War is Not the Path to Peace - Statement of Rep. Pangalian Balindong on PNoy's No-to-All-Out-War Position

PRESS STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT AQUINO’S NO-TO-ALL-OUT-WAR-IN-MINDANAO POSITION
by REP. PANGALIAN M. BALINDONG 
2nd District, Lanao del Sur

War is Not the Path to Peace

The slaying of 19  soldiers by alleged rebel  troops  in Basilan is an outrage which  should be met with unreserved condemnation.   

This most recent encounter is among the  most deadly between lawless elements  and the military in a war that has already left more than 150,000 people dead in the last four decades.

I deeply sympathize with the families of our fallen men in uniform.  Their sacrifice  should give us  all  greater strength to continue on the path to peace.

Calls have since  mounted for the government  to launch an all-out war in Mindanao.   We must reject these calls and remain vigilant against anyone  or any group who would take advantage of the situation to sow more fear and disorder.

We  must support pursuit operations against lawless elements, but not against the  MILF.   The just response to aggression must be discriminate;  it must be directed only against unjust aggressors, not against innocent people caught up in a war not of their making.

We must say no to total war in Mindanao.  To wage 'total' war is by definition to take huge numbers of innocent lives--- and  perpetuate the cycle of senseless violence, death, and destruction. 

The primacy of the peace talks must be upheld.  After all, there is no military solution to what is,  at heart,  a political and humanitarian problem. War cannot repair or repay decades of  poverty and bad policy. 

We commend the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for remaining keen on pursuing peace talks.    We laud Former President Fidel Ramos  who has  said  that an all out war  in Mindanao could lead to massive internal displacement among non-combatants in the South.

We salute the astuteness and leadership of His Excellency President Benigno Simeon Aquino III for upholding the peace talks in the midst of grief and  anger.  An all-out-war will not improve the situation.  His rational, and long-term strategic thinking is  what we need to set us on a path of enduring peace, stability and genuine progress .  

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.

The future of  our nation and our people depends on our  leaders having the courage to say "no to war."  We believe that peace in Mindanao is possible.  We must all seize the current opportunity to walk on the path of  peace.    The  alternative path is too horrible to comprehend. 

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