Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno said on Wednesday that he is open to giving to the leadership of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) the P25-million reward for the three “rogue” commanders sought by the Philippine government in case the armed separatist group surrenders them.

 

The Philippine authorities are offering P10-million each for the arrest of MILF commanders Ameril Umbra Kato, Abulrahman Macapaar and P5 million for Aleem Sulaiman Pangalian. The three commanders led attacks in North Cotabato and Lanao del Sur that sparked the recent violence in Mindanao.

 

Puno said that in case the MILF leadership or any of its members surrender any of the three commanders he is willing to give the reward money to them. He said the money can be used for developmental projects in their community.

 

Puno said that he is willing to stop operations pursuing the three MILF commanders if the three would be surrendered. 

 

The interior and local government secretary also said that the three MILF commanders are only a minority in their organization and that majority of MILF commanders are still sincere in working for negotiated settlement of the Mindanao problem

 

 

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday said it will ask non-government organizations in Mindanao to help in the hunt for three MILF commanders who led civilian attacks in the south.

 

Director Leopoldo Bataoil, chief of the PNP-Directorate for Police Community Relations, said he and other ranking PNP officials will meet with NGO's in Mindanao and try to gather vital information on the three’s whereabouts.

 

Bataoil said he had tasked Chief Superintendent Sukarno Ikbala, chief Police Community Relations Group, to lead the coordination with NGOs.

 

Bataoil said Ikbala, as former director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Police Regional Office, knows several NGO leaders in the south.

 

The police official said the help of NGOs will boost the PNP's efforts to arrest the three MILF commanders.