Senate begins BBL hearing with questions on Iqbal’s identity
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate proceedings on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) started on Monday with Sen. Ferdinand Bong-Bong Marcos Jr. and other senators questioning Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal’s use of alias.
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| In this February 2015 photo, Sen. Bongbong Marcos meets with MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal. The lawmakers appealed to the MILF to consider his suggestions as to how the government and the MILF can restore the public's confidence in the peace process after the Mamasapano incident. |
Marcos directly asked Iqbal why the MILF feels the need to present a negotiator who is unable to use his real name, to which Iqbal replied by saying that a revolutionary struggle is a very difficult and dangerous enterprise that would require security of persons involved.
“If you're not able to really succeed in concealing our real identity, not to deceive people, but mainly to protect my person, to protect my family, to protect the struggle, and then perhaps I wouldn’t have been around today and that is precisely why we use nom de guerre. As I said, if I was harmed, I was killed, perhaps I would not appear in the head of MILF negotiating panel,” Iqbal said.
Iqbal provided a brief history and cited others who use noms de guerre to explain the use of his alias and disclosed that he has been using it as early as February 1979. He said that his statement is founded on the idea that the engagement between the government and the MILF is a political one.
The MILF chief negotiator said that former presidents Ramos, Estrada, and Arroyo, even President Aquino never questioned his alias as it is normal to use a nom de guerre in any revolutionary organization.
He added that it is part of confidence-building that the government of Philippines treats MILF as it is. However, Marcos was not satisfied with Iqbal’s answer saying the use of which is contrary to confidence-building and continued to directly ask his true name as he is not confident with Iqbal’s citizenship, which is necessary considering that he will become the chair of the Bangsamoro transition commission and the head of the government of the Bangsamoro upon the passage of plebiscites.
“Government has known everything about me. Engaging the government for 42 years, nothing can be hidden from the government,” answered Iqbal, seeking to provide context.
Iqbal said he will disclose his real name once the BBL is passed and rectified by the people and things begin to "normalize".
Since Marcos is still not satisfied with Iqbal’s answers, he asked Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Teresita Deles about Iqbal's name. She said it is known by government and added that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has evidence of Iqbal's name in issuing his passport.
Deles argued that Iqbal has stood by everything he has signed since 1997. Iqbal has been signing all the papers and he has never disappeared and was never seen to commit any act that made them question about his alias. She added that there are enemies of MILF who would love to see problems with the peace process.
Marcos replied that he is not accusing Iqbal of anything; they just want to know his name. He asked Deles if she knows the real name of Iqbal and she said that she knows the name but when asked regarding her personal knowledge she said she hasn’t seen the documents but the suggested that the government has it.
Sen. Nancy Binay also asked government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer regarding Iqbal’s real name. Ferrer said she learned about it when she was doing her research on the armed conflicts in the Philippines way back in the 1990s.
Gen. Gregorio Catapang was also questioned by Sen. Francis Escudero and he answered that to his knowledge, the Armed Forces of the Philippines does not know his real name. They treated his name as a real name, he said.
Escudero also asked if Iqbal knows any other individual named "Mohagher Iqbal” and he said that it is possible that there are other people named as such but claimed that he is not aware if there are any.
Escudero fired several questions involving Iqbal’s bank account and cases filed under his name. Iqbal told him that he has a bank account named after his nom de guerre which Escudero contested to be against anti-money laundering law. Ferrer also replied that they are not aware of any cases under his nom de guerre and real name.
When asked if peace talks will be affected once the Senate issues a subpoena to DFA so they could disclose Iqbal’s real name, Iqbal said he could not comment. Escudero then invited DFA to bring documents that could enlighten the Senate on Iqbal’s real name for the next Senate BBL hearing.
***Originally published on Philstar.com; April, 13, 2015; 4:06 p.m. Link: Senate begins BBL hearing with questions on Iqbal’s identity
“Government has known everything about me. Engaging the government for 42 years, nothing can be hidden from the government,” answered Iqbal, seeking to provide context.
Iqbal said he will disclose his real name once the BBL is passed and rectified by the people and things begin to "normalize".
Since Marcos is still not satisfied with Iqbal’s answers, he asked Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) Secretary Teresita Deles about Iqbal's name. She said it is known by government and added that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has evidence of Iqbal's name in issuing his passport.
Deles argued that Iqbal has stood by everything he has signed since 1997. Iqbal has been signing all the papers and he has never disappeared and was never seen to commit any act that made them question about his alias. She added that there are enemies of MILF who would love to see problems with the peace process.
Marcos replied that he is not accusing Iqbal of anything; they just want to know his name. He asked Deles if she knows the real name of Iqbal and she said that she knows the name but when asked regarding her personal knowledge she said she hasn’t seen the documents but the suggested that the government has it.
Sen. Nancy Binay also asked government peace panel chair Miriam Coronel-Ferrer regarding Iqbal’s real name. Ferrer said she learned about it when she was doing her research on the armed conflicts in the Philippines way back in the 1990s.
Gen. Gregorio Catapang was also questioned by Sen. Francis Escudero and he answered that to his knowledge, the Armed Forces of the Philippines does not know his real name. They treated his name as a real name, he said.
Escudero also asked if Iqbal knows any other individual named "Mohagher Iqbal” and he said that it is possible that there are other people named as such but claimed that he is not aware if there are any.
Escudero fired several questions involving Iqbal’s bank account and cases filed under his name. Iqbal told him that he has a bank account named after his nom de guerre which Escudero contested to be against anti-money laundering law. Ferrer also replied that they are not aware of any cases under his nom de guerre and real name.
When asked if peace talks will be affected once the Senate issues a subpoena to DFA so they could disclose Iqbal’s real name, Iqbal said he could not comment. Escudero then invited DFA to bring documents that could enlighten the Senate on Iqbal’s real name for the next Senate BBL hearing.
***Originally published on Philstar.com; April, 13, 2015; 4:06 p.m. Link: Senate begins BBL hearing with questions on Iqbal’s identity
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