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ZAMBOANGA CITY (9 Nov) – Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity, said that the exchange of fire between Army soldiers and combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Basilan on Tuesday cannot be allowed “to negate the major gains we have achieved over the years.”
The skirmishes were between forces of the 101st Infantry Brigade and MILF members in Brgy. Ulitan, Ungkaya Pukan municipality.
Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (PAPRU), said that his office (OPAPRU) immediately called representatives of both parties “in order to deescalate the situation” and conferred with members of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG).
“We ask for cooperation of our partners from the MILF to stay the course and work together with the ceasefire mechanisms and government forces to uphold the ceasefire agreement which has been a product of arduous efforts from both parties in the interest of the welfare of our people and the preservation of the peace agreement,” the GPH Implementing Panel for the GPH-MILF Peace Accord said in a statement.
Brig. Gen. Domingo Gobway, Task Force Basilan and 101st Infantry Brigade commander, said the firefight broke out noon Tuesday at a detachment in Ulitan when a soldier was hit by a sniper shot coming from an area with MILF members and lawless elements.
The military commander said that while the fighting became sporadic for hours, there was no casualty on both sides. (Frencie L. Carreon / MindaNews)