Statement of GPH Peace Panel Chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer CORPORAL Ibrahim Rajab Palaw, an MNLF integree and member of the GPH-MILF Joint Peace and Security Team (JPST), was among those killed in action in the tragic encounter with Abu Sayyaf in Basilan. Palaw’s trainers and fellow trainees remembered him as jovial, sociable, and always full of life. One trainer also said that activities were lively and full of fun because of his participation and occasional dancing. Let us all pay respect and honor to all the soldiers who bravely fought for keeping peace and order in our country. We extend our deepest sympathies to the families and comrades of the 18 soldiers who have fallen in the tragic encounter with Abu Sayyaf militants in Bgy Silangkum and Bgy Baguindan, in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan last Saturday, April 9. We wish those who were wounded fast recovery from their wounds.  President Benigno S. Aquino III met with the families of the 18 soldiers killed in the Basilan clash at Edwin Andrews Air Base Multi-Purpose Lounge in Zamboanga City on Wednesday (April 13). (Photo by Rey Baniquet / Malacañang Photo Bureau) True to the valor and heroism that we recall during the annual remembrance of Araw ng Kagitingan or Day of Valor, we honor our soldiers’ sacrifice for the well-being of our country. Some of the men who were killed in action (KIA) were part of our longstanding efforts to seal the peace with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Four KIAs were MNLF integrees to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). They are Staff Sergeant Makin Jarani from Basilan; Sergeant Akmad Usman from Zamboanga Sibugay; Corporal Reezvi Archcelo Gandawali from Sulu; and Corporal Ibrahim Rajab Palaw, a Tausug. It will be recalled that part of the 1996 Final Peace Agreement between the government and the MNLF was the integration of some 5,000 MNLF combatants or their next of kin into the AFP. Many of the “rebel-integrees” have served the AFP well and some, like our brothers Jarani, Usman, Gandawali and Palaw offered the ultimate sacrifice in the fight against terrorism and lawlessness. Corporal Ibrahim Rajab Palaw is also a member of the GPH-MILF Joint Peace and Security Team (JPST) assigned in Zamboanga Sibugay. The JPST is one of the security mechanisms under the GPH and MILF panels as outlined in the Annex on Normalization of the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB). Their responsibilities include: tracking and documenting of private armies and other armed groups, and the reduction and control of weapons; supporting the observance of the existing ceasefire agreement to address and prevent hostilities; working on security arrangements for activities related to and personalities involved in the peace process; and supporting dispute resolution initiatives on the ground. Palaw belonged to the third batch of trainees composed of 15 members from the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) of the MILF, eight from the Philippine National Police (PNP), and seven from the AFP who underwent training on peace keeping from 10-21 December 2015 in Maguindanao. Palaw’s trainers and fellow trainees remembered him as jovial, sociable, and always full of life. Socialization activities were less lively without his participation and occasional dancing, said one trainer.  The Philippine offensive against the extremist Abu Sayyaf group after a spate of kidnappings left 18 soldiers and five fighters dead in the worst violence in the troubled south this year, authorities said on April 10. / AFP PHOTO / STR The fateful April 9 operation was part of a series of major offensives launched against the ASG forces in Basilan beginning in December 2015. These operations have succeeded in neutralizing at least 13 bandits including their key fighters like Ubaida Hapilon — the son of ASG leader Isnilon Hapilon — and Moroccan terrorist Mohammad Khattab. Moreover, the military offensives fully observed coordination protocols of the 1997 GPH-MILF ceasefire agreement as well as the 2001 agreement relating to law enforcement operations and subsequent guidelines. These protocols have prevented mis-encounters between government and MILF troops and have provided the AFP and local governments with valuable support against hostile enemy action. We thank the ceasefire mechanisms of the Government and the MILF, particularly the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group and the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, as well as the MILF leadership, for their strong and continuing cooperation in the ongoing law enforcement operations against the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan. The April 9 loss manifests the difficulty and gravity of the fight against lawlessness and terrorism. At the same time, it strengthens our resolve to continue with our fight for peace alongside our AFP and our valuable security partners in the peace process, believing that we must quell the spread of extremist groups such as the Abu Sayyaf that threaten the lives and security of our brothers and sisters in Muslim Mindanao and the country as a whole. (Source: OPAPP)
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