Philippines nabs most wanted Moro rebel

By Roy Ramos

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – The most wanted member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in the southern province of Basilan was arrested Tuesday in Bohe Baka Village, Tipo-Tipo Municipality.

Provincial Police Office Superintendent Christopher Panapan identified him as Boy Hamja, according to a report by the online news site Rappler.

He said Hamja was arrested by the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit for murder, robbery, extortion and drug trade charges and a sachet of methamphetamine was recovered.

The MNLF is Moro rebel group founded in 1971 by Nur Misuari that sought an independent Muslim state in the southern Philippines. It signed a peace deal with the government in 1996.

In 2014, the government under the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III signed a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a Moro rebel group which broke away from the MNLF.

Under the current administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, the MNLF has been invited to participate in the peace process with the intention of achieving an inclusive peace agreement with the Bangsamoro people in the southern Philippines.