Bohol solon rallies for Mindanao peace

CEBU, Philippines - The Filipino people, both from the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, should stand strong and united in rebuilding goodwill and trust for peace in Mindanao, “amid pain and sadness brought about by the Mamasapano bloodshed.”

This was the gist of the message of Representative Arthur Yap (3rd district, Bohol) in his privilege speech during the plenary session of the House of Representatives last week.

The congressman from Loboc town in Bohol called for unity as he warned that the war in Mindanao might become a “full-scale civil war pitting brother against brother, ... that can ripen into a full-blown independence movement and the eventual dismemberment of the Republic.”

Yap said speaking of peace in Mindanao has been very challenging, especially after the killing of 44 Special Action Force commandos while one international terrorist remain scot free in that island.

The Senate and House hearings on the Mamasapano massacre have been about a month old, “but they seemed to have gone on for far too long.  The mistakes revealed and the finger pointing that ensued was painful for the nation to endure,” he said.

Yap however said that “in times of great pain and tragedy, is an opportunity for greatness,” with both sides now at the edge, with no better way out than to rebuild goodwill and trust with each other. “We must stay calm, lest we accidentally push each other into a nightmare from which we will not recover from,” he said.

"For the MILF, rebuilding goodwill and trust means surrendering the massacre perpetrators to the police authorities,” and should not reason out that the killers could not be identified, he said. “Neither can the MILF pin the blame on the BIFF without admitting that it is working with a terrorist organization or, at the very least, coddling the latter, since the Senate hearings have established that the MILF and BIFF communities have been living side by side.”

The congressman also said that rebuilding trust and goodwill must mean the government and the MILF should “go back to the negotiating table to demand and exact justice from those responsible” in the Mamasapano killings.

The government and the MILF must re-examine what peace agreements are now in place, but they have to take responsibility and “enforce accountability against those who may be found liable for violating the terms and conditions.”

The military and the police, for their part, must also take part in rebuilding trust and confidence by stopping any act of atrocity or retribution in Mindanao. They must also stop bickering and blaming each other, but go back to work in bringing terrorist elements to justice.

Yap further called on Congress to get back to the BBL but avoid the threat of war if this is not passed. “But we must send a strong message of hope to our brothers and sisters in Mindanao, by moving, together as one, to fund an even greater degree of development projects there,” he said. — Angeline Valencia (FREEMAN)