Editorial - Editoryal

Chapter 8: Example

Editorial

President Benigno Aquino III's secret meeting with chairman Murad Ebrahim of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front last August in Tokyo could speed up the process of bringing to an end the conflict in Mindanao, which has stunted the growth of the region, killed tens of thousands of combatants and non-combatants and caused a lot of misery to the people.

To be sure, this was not the first time the a Filipino president met with the head of a separatist movement. Mr. Aquino's mother, President Corazon Aquino, on Sept. 5, 1986 met with Chairman Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front and agreed to negotiate an end to the 14-year-old rebellion.

The MILF is the largest and now the most influential Islamic movement in southern Philippines. It is a religious and political organization engaged in a liberation struggle based in their traditional homeland embracing parts of Mindanao. The news that the 12,000-man MILF has dropped its demand for an independent Moro state that is now focused on autonomy is good for a peaceful and legally acceptable resolution of the decades-long conflict.

But as many legislators and other interested parties have suggested, the Aquino administration must be transparent and inform the entire country about the terms of any proposed peace agreement. Another proposed peace agreement put together by the Arroyo administration in 2008, was kept secret from the people until the time it was about to be signed. It turned out that it would have given the MILF control over vast tracts of land in Mindanao.

Expectedly, the Supreme Court struck down the agreement as unconstitutional, causing rogue MILF commanders to launch attacks on Mindanao cities and towns that left 400 dead and more than 750, 000 displaced and homeless. We do not want a repetition of that catastrophe.

The Tokyo meeting was a step in the direction of peace. Peace is something we have not had for decades, for more than half a century, in Mindanao. It has prevented the development of a huge area of the country that has vast natural resources and immense potential. It is high time we gave peace a chance.

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