Friday, July 13, 2007 Muslim exec wary of Basilan fallout By Stephen Capillas
A TOP Muslim leader and public official in Cagayan de Oro voiced fears that the recent deaths of 14 soldiers at the hands of extremist elements may result in further harassment of Muslim folks under the Human Security Act.
During Thursday's Media Konek program held at the Cagayan de Oro Press Club (COPC), Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Regional Director Mandangan Darimbang said the beheading and mutilation of 14 soldiers in the Basilan clash might instigate age-old animosities towards Muslim folks.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) recently denied they had anything to do with the encounter and reiterated that the troops "encroached" on MILF territory when they pursued fleeing captors of Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi.
Darimbang said with the incident, discrimination against Muslim folks would heighten and may result in harassment by police implementing the Human Security Act.
He said there have been signs of harassment with reports that Muslims were being rejected from plush subdivisions.
Darimbang also cited one case in which several residents left a subdivision when more Muslims decided to put up houses there.
"Some subdivisions, they reject your application when they know you're a Muslim. They never asked these residents to leave, they got out because of their bias against the Muslims," Darimbang lamented.
The LTFRB official said while the Human Security Act is good, its implementation should be prudent. "What matters eventually is honesty, Muslims can sense sincerity and honesty from people," he said.
Earlier, Cagayan Archdiocese Bishop Monsignor Antonio Ledesma Thursday voiced anxiety over the impending implementation of the Human Security Act, voicing fears that this may lead to harassment by abusive law enforcers.
Ledesma, a top official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), expressed apprehension that the anti-terror law may be used to silence critics of the Arroyo regime.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had said the anti-terror law would not be used on law-abiding citizens but on enemies of the state such as communist rebels and insurgents.
