Press Release
August 20, 2007

GOV'T NEEDS EXECUTABLE PLAN FOR MINDANAO PROBLEM

Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero today hit the administration for not having a concrete and long lasting plan but a band-aid solution at its best to address the escalating problem in Mindanao.

Escudero said the loss of many lives and the displacement of thousands of civilians in the on-going conflict in Mindanao is a deja vu. "I am sick of the same old lies of the Administration many times over that they have 'finally licked and put an end to the Abu Sayyaf and other lawless elements' only for the same problem to resurrect over and over again, just like what is currently happening in Mindanao.

The senator challenged the government to lay out plans and solutions that will lead to tangible and long-lasting results to avoid risking human lives. "Many have already paid the ultimate price in the battlefield and collateral damage is always evident in the civilians, we should say when enough is enough with inefficient policies and ineffective tactics. What we need in Mindanao is a long lasting and permanent solution".

One such solution, according to Escudero, is to enforce all laws regarding the carrying of firearms in Mindanao and to implement a total gun ban in an affected area and not only when a problem arises.

Another, added Escudero, is to investigate thoroughly all government officials, elected or appointed, for complicity with the enemy, however close they may be to the administration party.

"They should sack incompetent and disloyal officers." The young senator went on to say that a tangible solution that will carry through working with all those lives involved in Mindanao is crucial so as not to put the lost lives of our people in vain. "We cannot screw up in Mindanao or in any part of the country anymore for the simple reason that it is the sacred duty of Government to protect the sanctity of every human life. That is why this Mindanao issue cannot and should not be regarded as an on and off thing and business as usual".

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