Editorial -- Killings dim peace hopes in Mindanao

Editorial posted to Tempo (Jan 3): Editorial -- Killings dim peace hopes in Mindanao

This is supposed to be a season of peace – from the Simbang Gabi on December 16 to the Feast of the Epiphany or the Three Kings today, January 3 – but violence flared in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, and North Cotabato in Mindanao on Christmas Eve, leaving nine civilians dead. In far-off Vatican City in Rome, Pope Francis was moved to condemn the killing which was blamed on the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).

Ilonggo settlers in a remote village in North Cotabato announced they were arming themselves to protect their lives, properties, and livelihood from attacks by armed men identified with the BIFF. The Ilonggo settlers said they have to defend themselves because the government cannot help them. There is no military detachment or police outpost in the area, they said.

The BIFF is a breakaway group from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which is itself a breakaway group from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). In the Mamasapano fighting in January, 2015, the BIFF, MILF, and other armed groups were alleged to be the enemy force that fought the Special Action Force commandos out to get a Malaysian terrorist bomber living in the area.

The MILF has an agreement with a government peace panel for the establishment of a Bangsamoro Entity to replace the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao. The BIFF, however, is not part of any peace agreement. It has been blamed for the recent kidnapping for ransom of two Canadians and a Norwegian in Davao City. And it is blamed for the recent killings which Pope Francis lamented.

The killings took place despite the ongoing suspension of MILF operations in that part of Mindanao. The hope is that if the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is finally approved by Congress and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region is finally established, the area will see the beginnings of peace.

The BBL, however, is facing great difficulty in Congress. The House of Representatives has not been able to muster a quorum to approve the bill. And the Senate has set aside the original bill in favor of another one shorn of many provisions the senators believe to be unconstitutional. Against these developments in Congress, officials of the MILF have been saying the Bangsamoro law should not depart too far from the original bill.

We have had this uncertainty for months now and the recent killings which the Pope deplored can only been seen as a bad sign of the times. The administration continues to hold on to the hope and expectation that the BBL bill will be approved soon. In the meantime, however, steps must be taken to avert a repetition of the recent killings — which could escalate in the coming weeks and months.

http://www.tempo.com.ph/2016/01/03/killings-dim-peace-hopes-in-mindanao/