Once again, the Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) calls on all peace-loving peoples in Mindanao to unite in our cry for the immediate cessation of hostilities in Sulu. This we demand as we also condemn the atrocities committed against civilians in the spate of bombings that happened in the cities of Davao, General Santos and Manila last February 14. We mourn for the death of the innocent civilians who were supposed to rush back home to join their loved ones last February 14.
Once again, the Mindanao Peoples Caucus (MPC) calls on all peace-loving peoples in Mindanao to unite in our cry for the immediate cessation of hostilities in Sulu.
This we demand as we also condemn the atrocities committed against civilians in the spate of bombings that happened in the cities of Davao, General Santos and Manila last February 14. We mourn for the death of the innocent civilians who were supposed to rush back home to join their loved ones last February 14.
We mourn for the death of Lt. Col. Dennis Villanueva and the faceless soldiers and mujahideens whose lives had again been sacrificed.
We recall the same situation two years ago in Buliok where violence eventually escalated into a series of bombings and civilian attacks in key cities and towns in Mindanao. Today, we are faced with the same violence going out of control. The bombings last February 14 is precisely a repeat of our situation in 2001 and could only worsen if we do not learn from our lessons in the past.
In September 1996, the Philippine government and the Moro National Liberation Front had signed a Peace Agreement which effectively ended a three-decade Moro rebellion in Mindanao and Sulu. What happened since then? Why are the MNLF back in the battleground? Why is Chairman Misuari – a signatory to the agreement – languishing in jail instead of cooperating in the implementation of a peace agreement which he had signed in behalf of his people?
The current conflict in Sulu is not just about banditry, lawlessness or terrorism by some desperate Moros. It is a result of frustration by the MNLF members over the failure of the 1996 Peace Agreement. The issue is about honor and commitment to implement in letter and spirit what have been stipulated in the Peace Agreement.
If the 1996 Peace Agreement is our example of how and where peace negotiation will proceed, it is not a very inviting proposition to either MILF or the NDF.
As we call for the immediate ceasefire in Sulu, we also propose for the reconstitution of the Joint Monitoring Committee as the formal body tasked to monitor the implementation of the MNLF and Philippine government commitments under the 1996 Peace Agreement. By reconvening the Joint Monitoring Committee, the MNLF, Philippine Government and the Organization of Islamic Countries will be able to assess the problems and issues being raised by the MNLF fighters in Sulu.
We appeal for Chairman Nur Misuari to once again support our call for ceasefire even from the ironic confines of his detention cell in Sta. Rosa.
Finally, we commend the call of former President Fidel V. Ramos for a ceasefire in Sulu, but we urge him to go one step further by actually mediating in the current conflict, he being the only leader who was able to convince the MNLF to accept a peaceful resolution of the conflict via the 1996 Peace Agreement. We believe that the credibility and leadership of former President Fidel V. Ramos would again be tested in the current crisis in Sulu.
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