Bohol Solon Stands for Mindanao Peace

Tagbilaran City, Bohol (PNA) — The Filipino people should choose to be strong amid the pain and sadness brought about by the Mamasapano bloodshed and stand together against the tendency to be divided in the multi-faceted peace issue in Mindanao.

Third District Rep. Arthur Yap expounded on this in his privilege speech delivered during the plenary session of the House of Representatives on February 16.

The two-term representative from Loboc, Bohol called for unity as he warned that the war in Mindanao might become a “full-scale civil war where brother pitting brother against brother”.

“There is nobody in this Chamber who does not wish peace because we all know, war in Mindanao will be a full scale civil war pitting brother against brother, a war that can ripen into a full-blown independence movement and the eventual dismemberment of the Republic. It is very challenging to speak of peace in the face of You Tube footages, of barbarity, and recent reports that more than half of the fallen were not killed in battle but executed at point blank range. It is doubly challenging, when the killers and an international terrorist, subject to legitimate police action by the State, remain scot free in Mindanao,” Yap pointed out.

The representative of Bohol’s third district delivered the privilege speech to address the issue of Peace in Mindanao in wake of the Fallen 44, citing that the Senate and House hearings on the Mamasapano Massacre might have been just about a month old, “but it seems they have gone on for far too long. The mistakes revealed and the finger pointing that ensued was painful for the nation to endure”.

“However, in times of great pain and tragedy, is an opportunity for greatness. Greatness of spirit. Greatness of soul. As all sides are now at the edge, looking into a deep, dark, abyss of madness, we must take a deep breath, take pause and step back to begin anew, re-building good will and trust amongst each other. We must stay calm, lest we accidentally push each other into a nightmare from which we will not recover from,” according to Yap.

He also pointed out that all parties involved in the Mamasapano incident should exert effort to rebuild goodwill and trust.

“For the MILF, rebuilding goodwill and trust, means surrendering the massacre perpetrators to the police authorities NOW. The MILF cannot reason that the killers cannot be identified because the carnage took place in an MILF-controlled area with MILF-identified fighting units. Neither can the MILF pin the blame on the BIFF without therefore admitting that they are working with a terrorist organization, or at the very least, coddling them, since the Senate hearings have established that the MILF and BIFF communities live side by side. Re-building trust and goodwill must mean joint operations with the PNP and the AFP NOW, to run after the fugitive USMAN and razing to the ground all terrorist camps and hide-outs in Mindanao, and surrendering those connected with criminality and terrorism from their areas. Re-building trust and goodwill means the MILF does not shoot first, then ask questions later,” Yap emphasized.

He also expounded that “being government partners in the quest for peace simply means that that we are partners through thick and thin, through sick and sin and we do not engage in any acts of treachery, machinations, fraud, bad faith or violence against each other NOR will the MILF allow any such acts, by lawless elements, to be committed against the Philippine Republic”.

On the other hand, he said the Government can re-buildi trust and goodwill by doing “what it can to quell any thirst for vengeance by any quarter but do more, by going back to the negotiating table to demand and exact justice from the MILF”.

“It must re-examine what agreements are in place and enforce accountability against those that may be found liable for violating the terms and conditions for peace. The Government must take responsibility for the tragedy but must assign the proper accountability on all parties concerned, be they the government, the MILF or any other party involved. In light of current developments, in case that the Framework Agreement, needs re-visiting and modifications, the government, must be firm enough to re-negotiate those terms with the MILF now,” Yap said.

The AFP and the PNP, for their part must also take part in re-building trust and confidence by “not allowing any of its members, to engage in any atrocity nor act of retribution in Mindanao”.

“But more importantly, re-building trust and confidence does not refer only to the trust and confidence lost between themselves and the MILF, but between them and the Filipino people they serve. The AFP and the PNP, must stop bickering and stop pointing fingers at each other. The AFP and PNP must get back to work and subject to hot pursuit, criminal and terrorist elements still at large in Mindanao and they must do so by discharging its duties in a manner that protects the innocent and the weak,” Yap added.

The lawmakers, for their part, must get back at the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

“For us in Congress, re-building trust and confidence means we must get back to hearing the BBL. However, we must be allowed to exercise our functions freely without threat of war if the BBL, in its submitted form, is not passed,” he pointed out.

The legislators of the country must also take part in rebuilding trust and confidence by not rail-roading the passage of the BBL “for the sake of saying we passed it and leave the burden to others to rule on its legality”.

“But in the interim, we must send a strong message of hope to our brothers and sisters in Mindanao, by moving, together as one, to fund to an even greater degree development projects in Mindanao. That we commit to include these projects in the 2016 General Appropriations Act. Re-building trust and confidence means we will demonstrate to all, that development and peace in Mindanao, under the present form of Government can work, and we will not allow the hard work of eradicating poverty and hunger in Mindanao, to be held hostage by the suspension of the BBL hearings, nor the Resolution of the SAF 44 Massacre,” according to Yap.

He emphasized that rebuilding trust and goodwill entails sacrifice from all parties concerned.

“If sentiments are genuine, these enumerated acts can happen simultaneously, as they must happen simultaneously, or else, fittingly, the commitment to peace of all parties, and their motives, and agenda, can be questioned. We recently, successfully hosted, the widely praised visit of Pope Francis. The visit was celebrated under the banner theme of: “Mercy and Compassion.” When justice is done for all who perished in Mamasapano, regardless of stripe or color, I ask that we rise from the pain and recriminations, and be ready to forgive all who erred and committed mistakes along the way that led us to the Calvary of the Fallen 44. Mahatma Gandhi said: ‘The weak cannot forgive. Forgiveness is a virtue of the strong.’ Let us therefore choose to be strong in these times of pain and sadness. Let us show that we are a Strong Republic…that we are a strong people,” Yap clinched his privilege speech. (PNA) CTB/AV/PJN