By Meanne Corvera
Eagle News Service
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon on Tuesday said that war in Marawi may break out again if Congress does not pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law.
In fact, Esperon, who spoke during a Senate hearing on the proposed BBL, said that the “threat of violent extremism and radicalization looms even larger” in Mindanao if certain issues were not addressed.
He said so far, some individuals were already taking advantage of the delay in the passage of BBL by recruiting people to engage in terrorist activities.
“A complex mix of grievances resulting from diminution of ancestral homelands, poverty and underdevelopment, marginalization and poor governance are the top priorities that must be addressed,” Esperon said.
Should the BBL be passed, he said that government security forces were not in favor of a Bangsamoro military command, though.
He said in this setup, the military could be used by leaders to advance their own interests.
“In (the existing) structure, I believe that the Armed Forces would be
better able to serve the purposes of defense and security without
becoming a potential instrument of the leaders or of personalities in
an area for their own interest,” he said.
President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao after local terrorists overran the city in May last year in a reported bid to establish an Islamic State caliphate in Southeast Asia.
Duterte declared the city free from the clutches of the terrorists months later.