Lobregat seeks resumption of Mamasapano hearings

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Zamboanga City 1st district Rep. Celso Lobregat has asked the House leadership to resume hearings on the Mamasapano incident the soonest possible time saying it should come ahead of the resumption of deliberations on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

Rep Lobregat said that the abrupt suspension and the consequent shelving of the House investigation on the Mamasapano carnage has made the House of Representatives look like a “surplus, excessive and non-essential matter.”

Lobregat claimed that the decision to postpone and eventually archive the Mamasapano inquiry was made without consulting and the approval of the Joint Committee.

“While it is admitted that the handling of the first hearing was disorderly, ways and means could be implemented to improve the handling of future hearings,” he lamented.

Numerous factors led to the situation and were not only attributed to the committee, its chairpersons and the members of Congress, but, Lobregat stressed it was during the first hearing where essential issues were brought to fore.

“Where we are now — honestly in Limbo,” Lobregat declared admitting that a large group of congressmen have written a letter to the speaker appealing for the resumption of the Mamasapano inquiry.

He said while the Senate and numerous other agencies including the MILF are conducting the Mamasapano probe, there is a deafening silence in the House.

“The House of Representatives is a collegial body. We operate under the committee system,” he said citing the earlier suspension of the Ad Hoc committee deliberation on the BBL to await reports of the joint committee.

“We are appealing to the House leadership to please immediately resume the house hearings on the Mamasapano incident,” Lobregat said.

As this developed, Lobregat said the House will resume deliberations on the proposed BBL on April 6.

“We received the notice to resume hearing on the BBL on April 6. I am saying this is not correct because we have yet to hear the Mamasapano incident and now we will resume the BBL deliberation,” Lobregat said.

The Ad Hoc committee last Feb. 9 suspended deliberations on the BBL until receipt of the report of the joint committee on public order and safety and the special committee on peace, reconciliation and unity on the Mamasapano incident. Its deliberation on a line-by-line basis in relation to proposed amendments covered more than 90 pages of the 99-page BBL except for 4 critical provisions. (Nonoy E Lacson)