Give up arms for farms

We call on the government anew to focus on strengthening agriculture and food production in Mindanao in paving the way towards lasting peace.

One of the main causes of insurgency is high incidence of poverty. the government must map out a plan that would, in time and with the cooperation of all stakeholders, develop Mindanao as the nation's true 'food basket'.

We call on both the GPH and the MILF to seriously explore the possibilities of prosperity should the decades-old conflict finally ends. There is much work that needs to be done, but we first need to end this decades-old war. This war has already cost us over P100 billion pesos in the past four decades. Should the war end, we can allocate the much-needed resources for the basic services , infrastructure and the necessary investments in the countryside and agricultural development.

We firmly believe that the country's far too neglected agricultural sector is the key to the country's economic and social ills.

We have neglected agriculture for decades, which is why our neighbors like Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Thailand are zooming past us while we are limping like a crippled old man. If we had, instead, focused on developing agriculture in our “food basket” of Mindanao think of where we might be today.

History has taught us that a military solution in Mindanao has failed time and time again. We must look at the Ramos administration’s aggressive peace initiatives in the 90s that helped create the window of opportunity that laid down the foundation for economic progress in cities like GenSan (General Santos), Cagayan de Oro, and Davao. In the Mindanao experience, war has brought only misery while aggressive peace initiatives have brought real, tangible progress and development in these areas.

General Santos, for example, has risen from being a war-torn area to the “Tuna Capital of the Philippines,” with exports in 2010 valued at $359.4 million (approximately P15.5 billion).

The root cause of insurgency is poverty. What our people in the rural areas need are sustainable agricultural programs that can help feed our people and give our farmers and fisherfolk dignity in their professions. Then maybe they will no longer be encouraged to take up arms.

18-day ceasefire, only first step to renewed talks

We laud President Aquino's declaration of holiday truce with the CPP-NPA.

This gesture will help build confidence among the CPP-NPA ranks on the sincerity of the Aquino government in its commitment to achieving lasting peace.

We hope that the 18-day truce will serve as a period of deep reflection for both parties. Beyond that, we hope that we can see within our lifetime the day when all groups—CPP-NPA, the MILF, and the NDF—will end their respective armed struggles and help the government in rebuilding the country.

This truce is a good first step, but let's not end here. Let's keep lines of communication open and keep on engaging in dialogue. We need to build confidence in our ability to keep commitments and keep the peace. We will also need to ensure that the countryside will be able to sustain former rebels by modernizing agriculture and making it viable.

Only by solving poverty can we truly achieve peace. Let's not lose sight of that end objective.

We welcome resumption of peace talks with MILF and urge peace panel to address gaps in peace process

We welcome the resumption of the formal peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), set to begin Monday in Kuala Lumpur.

The peace talks are a sign that both groups are now willing to move forward after the deadly series of clashes that occurred between government forces and the separatist group starting October this year.

Nobody wins when Filipinos kill fellow Filipinos, and the whole country continues to grieve for all the losses incurred by both sides. Pilipino silang lahat, at bawat isa sa mga namatay ay may mga naiwang pamilya at mahal sa buhay. While nothing will be able to take back the lives of these slain men, we can ensure that their deaths will not be in vain by continuing to push for genuine peace. That is the only way forward.

Four decades of war has cost us at least a hundred billion pesos, and the atrocities made to our people have been unspeakable. We need to end this war within this generation for our country to finally take off, but the framework has to be clear and the loopholes must be addressed for the peace process to move forward. We urge both sides of the panel to be clear about the terms of the peace process and for them to abide by these terms. We also urge that those who will disregard these terms be held accountable under the full force of the law.

We also hope that, from here on, peace will be our primary agenda in the South. History has taught us that a military solution in Mindanao has failed time and time again. We must look at the Ramos administration’s aggressive peace initiatives in the 90s that helped create the window of opportunity that laid down the foundation for economic progress in cities like GenSan (General Santos), Cagayan de Oro, and Davao. In the Mindanao experience, war has brought only misery while aggressive peace initiatives have brought real, tangible progress and development in these areas.

Show sincerity to peace process by surrendering Asnawi

We call on the separatist group Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to prove its sincerity to the ongoing peace process by surrendering wanted MILF commander Dan Laksaw Asnawi to the authorities.

Their refusal is a blow to the peace process. Coddling wanted individuals and the criminally accused does not speak well of their motives and intentions. The MILF, like the GRP, should learn to bite the bullet if it truly wishes to see the peace process see fruition. The MILF should not play hardball lest it become tagged as a terrorist organization uninterested in peace and wanting only to sow terror and mayhem until its objectives are met. We are for peace and we challenge the MILF to show that it is truly sincere in wanting peace as well.

The President has shown his commitment to peace by flying to Japan to meet (MILF Chairman) Murad Ebrahim. PNoy went out on a limb for peace; MILF should be willing to do the same. PNoy showed his commitment by action and not merely by words. We challenge the MILF to do the same.

Swift, decisive action for peace is what we want to see from the MILF leadership. Mere talk of peace is not enough.

