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Muslim solons back Hataman vs links to Batasan blast |
By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 02:59pm (Mla time) 11/29/2007
MANILA, Philippines -- Muslim lawmakers have rallied behind Anak-Mindanao Representative Mujiv Hataman, who has been tagged as one of the alleged masterminds of the November 13 bombing at the House of Representatives that killed a congressman and three other persons.
In a joint statement on Thursday, Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Simeon Datumanong, and Representatives Nur Jaafar of Tawi-Tawi, Yusop Jukiri and Munir Arbison of Sulu, and Pangalian Balindong of Lanao del Sur, said it was “unlikely” Hataman had masterminded the bombing as they vouched for the party-list solon’s integrity.
Among those killed by the explosion at the south wing of the Batasan Pambansa was Basilan Representative Wahab Akbar, who police believe was the target of the attack.
Former Tuburan town mayor Hajuron Jamiri, one of the arrested suspects in the bombing, has executed an affidavit naming Hataman and his brother Jim, of masterminding the attack, claiming the brothers wanted Akbar dead because "not be at peace" if he remained alive.
But the Anak-Mindanao solon has maintained his innocence and called on the police to go slow in implicating him in the incident.
“We already lost a Muslim colleague in the said incident. This [accusation] made by the PNP [Philippine National Police] of another colleague as [one of the] masterminds is so much hard for us to accept considering that Mujiv is known to us to be incapable of performing such act,” Datumanong said.
Jikiri agreed, describing Hataman as such a “good young man.”
“Even amidst all the controversies on the Batasan blast, I say with precision and accuracy that Mujiv is not capable of doing such [an] act imputed against him,” he said
For Arbison, Hataman is not only incapable of participating in such a “dastardly and cowardly act” but he is also known as an advocate for peace and development in Mindanao and a human rights worker.
Jaafar said the statement of a single suspect should not be used as a basis to charge Hataman.
“It is unfair on the part of Mujiv and his family to be implicated [in] such [an] incident if the [accusation] would later be established to be unfounded,” he said.
Instead of focusing on his Hataman, Balindong said police should widen the scope of their investigations into the Batasan bombing. |
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