3-day ceasefire in Maguindanao urged for graduation rites

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines - Local officials on Thursday urged the military to suspend all operations against bandits in the province from March 25 to 27 to pave the way for graduation rites for students cramped in evacuation sites.

Miriam Kawit, schools division superintendent for the second district of Maguindanao, said a three-day ceasefire will allow them to facilitate graduation ceremonies for elementary and high school students from 39 schools that were forced to close due to the continuing face-off between the military and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

Kawit, who was one of the officials present in Thursday’s provincial peace and order council (PPOC) meeting at the Army’s Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat town, said  16,361 students have been displaced by the clashes in 11 towns in Maguindanao.

Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, presiding chairman of the inter-agency PPOC, said the police, the military and local government units will cooperate in helping organize the graduation programs, to be held in designated spots far from flashpoint areas.

Mangudadatu said the PPOC do not see any immediate end yet to the government’s law enforcement operations against BIFF forces in Maguindanao.

“In the meantime, we have to hold graduation rites for our displaced graduating elementary and high school children. We don't want them to feel neglected and disappointed,” Mangudadatu said.

Brig. Gen. Manolito Orense, assistant division commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said they will relay immediately to the General Headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines the request of Kawit and Mangudadatu.

Representatives of the ARMM’s Humanitarian Emergency Assistance and Response Team had announced, during the PPOC meeting, that there are now 123, 306 evacuees in relief centers in school campuses in the second district of Maguindanao.

The office of Mangudadatu and the ARMM-HEART had separately dispersed more than 100 tons of relief supplies to the evacuees in continuing relief operations since last month.

Also present in Thursday's PPOC meeting were ARMM Regional Local Government Secretary Anwar Malang, Senior Supt. Rudelio Jocson of the Maguindanao police, Vice Gov. Lester Sinsuat and a senior member of the provincial board, lawyer Bobby Katambak.

Private organizations outside of Maguindanao are now helping attend to thousands of evacuees from conflict-stricken barangays in 11 towns in the province, provincial officials said Wednesday.

Lynette Estandarte, chief provincial budget officer, said among the first to extend assistance, through the efforts of Mangudadatu, were the Ateneo de Davao University, the Jaycees International and the Aboitiz Group of Companies.

Many of the key officials and senior corporate members of the Aboitiz entities based in Davao City are personal friends of Mangudadatu and his younger sibling, incumbent Assembyman Toy Mangudadatu of the 24-seat Regional Assembly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Estandarte, who is helping the governor supervise the operation of the Maguindanao emergency and disaster response contingent, said the three private groups provided relief goods which employees of the provincial government distributed to evacuation centers during relief operations in the past four days.

“The province of Maguindanao is thankful to these organizations,” Estandarte said.

The provincial board has declared 12 of Maguindanao’s 36 towns, where the military and BIFF have been trading shots in one encounter after another for more than two weeks now, under state of calamity to hasten the relief works for displaced folks.

Two Marines and four Army personnel, among them a captain in a Ranger unit, and dozens of bandits have been killed in separate encounters in the province since February.

The latest to benefit from the provincial government’s relief missions were thousands of evacuees in relief sites in the towns of Guindulungan, Datu Unsay, Datu Saudi, Sharif Saidona, Salibo, Mamasapano, Rajah Buayan and Sharif Aguak towns.