MANILA – An expert sees problems with the many investigating bodies formed to shed light on the bloody Mamasapano clash last Sunday which left 44 elite cops and 18 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters dead.

Julkipli Wadi, dean of the University of the Philippines (UP) Institute of Islamic Studies, said the several bodies tasked to investigate the deadly clash must be able to come up with coherent reports.

… ”Ang napansin ko eh tila dumadami ang mga bodies na kine-create para mag-imbestiga. Maliban sa board of inquiry, meron pang MILF na may sarili nilang investigation, meron pang truth commission,” Wadi told dzMM.

”Ang problema eh paano kung iba-iba ang mga findings? Sino ang paniniwalaan?” 

divide-and-rule ba, as usual, ang strategy?  but we are already so divided — mamasapano only added to the cracks in our brittle sense of “nation”.

let us heed prof. wadi’s warning.  too many probes is problematic.  we, the people of the philippines, should demand that the findings of the PNP board of inquiry, the MILF’s special investigative commission, the International Monitoring Team’s and the Commission on Human Rights’ independent investigations be submitted to an independent Truth Commission whose sole mandate would be to satisfy the people’s thirst for the truth re the mamasapano debacle.  one people, one truth.

the senate’s peace, reconciliation and unification committee chair tg guingona has nominated hilario davide sr., reynato puno, and wigberto tanada to head or compose such a truth commission.  i would add the names of carol pagaduan araullo, joey ayala, and prof. wadi himself.  let them put their heads together, ferret out the incontrovertible truths, so the people may know who are criminally responsible for the 64 dead.  the sooner the better.  until then, all talk of peace is just talk.