EDITORIAL - A travesty of the peace process

Every administration has to give peace a chance, trite as that may sound. It’s the only explanation for the government’s revival of peace initiatives with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front when the separatist group had already been routed during the previous administration. How many soldiers’ lives were lost to drive the MILF rebels from their camps, to retake the Narciso Ramos Highway, to plant the Philippine flag on Camp Abubakar?

The Arroyo administration, however, decided to pursue peace with what was left of the MILF, agreeing to a ceasefire in preparation for formal peace talks. Filipinos want peace, especially in Mindanao. But the MILF, as it has done in the past, merely took advantage of the lull to regroup and re-arm. Local government and military officials in Mindanao say the group also managed to set up a criminal arm called the Pentagon gang to raise funds, mainly through ransom kidnapping.

Now the MILF has materialized in Basilan, coinciding with the arrival of US troops on the island to help the Philippine military hunt down Abu Sayyaf terrorists. The MILF, with characteristic cheek, has warned Philippine and US troops to stay out of the separatist group’s enclaves in Basilan. For the past few weeks, there have also been several clashes between government troops and MILF forces, in violation of the ceasefire.

It’s not surprising that military officials are accusing the MILF not only of sabotaging efforts to rescue the Abu Sayyaf’s hostages, but of harboring the terrorists. The Abu Sayyaf’s captives, American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Filipina nurse Ediborah Yap, are being kept in one of the MILF enclaves in Basilan, according to military officials.

There’s general agreement that a military solution is not the only answer to Islamic unrest in Mindanao. The public generally supports peace initiatives. But pursuing peace requires confidence-building on both sides, and a modicum of sincerity that has been lacking in the MILF. The government must determine whether the MILF is making a travesty of the peace process.