Press Release
September 3, 2008

GORDON URGES GOVERNMENT TO PURSUE PEACE TALKS

Senator Richard J. Gordon today urged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to reconstitute with dispatch the government panel that would conduct peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Gordon, vice chairman of the Senate national defense committee, made the call as he expressed concern that the ongoing conflict in Mindanao might triplicate the number of people displaced and the damages incurred.

"We now see the depredations of the ongoing conflict where you now have tens of thousands of people in the different evacuation centers for the internally displaced. There is a police action going on where recalcitrants must be chased. And I believe that the peace efforts must continue. But, we must not forget that in times of conflict, everyone, whether the military or the separatist, must abide by the international humanitarian law," Gordon said.

Gordon said that the President has the prerogative to choose who will constitute the new peace panel, but he suggested that it should consist of legal technicians who are well-versed in the Constitution so that the any agreements entered into by the government conform to the Constitution.

Gordon explained that the peace negotiations in Mindanao should push through because the ongoing conflict has resulted to a large number of people affected.

"It is better to talk peace and minimize collateral damage. We cannot go on an all-out war. We will talk to those who want to talk, but we will run after lawless elements. And in our negotiations, we must ensure that the peace agreement is acceptable to all, otherwise, it will just widen the conflict," he said.

Government figures show that, as of Sept. 2, a total of 66 people have already died and 88,243 families or 423,772 persons have been displaced due to the continuing clashes between government troops and the MILF rebels.

The Senator explained that the existence of a conflict does not justify the torturing or killing of anybody just because the person belongs to the opposing group. He added that civilians and even wounded soldiers and combatants should be disqualified from war and given the necessary relief to preserve their lives.

Gordon stressed that the solution to the conflict in Mindanao is, aside from an executable and constitutional peace agreement, a comprehensive economic plan and continuous government support for the development of the region and its people.

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