PRESS STATEMENT

ON PRESIDENT AQUINOS NO-TO-ALL-OUT-WAR-IN-MINDANAO POSITION

by

REP. PANGALIAN M. BALINDONG 2nd District, Lanao del Sur

War Is Not the Path to Peace

The slaying of 19 soldiers by alleged rebel troops in Basilan is an outrage which should be met with unreserved condemnation. This most recent encounter is among the most deadly between lawless elements and the military in a war that has already left more than 150,000 people dead in the last four decades. I deeply sympathize with the families of our fallen men in uniform. Their sacrifice should give us all greater strength to continue on the path to peace. Calls have since mounted for the government to launch an all-out war in Mindanao. We must reject these calls and remain vigilant against anyone or any group who would take advantage of the situation to sow more fear and disorder. We must support pursuit operations against lawless elements, but not against the MILF. The just response to aggression must be discriminate; it must be directed only against unjust aggressors, not against innocent people caught up in a war not of their making. We must say no to total war in Mindanao. To wage 'total' war is by definition to take huge numbers of innocent lives--- and perpetuate the cycle of senseless violence, death, and destruction.

The primacy of the peace stalks must be upheld. After all, there is no military solution to what is, at heart, a political and humanitarian problem. War cannot repair or repay decades of poverty and bad policy. We commend the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for remaining keen on pursuing peace talks. We laud Former President Fidel Ramos who has said that an all out war in Mindanao could lead to massive internal displacement among non-combatants in the South. We salute the astuteness and leadership of His Excellency President Benigno Simeon Aquino III for upholding the peace talks in the midst of grief and anger. An all-out-war will not improve the situation. His rational, and long-term strategic thinking is what we need to set us on a path of enduring peace, stability and genuine progress . This is a time for maturity, a time for responsibility, a time for reason. It is my prayer that we can all come together in respectful dialogue as Filipino citizens to forge peace, no matter how difficult, complex, and trying this may be. The future of our nation and our people depends on our leaders having the courage to say "no to war." We believe that peace in Mindanao is possible. We must all seize the current opportunity to walk on the path of peace. The alternative path is too horrible to comprehend.