A Call for Peace from Mindanao Association of State Universities and Colleges Foundation, Inc. (MASCUF)

THE VIOLENCE WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE!

The Basilan bloodbath in the early morning of 18 October 2011, and the rash of violent clashes around the Zamboanga Peninsula once more compel us to call for peace in our homeland.  We, the men and women in the Mindanao Association of State Colleges and Universities Foundation, Inc.  add our voices to the need for sobriety and calm even as injustice and violence taunt us to dismay, anger, and further violence. These events were not meant to be! Our deepest sympathies to the bereaved families of those who perished.

The embers of hostility are once again stoked by persistent calls for all-out-war against the MILF, amidst themes of military demoralization, failed attempts to pursue lawless elements, with our young untrained soldiers seeming like calves led to slaughter.  Yet we fully support President Noynoy Aquino’s position of  “all-out-justice, not all out war”.  There must be an investigation that will point us to appropriate measures, so that justice can be served with competence, efficiency, and determination.

We also support the negotiators in the GPH and the MILF peace panels, with their respective mechanisms, expecting them to rise above the animosities that have inflamed our people and take the lead in averting further violence.  We expect fortitude, wisdom, and an unrelenting determination to bring the peace talks a final positive end.  We hope to see fast urgent action reflective of the work of partners and not of enemies.

We turn to the media as instruments of peace, appealing for more responsible reportage and for refraining from fanning the fires of hostility that can lead to more carnages and can further escalate to war. 

From the higher education and academic sector, we steadfastly support our government, particularly our security agencies in the commitment to work for peace.  We hold on to the faith that this peace is possible and at hand for all the peace-loving people of Mindanao and our country.