanang said the MILF should make a detailed accounting of the P5 million check the government it last August.

“The government, through Marvic Leonen is asking for accountability. We will be expecting some report on the outcome of the P5 million, where it went,” Lacierda said.

“And we hope that the MILF will also clarify this part,”he said, categorically saying yes to queries whether the Aquino administration is interested in knowing where the funds went.

Leonen yesterday admitted that Muslim rebels received P5 million from the Philippine government to jumpstart the operation of a training center for Muslim leaders, but did not say if the amount indeed went to the said program and not used to buy guns and ammunition.

The money, authorized by Aquino, was reportedly siphoned off by the MILF which was responsible for the brutal death of 19 soldiers and several others in a series of ambush attacks in various parts of Mindanao last week, to purchase firearms.

“The P5 million is a commitment made by the previous administration. It is intended to fast-track the establishment of the institute,”Leonen said but stopped short of saying that the amount actually went to its intended purpose.

Leonen handed over the amount to the MILF during the last round of talks in Kuala Lumpur in August to support the operations of the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute (BLMI). The BLMI is a training center for Bangsamoro leaders and managers who will be serving their communities in the future.

During Aquino’s one-on-one meeting with MILF chairman Murad in Tokyo last Aug. 5, Leonen said the President reiterated his support to the Muslim institute. It was after the meeting, Leonen said, that Aquino instructed the peace panel to finally hand the check over to the rebel group in their upcoming meeting later that month.

Leonen, however, did not say if the funds have already been accounted for.

He explained that the establishment of the BLMI had been proposed as early as 2006 and only finalized during the exploratory talks with the rebels in November 2007 under the government of former President Gloria Arroyo.

Leonen indicated that the MILF institution is legitimate as it is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), enabling it to receive assistance from donor institutions such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

JICA, he said, gave funds for the construction of the building that will house the institute. In 2000, US-based Asia Foundation provided support for a series of workshops to draw up the vision and organizational structure of the BLMI.

Amid calls for an all-out war against the rebel group and suspension of the talks, Leonen said the government “will remain steadfast in finding a peaceful solution to the armed conflict.”

“We will not let false reports undermine the peace process. I urge the public to stay heedful of what is happening and analytical of the information that it receives,” he said.

On Oct. 18, 19 soldiers were killed by the MILF after wandering into MILF territory in Basilan province while going after a wanted rebel leader.

Two days later, eight soldiers and policemen were killed in similar attacks also in Mindanao, while five rubber plantation workers and three soldiers were slain also by the rebels on Sunday.

These were the biggest outbreaks of violence to occur since both sides agreed to a ceasefire three years ago.

The clashes and series of attacks against government troops has set concerns on the future of the Malaysian-brokered peace talks, which is currently on a standstill after both sides failed to reach an agreement concerning a rebel demand for a Muslim sub-state during negotiations in Kuala Lumpur in August. –Virgilio J. Bugaoisan and Michaela P. del Callar, Daily Tribune