PCID calls for calm and sobriety amidst violence in Mindanao

PRESS RELEASE from Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID)

On October 18, media reported that 19 soldiers were killed in Al-Barka, Basilan.  The soldiers were to arrest a certain  Dan Laksaw Asnawi, and in the process  allegedly strayed into a rebel camp in violation of ceasefire agreement. Two days later,  media reported that 7 soldiers and policemen were killed in Zamboanga Sibugay who were on a mission to arrest  MILF Commander  Waning Abdusalam.  Then five rubber plantation workers were reportedly killed on Sunday in Basilan, the latest eruption of violence in Southern Philippines in days.  Lt. Colonel Randolph Cabangbang   reported that  five rubber plantation workers  were killed in this morning’s ambush in Basilan and the motive for the attack as well as those behind it were not immediately clear.

The Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID) fully supports the call of President  Benigno Simeon Aquino III for calm and sobriety  amid persistent calls for an all-out war against the MILF over the death of our soldiers, even  as the nation mourns the loss of the young, untrained soldiers.  We  are also calling for the  immediate conduct  of an  investigation to pinpoint once and for all the culprit of these atrocities and spare the innocent civilians from armed hostilities.

We at PCID reiterate that  the conflict in Muslim  Mindanao cannot be solved through a purely military solution, because the problems in Muslim Mindanao are multi-faceted.  This we have known for decades, since the Marcos Administration.   

We forget that the Bangsamoro had fought for their independence against the Spanish, American and Japanese colonizers.  When the Marcos Administration implemented military operations to quell the  Bangsamoro “secessionist movement”, as termed by the architects of Martial Law, the Moro National Liberation Front became a reality and gained force to fight the government.  The historic claim of the Bangsamoro for the sovereignty of their domain was the rallying cry of the MNLF and, later, by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as well.  The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the rest of the world have recognized the legitimacy of the Bangsamoro struggle for independence, hence their support for peaceful negotiations between the government and the liberation front.

Thanks to peace processes initiated by national government, the liberation fronts agreed to give up their armed struggle for independence in exchange for genuine autonomy.  The MNLF signed an agreement in 1996.  The MILF peace process is ongoing. 

As part of the peace negotiations, the GPH and the MILF have an agreed process with regard to the pursuit of criminal elements thru areas controlled by the MILF.  Why was the process disregarded when the neophyte soldiers were sent to pursue their military targets thru MILF controlled areas?  Why the protocol adopted by the National Peace and Order Council was disregarded which requires the military and the local police concerned to coordinate efforts in the enforcement of peace and order in “insurgent-infested areas” such as Al-Barka. Was the Western Mindanao Command in the loop? These and other questions need to be answered.

We at PCID urge the Armed Forces of the Philippines to put to a test the implementation of the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) or Bayanihan.  Bayanihan embodies the new ideals of the AFP as a constantly learning institution that focuses on winning the peace rather than simply defeating the enemy. Through the vigorous participation of the majority of the stakeholders, the AFP succeeded in designing a plan that carries out a ‘whole-of-nation approach’ and a ‘people-centered approach’ that respond to the issue of defending and upholding human rights and International Humanitarian Law while encouraging maximum involvement amongst Filipino people. This plan shall embark a major paradigm shift in the military institution that focuses in winning people in communities more than winning in actual field battles.#

The PCID was  established in 2002,  a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to the study of Islamic and democratic political thought and the search for peace, democracy and development in Muslim communities. The PCID  has become an important platform for the articulation of the Moro voices through its various publications and forums focusing on issues of peace process, Islam and democracy, autonomy, the role of media, federalism and development.