The violence has to stop.
We, the Mindanao PeaceWeavers (MPW) call on the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to return to the negotiating table for the peaceful resolution of the conflict in Mindanao.
We strongly condemn the bombings in Cotabato City and other parts of Mindanao. We urge a thorough and impartial investigation, mindful of the cloud of suspicion around previous bombings, that will lead to truth and justice.
We express grave concern on the recent spate of conflict in Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) which has forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes.
Both sides of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government have accused each other of violating a fragile truce signed in 2001. Today, thousands of people are again cramped in evacuation centers, joining the increasing number of internally displaced persons in Mindanao. Some lost their family members to the war, while most are forced to leave home.
Initiatives for International Dialogue
February 17, 2009
in News
Amid continuing armed hostilities in Mindanao, the City Council of Bacolod endorsed a resolution asking Malacanang to heed the appeal for peace of the Negros contingent of a peace caravan which traveled last November from Baguio to Cotabato.
Resolution No. 972, proposed by Bacolod Councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue, expressed solidarity to the delegates of the Duyog Mindanao Caravan for Peace and Solidarity who have witnessed the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the evacuation centers of Datu Piang in Maguindanao and Lanao province. The resolution was submitted to the Office of the President of the Republic of the Philippines. The caravan was spearheaded by the Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW), the broadest coalition of peace networks in Mindanao.
We, the Negros contingent in the “Duyog Mindanao Peace and Solidarity Caravan” that started last November 21 in Baguio City and stopped in Luzon, Iloilo, Bacolod and in Mindanao enjoin in solidarity with our Muslim, Lumads and Christian brothers and sisters to end armed hostilities in Mindanao.
