Lanao Rep. Balindong on Sen. Escudero's Comments about the PNoy-Murad Tokyo talks

PRESS STATEMENT
On Senator Chiz Escudero’s Comments About the Aquino-Murad Tokyo Meeting
Rep. Pangalian M. Balindong
2nd District, Lanao del Sur

(House of Representatives, August 11, 2011) – Over the last couple of days, Senator Francis Escudero has been quoted in the newspapers as saying, “the President may have been ill-advised” to have personally met Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) leader Al Haj Murad Ibrahim.

His comments have drawn sharp reactions from members of the Filipino-Muslim community who have slammed Senator Escudero for allegedly trying to regain national prominence again at the expense of the prospects for resolving the conflict in Mindanao.

Khaled Musa, the deputy chairman of MILF’s Committee on Information, has recalled that “far from demonstrating an accommodative, inclusive outlook, Escudero at the height of the MOA-AD debate had expressly insulted the MILF’s Moro constituency when he condescendingly remarked, “how can Muslims aspire for self-governance when they cannot even make pan de sal (salt bread)?”

I am certain there is still good reason to believe that Senator Escudero recognizes the grave social and economic costs of waging long-drawn-out military offensive against Bangsamoro fighters in Mindanao. To date, the armed exchange has claimed more than 120,000 lives, many of them innocent civilians. More than a million people have been rendered homeless and destitute.

Because peace building is not just an economic necessity, but has become a fiercely urgent need, I am also sure that Senator Escudero will understand why Filipino Muslims everywhere are deeply thankful that President Aquino III initiated the historic meeting in Tokyo with Mr. Ibrahim. By moving forward with resolve, the President is following a courageous and correct course.

I sincerely hope that we all do not get lost in the irrelevant details, and instead focus, on what the President achieved during the meeting with Mr. Ibrahim – the MILF’s commitment to a peace agreement within five years.

MILF leaders have slammed Senator Escudero for raising sensitive issues without bothering about Muslim sensitivities. For my part, I wish only to gently remind the good Senator that as public officials, we function as purveyor of events. Because of our power to condition minds and to shape the direction of events, it is crucial that we carefully weigh what we do and say.

This is a time for maturity, a time for responsibility, a time for reason. It is my prayer that we can all come together in respectful dialogue as Filipino citizens to forge peace, no matter how difficult, complex, and trying this may be.#