*i ., OFFICi: .y ., !,: , !, I,, E-;*’ , , +’ FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC ) OF THE PHILIPPINES Second Regular Session E3 !\!I1V 17 P3:lo Introduced by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago RESOLUTION DIRECTING THE PROPER SENATE COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE, IN AID OF LEGISLATION, THE ALLEGED RISING NUMBER OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE IN THE HUNT FOR COMMANDERS BRAVO AND KAT0 WHEREAS, the Constitution, Article 2, Section 5, states, “The maintenance of peace and order, the protection of life, liberty, and property, and promotion of the general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings of democracy”; WHEREAS, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, in an article entitled “P500M Spent in Hunt for Bravo, Kato”, dated 29 October 2008, claimed that P500 million was spent hunting two Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commanders, but only P78 million was allocated for 600,000 civilians forced from their homes because of the operation; WHEREAS, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reportedly said that aid to more than 600,000 internally displaced people had reached P78 million, or roughly PI30 for each IDP, mostly women and malnourished children, and that the government had spent about P41 million for food and nonfood items, such as medicine and other health-related assistance, for 1,894 displaced families in North Cotabato; WHEREAS, the OCD in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said the cost of assistance to evacuees in Maguindanao, Shariff Kabunsuan and parts of Lanao del Sur had reached P37 million so far, where in Maguindanao alone, at least 25,000 families have fled to safety since clashes erupted; WHEREAS, there were reports that thousands of the displaced are in squalid evacuation shelters of plastic tents donated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, where encampments are rife with diseases and are without basic sanitation and potable water and the evacuees are exposed to the elements in this current monsoon season; pregnant mothers give birth in open fields without medical assistance”; WHEREAS, Gen. Luna also claimed that financial assistance for the families of dead soldiers and wounded men was not included in the total budget, adding that the military has suffered 41 deaths and 153 wounded so far, and that several hundred MILF fighters had been killed in the operations-a figure disputed by the MILF that put its losses at less than a dozen: WHEREAS, Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna, deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, allegedly reported that the total expenditures for fuel for vehicles and aircraft had reached P227 million; while for bullets, the military had already spent P286 million in operations in Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Lanao del Sur; WHEREAS, it was reported that although military pursuers were not anywhere near Ameril Ombra Kat0 and Abdullah Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, these wily MILF leaders have even either appeared on YouTube-a hugely popular video-sharing website-or posed for newspaper photographers, and even granted an exclusive interview to a reporter of a TV station, which seemed to mock the military initiative that began over two months ago; WHEREAS, Military commanders have said the hunt for Kat0 and Macapaar will continue until they are captured, but despite the scale of the operations, with an estimated 10,000 soldiers involved, Kato and Bravo remain scot-free, even though the government has put up a reward of P10 million each for the capture of the two MILF leaders; WHEREAS, the number of civilian lives and properties destroyed by both military and rebel offensives continue to growth with no end in sight; WHEREAS, the real targets of the offensive, namely commanders Bravo and Kat0 continue to repeatedly elude capture by the military, yet a group of enterprising reporters were able to interview Commander Bravo and take footages of his ragtag army; WHEREAS, it is imperative that the State protects its constituents and provide for their welfare; WHEREAS, the government should make sure that the money spent for these operations were spent accordingly and were not pocketed at all by any official; WHEREAS, there is an urgent need to investigate and substantiate these reports that the military has already spent P500 million in tracking down these rogue rebels to no avail to strengthen ow policy of war against terrorism and prevent the continuing loss and destruction of life, limb and property in Mindanao; WHEREFORE, be it hereby resolved by the Philippine Senate, to direct the proper Senate committee to investigate, in aid of legislation, the alleged increase of internally displaced people in the hunt for Commanders Bravo and Kato. Adopted, Icdr P 2 .