Angara urges gov’t to wipe out Marwan’s ‘lethal legacy’ in Mindanao

Sen. Sonny Angara at the Senate hearing on the Mamasapano clash (Photo courtesy of Angara's Facebook page) — Sen. Sonny Angara at the Senate hearing on the Mamasapano clash (Photo courtesy of Angara’s Facebook page)

MANILA — Senator Juan Edgardo ‘Sonny’ Angara said government should wipeout Marwan’s “lethal legacy” so whatever “technology transfer” he had done when he hopped from one rebel group camp to another in his long years of stay in Mindanao would not claim lives after his death.

”If it is true that there is arms manufacturing factory in Mindanao, whether it’s by Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), Abu Sayyaf, it should be wiped out,” Angara said.

In the Feb. 24 Senate hearing on the Mamasapano carnage, lead government peace negotiator with the MILF, Prof. Miriam Ferrer, on questioning by Angara, admitted getting reports on the existence of an improvised explosive device (IED) facility being owned by the BIFF.

Angara said if the MILF is running a munitions factory “such is also a violation of the ceasefire agreement.”

“If we are now nearing the arms decommissioning phase, then it will be for naught if one group will be increasing its arms inventory in anticipation of the phased giving up of its weapons,” he said.

“If there’s an arm race in the South it should stop by now,” he added.