PROLOGUE
In Facebook, the OPEN LETTER of one of the few Bangsamoro
intellectual icons of Filipino-colonized Mindanao
(never mind the famous name) instantly received enthusiastic approval
('likes'). The OPEN LETTER directly addressed two national Filipino colonialist
leaders, President Benigno S. Aquino III and DILG Secretary Manuel Roxas II and
also two Mindanawan political collaborators, Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabel
Climaco and ARMM Governor Mujib Hataman. It involved both an inquiry and appeal
surrounding the 19-day September AFP-MNLF war in Zamboanga City
Apparently reflecting the collective sentiments and
concerns of the oppressed Bangsamoro people of Mindanao under Philippine
colonialism, the OPEN LETTER instantaneously elicited corresponding respose from
the other well-known intellectual personalities of Filipino-occupied Mindanao , like Dr. Yolanda O. Stern and Dr. Raden Ikbala,
among others.
Thus, due to the importance and
controversy of the course of events revolving the Philippines-Bangsamoro war in
Mindanao that has been ignited again by the present Aquino government, which
have chosen military solution rather than peaceful dialogue as mandated by the
September 2, 1996 GRP-OIC-MNLF Jakarta Peace Agreement, it is therefore
important to let the global stakeholders of Mindanao peace share, read and
judge for themselves the OPEN LETTER and spontaneous response. This is now
quite possible thanks to the monitoring systems of global media and digital
social networks!
ITEM ONE -
READING THE SPONTANEOUS RESPONSE
Dr. Yolanda O. Stern, the famous
'daughter of Mindanao ' and globally-known
peace laureate, has responded to the OPEN LETTER with a short citation of
soul-searching approval. She has always been a keen observer of the
consequences of the 4-decade Mindanao war and the untold suffering and misery
of the Muslim and Animist Lumad natives as well as the conscious Christian
inhabitants of Mindanao . Simply said, she
cares. Her symbolic words of concern and advise:
"These questions need to
be answered simply and clearly. Practice truth and fear nothing! All these
fragments and evidences about what they saw, when they saw it and what they
heard. Rumors and gossips are not accepted as evidence in court. Is there a
team doing it?"
Dr. Raden Ikbala is today a noted
Tausug intellectual icon whose deep concern for the healthy welfare and
holistic well-being of the oppressed Bangsamoro people of Mindanao
has truly earned him and few of his kind admiration, pride and tribute from the
silent majority of Bangsamoro society. His valuable contribution to the
Bangsamoro struggle to achieve peace, tranquility, justice and harmony with all
societal groupings, including the oppressive colonizers and the colonized
victims, has truly endeared him to the Mindanao peace stakeholders.
He responded to the
OPEN LETTER with the following food-for-thought words:
"WEEK OF
PEACE WITHOUT TRUTH AND JUSTICE IS NOT REAL PEACE."
"Those who are going to
celebrate it this last days of November are turning peace into DAP (Diyurupang
Aku/Pakahanungan) Fooling me on the road to peace. DAP as in Dunces Acting
Peace.
We love peace. We must all love
peace. Especially so that God inspires: "Wa Sulhun Khayr", ('Making
peace and reconciliation is better'.) Especially so that Christmas is in the
air, with the perennial theme of peace - PEACE ON EARTH, GOODWILL TO MAN.
Muslims and Christians must be on in peace.
Nonetheless, the Holy
Scriptures highlight truth. "Ja al Haqq", ('Truth is
Love'). Veritas Liberati Vos, (''The Truth Shall Set You
Free').
Justice is the bridge of truth and
peace. Chapter 4, Verse 135 declares: "Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses
to Allah, even though it may be against yourselves or your parents, or your
relatives; even if it be against rich or poor."
Hence, to be able to establish
genuine peace, the truth about the AVOIDANCE ZAMBOANGA WAR AND DESTRUCTION must
be established, such as why Noynoy, Roxas, Hataman and (Mayor) Beng did not
accept the ceasefire proposals of (Vice-President Binay, DND Secretary Gazmin,
MNLF Chair Nur Misuari, Civil Society Organizations, United Nations (UN) and
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The 'READ (OPEN LETTER)
QUESTIONS" of Reynaldo R. Reyes which are similar to the questions of
millions of citizens must be answered.
PEACE WITHOUT TRUTH AND
JUSTICE IS MERELY A MIRAGE. Therefore, to be able to give substance, the theme
of the 19th Week of Peace, 'Lord, Heal Our Land,' must be amended with the
three essences of healing the social maladies, vid., TRUTH as the basis of
JUSTICE, yielding PEACE: 'Lord, Heal Our Land With Truth, Justice and
Peace'."
ITEM TWO -
READING THE OPEN LETTER
"PLEASE GIVE US THE TRUE
ANSWERS. We are law-abiding citizens of this country. We pay our taxes
regularly from which BILLION PORK BARREL and the controversial DAP, by all
scale and measure the government has corrupted.
