Soldiers, rebels join fluvial parade

From Tempo (Dec 18): Soldiers, rebels join fluvial parade

PIKIT, North Cotabato – Residents of formerly embattled communities rejoiced over the sight of former fierce enemies – soldiers, on one hand, and fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), on the other – parading and chanting peace slogans in a fluvial caravan around this town on Saturday. “It’sheart-warming. It should be replicated in other conflict-affected parts of Mindanao,” Col. Benjamin Hao, commander of the Army’s 7th Infantry Battalion based here, said in reference to the rare fluvial parade among erstwhile adversaries. In his report to Maj. Gen. Caesar Ronnie Ordoyo, chief of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, Hao said the parade drew some 500 participants, including troops from the 7th IB and the Army’s 5th Special Forces Battalion, MNLF former guerillas, and MILF fighters led by Kumander George Kasim alongside civilian sympathizers.

http://www.tempo.com.ph/2012/12/soldiers-rebels-join-fluvial-parade/