FOOTAGE DOES NOT BELONG TO ABU

SAYYAF BUT TO MILF, REMULLA BARES

·       Says Malacañang delivered terror right into our homes

HOUSE Assistant Minority Floor Leader Gilbert Remulla today revealed that the culprits shown on the video footage of a beheading ritual made public by Malacañang are members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and not the Abu Sayyaf.

          Remulla, a former television journalist, said he can still vividly recall that the video was even shown to the members of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) during the Estrada administration in its bid to douse off criticisms on its all-out offensive against the MILF.

          “ I could have had an exclusive story at that time because my brother Boying (Partido ng Masang Pilipino spokesman Crispin Remulla) was with Presidential Management Staff but I declined to use it because I know pretty well that it’s not fit for public viewing,” Remulla revealed.

          Remulla said Malacañang was apparently deceiving the public by claiming that the gruesome video belonged to the Abu Sayyaf in its desperate effort to justify American involvement in the military offensive against the bandits.

          He added that the release of the two-hour video is also indicative that Malacañang is conditioning the public to accept that the Americans are in Mindanao not for a mere military exercise but for combat operations against the Abu Sayyaf.

          “ Malacañang is twisting facts to downplay public concern that American involvement in the campaign against the Abu Sayyaf is a violation of our Constitution,” he said.

          Remulla also argued that even if indeed the two-hour footage belonged to the Abu Sayyaf, Malacañang’s decision to show it to the public is very reckless and unnecessary because it delivers their message of terror right into our homes.

          He said the release of the beheading footage is exactly what the Abu Sayyaf would have wanted to happen if in case they were really the ones who were on the video.

          “ Certainly, they took the footage not to make some sort of a home video. They documented the gruesome scene to terrorize the public and Malacañang made sure that terror is delivered right into our homes,” Remulla said.