“The manhunt operations that the authorities have launched starting Friday were highly dubious and questionable. Until today, they have not recovered or arrested even a single inmate,” said Ruby Padilla Sison, chair of the local chapter of the Gabriela women’s party-list.
Sison suspected that the jail raid last February 2 “was, after all, a drama so that the anti-Moro sentiments of the people, especially the non-Moros, will get intense.”
“Local officials immediately blamed the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the crime,” Sison said, adding this was “not fair, knowing that there has been no deeper investigation regarding the case that was conducted.”
The MILF leadership has vowed to help in the recovery or re-arrest of the 48 prisoners that bolted the jail.
MILF political affairs chief Ghadzali Jaafar, in a radio interview, said the Front is willing to run after the prisoners “to prove that we have nothing to do with the raid.”
Sison expressed fears local politicians may have been behind the jail raid.
“There were instances in the past when politicians would use prisoners to boost their political career, especially during elections,” Sison said.
“I don’t think a politician in his right mind would use such horrible act just to boost his career. I don’t think that would happen here in my province,” North Cotabato Governor Manny Piñol said in an interview with DXND. (Malu Cadelina Manar/MindaNews)