Press Release
September 3, 2008

ROXAS ON DISSOLVED PEACE PANEL: WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR THE TRUTH

Senator Mar Roxas criticized the dissolution of the GRP-MILF Peace Panel when there is still much conflict in Mindanao, saying it was another attempt at covering up the truth over the GRP-MILF Peace Panel Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain.

"Isang halimbawa ito ng kapalpakan ng gobyerno, ng pag-flip-flop. Noong isang buwan lamang, pipirma sana sila ng malawakang MoA na siyang naghahati sa ating bansa. Ngayon, one month later, dissolved na ang buong proseso, at irrelevant na raw itong MILF na ito. Ano ba talaga? Magpakatotoo tayo. Magkaroon tayo ng malinaw at kongkretong proseso, nang sa ganoon ang kapayapaan ay makarating dito sa atin," he said.

"Itong pagbabagong ito ay bahagi ng destabilisasyon na nangyayari ngayon sa bansa natin. We are all still waiting for the truth behind the MoA-AD," he added.

He said it was clear that the government was using all sorts of strategies to cover what really happened with regards to the crafting of the MoA. "Talaga naman itong Malakanyang, makaiwas pusoy lang noong nakita na nila na yung ating mga kababayan ay kontrang-kontra dito sa masikreto at maanomalyang MoA na ito. Sabay ilag, hindi raw nabasa ng Pangulo, hindi raw authorized itong mga negosyador. At ngayon, binuwag na lang ang buong peace process," he said.

"Ang pag-dissolve na ito ay iba sa revamp ng peace panel. Sa revamp, nandiyan pa rin ang peace process, yung mga tao lang ang pinalitan. Yung sinasabi ng gobyerno, ay yung buong peace panel at buong sistema ng pag-uusap at konsultasyon at lahat ng kabahagi nito, kasama na diyan ang International Monitoring Team ng Malaysia, at yung proyekto ng USAID at JICA na tumutulong sa mga komunidad. Lahat na ito ay kabahagi sa peace process na binalewala na lang," he said.

He said this "turnaround" by the government will be part of the issues discussed in the ongoing Senate probe on the GRP-MILF MoA.

"I support a full-blown inquiry of the Senate into this 180-degree turnaround by the government. I demand that all official records of the peace talks reposed in the executive branch, including diplomatic notes and communiqués, be preserved and presented by the executive branch for public scrutiny."

He said any renegotiations between the government and Bangsamoro representatives should be done in the full light of the day, with public consultations held in each local government unit.

In line with the peace talks, Roxas added, the government must provide for an "all-out presence" of police and military troops in the conflict areas, so that civilians will feel safe and not be compelled to take arms and engage in vigilantism, which the Senator said would only lead to more bloodshed.

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