Is war the solution to Mindanao problem?

I wish to ask those of our people who call for revenge and an all-out war in the aftermath of Mamasapano tragedy, do you really know what you are saying?

I am originally from Manila, I moved to Mindanao more than 15 years ago, have raised a family here and have been grateful for the friendship of Muslim and Lumad friends and colleagues I have come to know and worked with in various places around Mindanao. I have been a witness to so many violence and conflict situations starting with the All-Out-War of President Estrada in 2000, the Buliok war in 2003, the Al-Barka incidents in 2007 and 2011, the MOA-AD debacle in 2008, the Zamboanga siege in 2013 and now the Mamasapano clash. And I say this is too much to bear. How much more for those who were born and raised in Mindanao, and those who have lived the horrors of war in their communities; or the mothers my age who grew up in an environment where their families are constantly packing and running, evacuating then returning then evacuating again, their schooling disrupted, their properties and livelihood destroyed then rebuilt and resumed then destroyed again? A never ending cycle of insecurity, instability and violence!

I have joined a group of women who went to Mamasapano, Maguindanao recently to listen to the civilians who were caught in the crossfire. Believe it or not, they want to live in peace. They want an end to the armed conflict. They don’t like to evacuate every so often as they have used to. They do not want guns to dictate and rule their lives. They want their people to unite and live in harmony. They want the peace agreement between the government and the MILF to be implemented. They want development to come to their communities. They want their children to have education. They want their sons and daughters to experience a future different from what they had.

Hence I ask, you who have been saying why not wage war to finish off the rebels in Mindanao, you who have been demanding a stop to the peace process, you who believe that all Muslims or Moros are terrorists – do you really know what you are talking about? Do you know that from 1970-1996 the government spent a total of P73 billion in its war with the MNLF? President Estrada’s all-out-war policy in 2000 alone cost P1.3 billion. Did the rebellion stop after that? Was he able to exterminate the MILF? On the contrary the MILF still have thousands of followers to this day. Studies have shown that the economic loss of war has been estimated at P20 billion per year. There is a total of P640 billion of economic loss in terms of damages to businesses and properties and potential investments in the region caused by war in Mindanao.

Now tell me, do you really believe that war is the solution? Have you experienced getting the s—t out of you as you run for your life whenever firefight happens? Have you lived in an evacuation center? Have you heard the deafening sound of gun-fires? Have you seen what life is in situations of armed conflict?

The children of Mamasapano and in other conflict-areas in Mindanao experienced this all. Don’t tell me you want them to live the rest of their life under such condition? As a mother I feel for these children and because I have my own children too both born in Mindanao I pray that they will never ever go through the same experience as the children in war areas do.

This is precisely the reason why the peace process with the Moro rebels was pursued by the government. That the roots of armed conflict are adequately and once and for all addressed with finality so that then there will be no more reason for another rebellion to take place. This is what the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro is all about. This peace agreement gave the people of Muslim Mindanao the hope they much need as the light at the end of the tunnel after all the long years of armed conflict in their midst. The peace agreement defined the road-map to peace for the Bangsamoro where the forces and weapons of the MILF will be decommissioned and will be put beyond use. Why don’t we give peace a chance? I appeal to all as I believe deep in our hearts as Filipinos we are peace-loving citizens. I believe that we can rise above our anger, above our prejudices, and not allow emotions take the better of us all. I believe that given the chance to hear what the ordinary Moro people dream of, you will agree with me that there is no other way but to resolve the conflicts in Mindanao through peaceful means. — Ma. Carmen Lauzon-Gatmaytan, Skyline Village, Catalunan Grande, Davao City