Spend our billions on food production, not war, in Mindanao

There is nothing that our country will gain by waging an all-out war against our fellow Filipinos. In fact, in the four decades that we have been waging war in the south, we have already lost close to P100 billion in damage to crops, infrastructure, property, and in spending for arms and ammunition that have killed countless lives. That’s P100 billion that we could have invested elsewhere, like for agriculture and food production, education, housing, health, and other basic services.

We have neglected agriculture for decades, which is why our neighbors like Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Thailand are zooming past us while we are limping like a crippled old man. If we had, instead, focused on developing agriculture in our “food basket” of Mindanao, think of where we might be today.

History has taught us that a military solution in Mindanao has failed time and time again. We must look at the Ramos administration’s aggressive peace initiatives in the 90s that helped create the window of opportunity that laid down the foundation for economic progress in cities like GenSan (General Santos), Cagayan de Oro, and Davao. In the Mindanao experience, war has brought only misery while aggressive peace initiatives have brought real, tangible progress and development in these areas.

General Santos, for example, has risen from being a war-torn area to the “Tuna Capital of the Philippines,” with exports in 2010 valued at $359.4 million (approximately P15.5 billion).

The root cause of insurgency is poverty so why should we waste even more precious resources when we should instead be helping our people get out of poverty? What our people in the rural areas need are sustainable agricultural programs that can help feed our people and give our farmers and fisherfolk dignity in their professions. Then maybe they will no longer be encouraged to take up arms.

Ang sanhi ng gulo sa Mindanao ay matinding kahirapan. Ang solusyon ay pagkain at kabuhayan, hindi baril at armas.

We continue to call for justice for our fallen soldiers, plus the innocent lives that got caught in the crossfire. But while we need to re-think our handling of the peace negotiations with the MILF, we ought to do so in the context of how to strengthen the peace process rather than abandoning it for the path of war. And we need to retrain our focus on feeding our people, rather than perpetuating an unnecessary war.

Show no mercy for murderous lost commands

We cannot simply turn a blind eye to the murderous and lawless armed elements in the area, who with treachery take advantage of the restraint exercised by our men in uniform out of respect for the peace process.

We should continue to talk peace with the MILF but we should show no mercy for the murderous lost commands. We trust that the MILF will agree that these lost commands should be dealt with the full force of the law.

We urge NDF, MILF to give up armed struggle and work toward just and comprehensive peace settlement

It pains us to see that at the same time we are mourning the loss of lives due to armed struggle in our country, our brothers in Spain are rejoicing at the end of violence in theirs. We urge our brothers in the NDF and MILF to end decades of armed struggle and open channels that will allow us to enjoy lasting peace in our country.

The end of violence in Spain gives us hope, and we believe we have more cause to be united as Filipinos and more reason to work harder for peace. This generation and its leaders must exhaust all efforts to achieve lasting peace.

With the genuine desire of President Aquino to reach out and have a dialogue with the NDF and MILF, now more than ever our goal of finally achieving peace is within reach. We hope that all parties exert extra effort to make this happen now, within our lifetime. Forty years is too long to be at war with our own brothers. Too many lives have been lost, and too much precious resources have been wasted in addressing this conflict. The time to end all this is now.

We mourn with the nation for the slain soldiers in Basilan

We mourn with the Filipino people for the death of 19 soldiers in an encounter with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Basilan.

Every single life lost in this conflict is a pin pricked in the heart of our nation. We grieve for our soldiers, their families and loved ones. They paid the ultimate price for our nation.

We must work for genuine peace and usher in progress so that their deaths will not be in vain.

Government must firm up its resolve to end the root causes of social unrest and armed conflict in Mindanao so as to put meaning in the deaths of our men in uniform.

We urge the GRP peace panel to review its current track to the path of peace and rethink its handling of the MILF given this latest unfortunate incident. It appears that the approach needs a serious review. We cannot allow the MILF to dictate the terms and conditions of the peace process. This latest incident is a major setback in the efforts to secure a just and honorable peace.

While we will not jump into the fray and call on a suspension of the talks, given this latest incident, the GRP should not rule out the option of suspending the talks if we find the MILF explanation and its subsequent acts to address the matter as unacceptable.

Doing things differently to end decades old problem of armed conflict

The decision to meet with Murad is a bold and daring one and we throw our support behind it. It shows that the President has guts and is willing and capable of taking risks and placing the office and the powers that flow from such an office in the forefront for the cause of peace.

This development signals the willingness of this govt to do things differently and to take on a new and fresh approach to peace. Indeed for real change to take place we must be willing to do things differently. Clearly the old ways have failed and the old methods have produced results that are far from desirable. This bold and daring move by the President shows his willingness to do things differently, a willingness to try new approaches to end decades old problem of armed conflict plaguing our nation.

We urge the MILF to reciprocate and show its willingness to forge a peace agreement that will bring our nation towards the path of progress and prosperity for all.

It is time we silence the guns permanently and address the root causes of armed conflict. It is time for a just and honorable peace to triumph over war, death and destruction.