Philippines Battle Sparks Fears For Peace Process

The weekend's bloody battle between police commandos and former rebels in the southern Philippines has led to calls for calm amid fears for the peace process.



Pleas to support the Bangsamoro Basic Law – legislation currently passing through Congress that will pave the way for a new autonomous region in the majority-Muslim provinces of the south – came as two politicians withdrew their support for the bill.



Opposition Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito announced Tuesday his withdrawal as co-author of the proposed law.



"I am withdrawing my signature as a co-author of the Bangsamoro Basic Law as a result of this carnage," he said in a text message to reporters. "My heart bleeds for our policemen who were mercilessly killed."



Sunday's fighting broke out when police moved into the township of Mamasapano, in Maguindanao province on the island of Mindanao, sparking an 11-hour firefight with fighters from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, known as the MILF.



The group signed a peace deal in March with the government to end a decades-long insurgency and establish a new authority to replace the much-criticized Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Militants from a splinter group opposed to the peace process, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, were also involved in the fighting.



Referring to the killing of up to 50 police over 11 hours as a "massacre," Ejercito added: "Considering that such cowardly acts occurred amid finalizing efforts to attain lasting peace in Mindanao, it now led us to contemplate whether the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law would really address the long-standing problem besetting Mindanao."



Ejercito follows Senate majority leader Alan Peter Cayetano, who withdrew his support in a letter to Senate President Franklin Drilon on Tuesday, the Sun.Star news website reported.



"With the recent events involving the slaughter of our policemen in Mindanao, there is reason to doubt the commitment of the MILF for a framework peace and development in Mindanao," Cayetano said.



On Monday, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr, chairman of the Senate committee on local government, suspended the passage of the law.



The House of Representatives also agreed to suspend deliberations on the bill pending an investigation.



Others called for Congress to keep faith with the peace process.



Representative Teddy Baguilat Jr. said: "The natural emotional tendency is to condemn, to doubt, to grieve and to call for aggression. But the courageous thing for us to do is to pray and to believe."



In a statement, Archbishop Socrates Villegas, who leads a committee of the country's Catholic bishops, condemned the violence but added: "We cannot side with those who call for the discontinuance of peace talks.



"If anything, this sad incident underscores the necessity and the urgency of arriving at a solution that is not rushed but that is inclusive, principled and just to all."



However, Manila Bishop Broderick Pabillo told GMA News: "It makes us worry because the Bangsamoro Basic Law is being tackled in Congress and it's not yet a law… So how can we ensure that BBL will really bring peace?"



Civil society organizations also called for a return to the peace process.



"As a nation, we need to be reminded about the importance of peace in Mindanao," Al Qalam Institute, attached to Ateneo de Davao University, said in a statement. "We reiterate that between an all-out war versus an all-out peace, the former has been proven to be the most expensive."



A group of peace advocates from Lanao in western Mindanao – the Bangsamoro National Movement for Peace Advocacy – called for the legislation to be pushed through "for lasting peace in Mindanao."



In a statement, the group added that "the tragedy should not be used to blind us in attaining what we desired as outcome of the peace process."



Muslim group Suara Bangsamoro voiced fears of police reprisals. In a statement emailed to The Anadolu Agency, Chairman Amirah Ali Lidasan said: "Suara Bangsamoro cannot help but suspect that this police operation is part of a bigger design to muddle the on-going peace process and the deliberation of the BBL."



Mujiv Hataman, governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said the violence should not be allowed to derail the peace process. "As stakeholders, we must guard the gains in the ongoing peace process," he said.



Lawmaker Terry Ridon blamed senior government figures for the violence, naming Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II for the killings.



"Right now, the government is whitewashing its prime involvement in the clash to save the necks of big shots like Ochoa, Roxas and, of course, the president," he said.



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