PMA cadets with President Aquino. File photograph by Gil Nartea
The executive director of the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces urged his fellow Cavaliers to be builders of peace during the Alumni Homecoming of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) at Fort del Pilar Saturday in Baguio City.
"Lasting peace is a universal aspiration. Today, it resonates in the hearts of every Filipino," General Eduardo Oban, former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said in his speech.
He said all Cavaliers should work together in the quest for lasting peace.
Oban avoided having to mention the recent tragic debacle in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that took the lives of 44 men and officers of the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Oban likened his message of peace to the 2009 speech of United States President Barrack Obama about lasting peace.
In the Mamasapano massacre, there were persisting reports that the US military actively participated in the SAF mission.
Under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), or even the recently signed Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), American forces are not allowed to participate directly in actual military operations.
The objective of the SAF mission was to serve a warrant of arrest on Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Abdhir, alias Marwan, and his Filipino cohort Abdul Basit Usman.
The police claimed the SAF commandos killed Marwan but Usman was able to escape with some of his men.
In the course of extraction, hundreds of fighters from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) waylaid the withdrawing commandos.
According to the MILF, they, too, suffered 18 casualties in the 12-hour firefight.
Multiple reports indicated at least 5 civilians were also killed.
In his speech, Oban was indirectly trying to suggest that the government' peace talks with the MILF should all encompassing.
"With even one who is marginalized, it will never be lasting ... there is silence ... let us listen," he said.
Just like when the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) signed a peace agreement with the government, some of their dissatisfied leaders and members formed their own group to become MILF.
In the midst of the present peace talks between the government and MILF, the BIFF sprouted in rejection of the MILF's proposal for a Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
Both the BIFF and MNLF faction led by Nur Misuari have become tagged as "spoilers of peace". Because they are opposed to the BBL, they could not be included in the peace talks.
But because of the debacle in Mamasapano that created public uproar over the sincerity of the MILF, both the Senate and Congress have indefinitely suspended discussions on the BBL.
In view of this, Oban indirectly again called for sobriety.
"The call is for trust and sincerity. Trust is the foundation for peace. Yes, we cry for justice. We want answers to our questions," he said.
Public outrage continues to mount despite efforts by some political quarters and even Malacanang to kill the issue.
President Benigno Aquino III still has to squarely address questions of what really happened in the Mamasapano mission, critics say.
Meanwhile, Oban said, the military and police establishments should move forward.
"We should secure and protect our people ... defeat the terrorists. We are the soldiers of our people and we are the bastion of their security. Talagang maraming lubak sa matuwid na daan (The straight path may not be smooth) but we can overcome," Oban said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/105534/visiting-forces-executive-urges-cavaliers-be-builders-of-lasting-peace
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