Philippine President Benigno Aquino III AP FILE PHOTO
President Benigno Aquino III in his Easter message called on Filipinos to rise above two distinct challenges the country faces in the final year of his administration: the peace agreement with the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the 2016 elections.
The President again gave a rundown of his administration’s achievements but stressed that the fight against poverty and corruption continues and more should be done to ensure that his successor would not have to inherit “problems” that can be solved today.
According to Mr. Aquino, the peace process is at crossroads. “Do we let our anger and fear get the better of us or do we choose to end the cycle of poverty and strife in Mindanao?” he said.
He said people should expect those who want to spread “distrust and discord among each one of us to work double time” as the 2016 national elections nears.
“[But] in the face of all these, we should remember: As long as we walk together, as long as trust and calm prevail, we can make permanent the transformation we have begun,” he said.
The President said Easter reminds the people that whatever sacrifice and trials that each one goes through, “as long as we remain faithful and we choose to do what is right, we will receive eternal life.”
Endured a rotten system
He compared the faithful’s spiritual journey with the country’s experience, saying that for the longest time, it had to endure a rotten system, the people’s loss of confidence in their government, and a low regard by the international community.
“But our people were not defeated. With a collective voice, they decided to pursue the straight path. This is what started the healing of the wounds of our institutions. Our economy bounced back and what used to be called as the Sick Man of Asia rose and became Asia’s Rising Tiger,” Mr. Aquino said.
He emphasized that despite the country’s many achievements, much work needs to be done, and there are “problems” that need to be solved so that the next administration would not have to inherit them.
Public outrage over the killing of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos in Mamasapano, Maguidanao at the hands of Muslim rebel, following a police operation to take down terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias “Marwan” and two of his associates, has threatened the viability of the peace agreement with the MILF and the so-called “Bangsamoro entity” promised by the deal.
Trust ratings drop
The President’s perceived failure to fully explain his role in the debacle caused his trust ratings to plunge. It is widely expected that Mr. Aquino’s political foes and critics would use Mamasapano, along with the Disbursement Allocation Program among others, against him and whoever he chooses to anoint as his presidential candidate in the 2016 election campaign that begins in less than a year.
With the House of Representatives besieged by a host of divisive issues, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said he wished the nation would learn to appreciate and not disparage the government’s efforts to achieve its goals, such as peace and prosperity.
Unproductive criticism
“I wish for an end to unproductive criticism and faultfinding that will only result in a pained and divided nation,” Belmonte said in his Easter message.
“I wish for us to achieve genuine peace and growth that stems from shared efforts and hard work coming from each of us,” he said.
The House resumes its probe into the Mamasapano incident, the results of which would impact on the passage of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law that would implement the peace agreement with the MILF.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP), the largest ecumenical formation of church leaders in the country, yesterday welcomed the call of Rep. Silvestre Bello III (1-BAP party-list) and other lawmakers for the Aquino government to pursue peace not just with the MILF rebels but also with the communist National Democratic Front (NDF), the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
The formal peace talks between the government and the NDF were suspended in June 2011.
In a statement yesterday, the PEPP urged the government and the NDF to return to the negotiating table to address the “substantive issues that remain as the root cause of armed conflict in our country.”