Setting aside differences for peace
A GROUP of brave men, young and old, jumped off the back of a pickup truck, ready to venture into a war zone where their lives could be snuffed out at any time.
Armed only with a white flag, the men, in neon pink and lime green T-shirts, and led by their leader, wasted no time in making their way through the rubble.
Their every move is watched by snipers, strategically positioned behind the ashen walls of buildings sandwiching them, which, at any time, could be reduced to a fresh pile of rubble due to the mortar shelling and incessant airstrikes.
The mission of these men, some from the Local Non-violent Peaceforce and many more from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) was clear — to retrieve as many warm bodies as possible from the once scenic and peaceful Marawi City.
The bigger hope that these men had been praying for since clashes between the Philippine authorities and the Maute group hopeful of being recognised as an affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) began, is that the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is not derailed.
The BBL, essentially, is the golden key to lasting peace and prosperity in Mindanao, and is the best bet yet for the start to an end to decades of insurgency that had robbed the region of its vast prospects.
MILF, which led the 21-member Bangsamoro Transition Committee in drafting the proposed charter of a Moro autonomous entity to replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with greater powers, has spared no expense in proving that it is in it for the long haul.
Aspersions were cast by those not ready to erase all doubt over MILF’s stance that it is against atrocities committed by fellow Muslim brothers, who are determined to make Mindanao the outpost of the so-called Islamic State. However, the suspicion is misplaced.
Its determination in putting in place peaceful arrangements in the region does not end with members decommissioning their weapons and having soldiers, running in the tens of thousands, abandoning the life as they knew it.
MILF has officially become the number one target of IS, which declared members of the once single-largest Muslim insurgent group in Mindanao must be annihilated for turning their backs on their fellow Muslim brothers by shunning IS and colluding with Manila.
The numbers of its members who had lost their loved ones in recent weeks to the rebel group have drastically increased. MILF has expressed and displayed a genuine interest in finding a lasting peace arrangement.
They have been involved in humanitarian work in Marawi, rescuing trapped citizens. To those keenly observing, there are real signs that the group is ready to move forward.
The cornerstone of this was marked at the ceremonial turn-over of the proposed BBL, where President Rodrigo Duterte said the draft BBL was proof of the resolve to “set aside differences and stand united to achieve a common goal of peace”.
The draft law and its embodiment of shared aspirations of a peaceful, orderly and harmonious nation that puts an end to a time of armed struggle and violence is to be followed with a constitutionally consistent, legal document that is supposed to lay the groundwork for lasting peace in Mindanao.
The BBL, essentially, is the golden key to lasting peace and prosperity in Mindanao, and is the best bet yet for the start to an end to decades of insurgency that had robbed the region of its vast prospects.