Sadness comes to mind for those who are frequently caught in the heated battles between rebels and government forces. While there are many in Mindanao who work towards peace and an understanding between great divides in ideological positions, there are as many who work towards the opposite goal.
We may blame politicians, key leaders, and other major players, who may have a great deal at stake in keeping the status quo, but the most simple excuse and counter-argument for these major players will always be because of ideology and conscience. But while we may get to see the actions of their right hand, who knows what their left hand is doing?
Statements from both sides, or multiple sides of the Mindanao Conflict issue, should be taken with a grain of salt in order to keep an open mind. The bigger picture is often lost when we concentrate on incidents instead of key ideologies and solutions. To concentrate on solutions and bridging the gap between ideologies should be the goal.
But sometimes, we need to realize, that there exists small groups that just do not have any ideology except the ideology of fear and violence. Those who promote “peace” through guns, goons, kidnappings, and a perverted view of extremist religious views. And still those who promote violence because of political gains, no matter the cost of such gains.
It is important, thus, to realize just who you listen to, what they say, and to not make judgments based on such a twisted “ideology” or view of how Mindanao should be.
The answer seems complex, but it should always be our goal to keep an open mind with regards to many issues related to Mindanao. An open mind to The Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain, with regards to struggles of The MILF, with regards to skirmishes between government troops and rebels, and with regards to the differing needs of those Filipinos who make up Mindanao. It is an open mind that will keep all interested parties at the negotiating table, and as long as we are negotiating, there is a chance for peace.
While we may disagree on the myriad of issues that surround The Mindanao Conflict, we must always realize that because a myriad of issues exist, that these issues are interconnected, and must be thought about in the context of a people who have long suffered a life of violence and uncertainty.
And to keep the peace talks going should be a major push, even if those who we are pushing do not want to move. These are not immovable objects, these are merely stubborn and selfish objects that need our prodding and constant voice to move them back to the negotiating table and to take seriously the future of this important region of The Philippines. Dialogue and communication in all relationships are good, this holds true for a peace process too.
It is peace, after all, that has eluded this region of The Philippines, and it is peace that can sometimes be forgotten because of all the egos at play. But take note, egos do not save lives, and egos do not lead to prosperity, peace, and a chance of a better life for our brothers and sisters caught in the ongoing Mindanao Conflict.
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Nick,
The operative words in the search for peace must surely be sincerity from all the parties concerned, sincerity buttressed by abiding faith in good well and the reality that ethno-religious difference should enrich rather than poison a society’s stability.
Unity in diversity as it were.
And for those actually sitting across each other on the peace table, the other indispensable ingredient is for them to have the mandate, legally obtained from their constituents.
I would like to believe that the public wants peace but it often takes the lead in calling for war. If we read back past entries in FV, you will see this even among our fellow FV-bloggers.
The Mindanao Conflict has been with us since the
Spanish times. Religious ideology became Political
Ideology for most of the rebels.
This was worsened by the introduction of the
Islamic Radical Ideology of the Al Queda.
Foreign Fighters has already penetrated the
ranks and files of the insurgents. This will make
more complicated the situation.
The fighting for us will be on the long hual. I
dont see any solution. As for the government, I
believe : there is no substitute to victory.
The “Juridical Entity”/Ancestral-domain thing was an idea that came from a USA NGO (Institute for Peace), so it must be a good thing.
And is it the Filipino-way to forget those who died in the SuperFerry-14 bombing?
cvj @ 10:43pm, you must be confusing “peace” with appeasement or surrender. sometimes we have to fight a war ( a war we could never want)to achieve real peace. it should be peace with justice, not peace at any cost, including self-worth or self-respect.
To the victors the spoils of war.
If peace can only be attained through all-out war so be it.
Anyway, peace actually, as in Pax Romana, Britannica and American were attained only throuhg relentless wars.
I do not give qualms about getting peace through violent means if that is necessary. And it is always necessary.
Can you imagine this world if the Allied and Soviet leaders were soft-hearted enough and sought to end the Second War through negotiations?
In Mindanao, if it needs that we unleash war against the Moro rebels, so be it. And let history be the judge.
But do not let this problem stymie us.
@Nick, see what i mean?
but, there is a need to look at all options, and give dialogue a chance.. And when I say dialogue, I mean real dialogue. This is something that is often missed. dialogue does not exist just because a “peace process” has been set in place.
There can be no real dialogue, if when the parties come to the table they are deaf to the arguments of the other parties.
People throw out the notion of war as if it is an easy route, or a route that is a “must”. But it need not be, military operations are possible, to weed out the extremists hell bent on nothing but a grasp or a piece of the power structure that would be the outcome of such a war.
But, to trumpet patriotism through war, and the need for peace at the cost of hundreds, if not, thousands of lives, including those of innocent lives is just plain insensitive to the individuals and Filipinos who have to actually bear the burden of that “needed war”..
Too much war mongering in the face of other war mongerers, will result in decades more of atrocities.
Why do I ask for level heads in making dialogue work? Because, if war is a must, then we must be willing to bear the burden of the result of that war. War is not easy, it destroys generations of lives, it means bloodshed, innocent lives lost, and a probable decline in economic confidence.
It means diverting funds for social programs and livelihood programs towards the financing of that war. Diverting funds which could be used for the attainment of proper health care for our citizens, a better educational system, and funds that could go towards debt neutrilization..
In short, war is not easy. Let’s not delude ourselves and dream away the consequences of such a “war for peace”
Why do we kept on calling it a “war” happening in a very small part of Mindanao? Let’s stop calling it that! There is no war! There are lawless element, and our Armed Forces and our PNP are maintaining order in the area.
When the authority of government is being challenge it has to respond, then skirmishes are often the outcome when violence are resorted to by the lawbreaker. Is that a war?
The Philippines is a souvereign state, we cannot be placing it in a situation, by calling what’s happening in a small isolated area “war”, where the government is on a belligerent status against its own people.
This is madness!
Bert, it’s civil war.
Time to move on and repartition the farcical Philippine state into its pre-colonial ethno-linguistic-anthropological groupings – Luzon – Visayas – Mindanao – Cordillera – and Bangsa Moro.
David Martinez, Joseph Fallon, are but one of many who believe it is time to move on. Death to the failed artificial Philippine state – and let the pre-colonial nation states emerge into their own.
Enough of the romantiziced western chop-suey aritifical identity called “Filipino” – subject of a Spanish tryrant. Who wants to be named after a bigotted Spaniard, definitely NOT ME.