MASS RALLY FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE CONDUCTED

ritten by Mike G. Kulat
Thursday, 11 November 2010 03:37

More than twenty thousand Bangsamoro inhabitants staged mass rally at the Cotabato – Davao – Lanao national highways junction in Crossing Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao Saturday, November 6, 2010.

The mobilization was spearheaded by the Mindanao Alliance for Peace (MAP) of which the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS) is a member-convener. The bulk of the participants came from Cotabato City and nearby municipalities of Maguindanao and North Cotabato. The affair was aired over radio station DXMY in Cotabato City as complement from the block-time radio program of CBCS.

Summing up from the messages of various resource speakers, the public gathering was triggered by the growing concerns of the Moro civil society organizations and the Bangsamoro as whole of ever deteriorating peace and order condition and insecurity of civilians brought about by spate of bombings, killings and consequently arbitrary arrests perpetrated by government authorities.

One youth Moro leader Datuan Magon called on the Aquino Government to exercise his will and make true his campaign and inaugural speech promises of “Daang matuwid tungo sa pagbabago” or commitment to solve the “situwasyon sa Mindanao” within his term. He even stressed: “Pangulong Aquino, magpakatutuo ka! Tuparin mo ang iyong pangako sa mamayan na pagbabago at ang mamayan ang iyong Boss.” This sentiment was triggered by the recent development on the national situation started by “travel advisory” of different countries of an alleged impending “terrorists” attack in the Philippines which was followed by erratic bomb explosions in some parts of Mindanao.

These bombing incidences victimize civilians and consequently the pursuit operations being conducted by authorities against alleged perpetrators are also civilians. The scenario is not a new occurrence in the lives of Bangsamoro which they pinned hope of renewal under the Aquino regime. The latest double-blow to civilians was the one on October 21, 2010 where a bomb exploded in a Rural Transit Bus plying Cagayan – Tacurong route at Matalam, North Cotabato killing nine and wounding ten innocent civilians. Akin to the previous occurrence in manner, government authorities apprehended on October 23 five innocent Moro civilian residents of Rosary Heights 3, Cotabato City namely: (1) Abdulalim Talusob – 19 years old (2) Yasser Talusob – 24 years old (3) Alamin Samal – 42 years old and Ibrahim Alimanan – 30 years old. Samal and Alimanan are government employees of the Cooperative Development Authority and National Labor Relations Commission of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) respectively.

On the other hand, Hadji Murshid Mascud head of the CBCS – Kutawato Regional Management Committee in an interview express his disgust over authorities’ punitive actions against civilians without the benefit of impartial investigation and due process of law. On the GRP-MILF Peace Talks, he expressed Moro civil society’s concern over the plight of the negotiation. This he said as even ranking officials of the MILF involved in the peace process which ought to be covered by Security and Immunity Guarantee under GRP-MILF Ceasefire agreement were not spared from these arbitrary arrests.

Mascud re-echoed the general sentiment of the rally participants that at the event the annoying situation is not remedied by the government, they will issue a strong call to the leadership of the MILF to withdraw or cool-off from the GRP-MILF Peace Talks and find other venue in achieving the Bangsamoro quest for self-determination.