As such, we strongly believe that
it is our constitutional right to air out our grievances in the light of the
very tragic and unfortunate man-made and natural calamities that occurred in Zamboanga City
On the unwanted 19 days siege that
fidgeted untold and catastrophic destruction in terms of lives and properties
in Zamboanga City ,
may we ask President Benigno S. Aquino III, Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Mayor
Maria Isabel Climaco and Governor Mujib Hataman to clearly explain the
following to the Filipino people especially to the peace-loving citizens of Mindanao .
(1) Their grounds or justifications
for unilaterally refusing to accede to the ceasefire proposal of Vice-President
Jejomar Binay, DND Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari
which was reportedly endorsed by the Secretary Generals of the United Nations
(UN) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), five (5) days after the
outbreak hostilities. Indeed the wanton destruction and the massive tragedy
could have been avoided;
(2) May we ask for a clear
explanation on why Secretary Roxas was given the blanket authority to maneuver
the conduct of the 19 days siege, even usurping the field functions of the AFP
commanding generals, which information has been circulating in the social
media;
(3) May we ask for a verified and
true account or report on the number of military men casualties, who met their
untimely demise because they were dragged into the bloody conflict by the
Commander-in-Chief of the AFP who have chosen war not peace. One report has it
that after five (5) days of pitch battle in the war zone, more or less five
hundred (500) soldiers were killed and quite a big number sustained mortal
wounds. Another report in the social media has it that after 19 days war,
military lost more than One Thousand (1,000) soldiers, two (2) military tanks
and quite a great number of wounded soldiers, who are still confined at the
WESTMINCOM hospital, off limit to media;
(4) May we ask for the reason why up to this
point in time Philippine Congress and the Senate have not conducted a thorough
investigation or inquiry in aid of legislation on the phenomenal Zamboanga City Luzon our Liberal Party (LP) Stars
of the PORK BARREL SCAM would walk a mile across even on bended knees to know
the reason why. To us, this is necessary to uncover the truth that is being
hidden by you know who?
(5) May we be enlightened on the
Malayo-Hataman-Climaco-Roxas-Aquino conspiracy that facilitated the MAKE
BELIEVE SURRENDER of 23 fake MNLF freedom fighters from Basilan, the home place
of Mujib Hataman. Is it enough that PNP Superintendent Chiquito Malayo should
be axed only as Acting City Police Chief? This military operation scandal
demoralized honor-deserving PNP officers and bespeaks as well as of the
deceitful, disgraceful and undeserving leaders we have in this country.
(6) Why did Aquino, Roxas, Climaco and Hataman allow the
BURNING (as part of the military CLEARING OPERATION) of the more than Ten
Thousand (10,000) homes, and 13 Muslim mosques in Barangays Sta. Barbara,
Lustre, Rio Hondo, Mariki, Sta. Catalina and Talon-Talon by the military,
rendering more than Twenty Thousand (20,000) families (mostly Muslims)
desperately homeless? Why were the Philippine Naval vessels stationed along the
sea coast of Mariki, Arena Blanco and Rio Hondo ordered to indiscriminately
fire, using their heavy cannons, at private homes in Talon-Talon, Sta. Catalina
and Mampang killing innocent and unarmed helpless civilians? And,
(7) We ask the International Human Rights Commission of the
UN, not the Human Rights Commission (HRC) paid by Aqino's DAP, to look
seriously into the human rights violations committed numerously against the
innocent civilians by the military during the 19 days siege.
If Aquino, Climaco, Roxas and Hataman for one reason or
another cannot give us true answers to all these valid and legitimate inquiries
there is no wonder why Germany which was ruled by a fascistic homosexual has
darkened some pages in world history in the early 1940s. The homo-sadist
Emperor of Rome who rejoiced in merriment in his palace when Rome Sodom
and Gomorrah
My friend once cautioned me to be extra careful with people
"nagpapa-cute at nagpapa-angel" look. He told me even 'Satanas'
was once an angel! It is from him I learned the newly coined word
"BAYOTRY."
SHORT EPILOGUE
Seemingly now the die has been cast
for Philippine colonialism under the Aquino government to wage all-out war
rather than 'all-out peace' against the Bangsamoro freedom fighters of the Moro
National Liberation Front (MNLF).
By clearly undermining the
MNLF-launched Bangsamoro freedom struggle by refusing to recognise the
historical value and virtue of the September 2, 1996 GRP-OIC-MNLF Jakarta Peace
Agreements to achieve 'just and lasting peace' in war-torn Mindanao, the Aquino
government have only emulated the colonial duplicity of the Marcos Dictatorship,
Cory Aquino government and Arroyo administration to resolve the Mindanao war
with military solution. But not with peaceful formula.
Thus, if the
19-day September AFP-MNLF war in Zamboanga City will become the concrete
precedent for the embattled Aquino government to put closure to the
Philippines-Bangsamoro war in Mindanao, the MNLF freedom fighters can only hold
their sacred ground to pursue and to pray for their original objective of
regaining independence and national self-determination for the oppressed Muslim
and Lumad natives as well as the conscious Christian supporters of Mindanao. So
Allah help them! -rrr/bfs
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