War-weary Moro general sees hope in framework pact but says genuine autonomy still a long way off

From InterAksyon (Oct 15): War-weary Moro general sees hope in framework pact but says genuine autonomy still a long way off

Mohammad Nasif, a general in the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, was only 18 when he and more than 200 other college students took up arms at the height of Martial law in the 1970s after seeing their fellow Muslims massacred by the regime’s forces. More than four decades after he took up arms, Nasif admits he has grown weary of war. Looking back at all the years, Nasif said of the original 200 youth with whom he joined the struggle, less than 50 are still alive today. He saw many of them, his friends, die in combat before his eyes.
Instead of guns and bullets, it is his grandchildren he wants to devote his attention to. “Lahat ng tao nais maging mapayapa ... mabuhay nang maayos ... makapag-aral ang mga anak namin ... magkaroon ng mga ospital (All people want peace ... a quiet life … to see our children educated … to have hospitals),” he said. Despite the hope brought by the signing of the framework agreement, Nasif admitted that there is still a long way to go before the Bangsamoro can achieve genuine autonomy, if not independence....

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/45554/war-weary-moro-general-sees-hope-in-framework-pact-but-says-genuine-autonomy-still-a-long-way-off