Why a peace award in the Philippines

Reasons for a Peace Award

The Philippines has the longest running communist insurgency in the whole world

The Muslim secessionist rebellion has been going on in Mindanao for more than forty years or close to fifty years. The historical rift between Islamic people of Mindanao and the rest of the country as well as colonizers of the Philippines has been existent for many centuries, whereas in the beginning, the central core of governance of the populations in several major islands emanated from Mindanao even as the indigenous people of this country already had their own culture and simple system of government.

Finally, achieving peace and sustaining it within a community might be easy as it sounds, but it definitely is not.

Notwithstanding the secessionist acts of our Islamic brothers in Mindanao and the existence of rebellion in hot spot areas all over the country where communist insurgents cannot simply leave the masses alone nor the government forces pursuing them not bother the simple residents of communist-infested localities, there is a need to work for peace even in the areas where there is no secession or where there are no red communist fighters.

To spur individuals and institutions to work for peace in the community is not for other's advantage except one's own, one's own neighbors and one's own village. With the exception of extending one's efforts to work for peace in broader areas, actions leading toward community-based security, safety, peace and order is simply for one's own good and one's immediate family and circle. Still, human nature and certain ethics prevents people from working for causes that do not yield profit, affluence and fame.

That makes it difficult to work for the peace, even if only for one's own community and one's own neighbors.

Therefore, it is fitting to reward work that fosters this peace, serenity and tranquility in one's the very vicinity of one's own home.

Who will get the Golden Olive Branch Award for peace in Mindanao

At this stage in the Mindanao conflict, those closely identified directly or indirectly with the first group of the band of armed men who tried to raise the MNLF flag in Zamboanga City, particularly those that financed the operation, will be disqualified from the award.

Anyone from Zamboanga Peninsula or anyone from outside the 9th Philippine Administrative Region who sincerely contributed to the resolution of the military stand-off in Zamboanga City will qualify and deserve to receive the Golden Olive Branch Award.

Confusion at the War Front

Who is this man? He is known as Atty. Emmanuel Fontanilla. He calls himself the Official Spokesman of the Moro National Liberation Front. When Hon. Sec. Manuel Roxas III visited Zamboanga, he was interviewed by media together with the honorable secretary. What is his real role and standing in the MNLF? Does Chairman Misuari Nur owe his life to this man who lays claim to MNLF as if it was his own turf? Presumably, he must have been baptized into Islam; even if so, what real clout does he have with that mammoth organization of armed fighters that even with firearms they would not lift a finger to shut his mouth? (Photo credit: Borneo Insider)

Feed from Rebus 21

Despite the danger of escalating tensions towards full-scale war, certain shady individuals are goading both parties enmeshed in the hostilities and appear to be the ones who organized the hostage-taking as well as the burning of entire villages in Zamboanga.

Captured persons alleged to be members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) confessed to interrogators that they were not ordered to participate in a war.

Before jumping off from Basilan into Zamboanga-bound bancas (small sea vessels commonly used by fishermen), they were told to support the prayer rally - educational assembly or teach-in against the pork barrel at the EDSA Shrine in Ortigas by holding a similar rally in Zamboanga City. Read more from here.

So much for the MNLF Spokesman saying that the rebels fighting government forces are fake MNLF fighters. After a few days, upon the arrival of Sec. Manuel Roxas and Sec. Voltaire Gazmin, the Spokesman's brain experienced a turn around and his mouth was shooting off statements to the effect that Chairman Nur Misuari owned up to the planning of the hostage-taking and now the burning of villages in Zamboanga City.

All is not fair in love and war.

Confusion at the battle front

Feed from Rebus 21

Despite the danger of escalating tensions towards full-scale war, certain shady individuals are goading both parties enmeshed in the hostilities and appear to be the ones who organized the hostage-taking as well as the burning of entire villages in Zamboanga.

Captured persons alleged to be members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) confessed to interrogators that they were not ordered to participate in a war.

Before jumping off from Basilan into Zamboanga-bound bancas (small sea vessels commonly used by fishermen), they were told to support the prayer rally - educational assembly or teach-in against the pork barrel at the EDSA Shrine in Ortigas by holding a similar rally in Zamboanga City. Read more from here.

There is hope that the people of Zamboanga themselves and the entire MNLF will do something about this, or else they are going to be the sore losers that many individuals now are painting them to be.

Fouth Generation (4G) Warfare Mindanao

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Increasing safe spaces, aggressive law enforcement

This site is honored to publish a brief article from a cooperator in the quest for community-based peace, security and safety.

Guest article from security and safety experts of Rebus 21:

The goal of community-based peace, security and safety should be precluded by a more aggressive law enforcement system.

Force impetus should be able to interdict perpetrators of crime similar to the case of the brutal killing of Ms. Kristelle Davantes. Click here for a brief bio of Kristelle at linkedin.

This site fully sympathizes with and supports the family of the late Ms. Kristelle Davantes, together with friends and colleagues who put up the Justice for Kae campaign.

The closure of the case for the peace of mind of those who loved Kristelle, fondly called Kae by those close to her is called for.

This dovetails with the earlier assertion that law enforcement should be more aggressive, more responsive to society and the host community that law enforcers are bound to serve.

Ms. Davantes' victimology profile fairly relatively fits that of a particular group or groups that prey upon helpless owners of vehicles that the group desires to possess. In many cases, the perpetrators receive an order for a particular year make, model and possibly color of a motor vehicle. The criminal elements will themselves scout for such a vehicle and in a number of cases, will utilize their contacts as scouts for the type of vehicle in question.

Once the closest match is found, the criminals will undertake all means to obtain the vehicle by illegal means and as an unfortunate resort, as in the case of Ms. Kristelle Davantes, by use of excessive force. In this case, the excesses led to the demise of such a promising, young and vibrant person as Ms. Kristelle Davantes.

In special cases such as the modus operandi used in obtainig the vehicle of Ms. Kristelle Davantes, the criminals should have been heavily influenced by prohibited substances or were experiencing the withdrawal effects of said substances, where intense paranoia and fear visits upon the substance abuser and is likely to commit acts that he or she may eventually not even fully remember in the future.

The public sector will rue the scorn of the affected publics and reap exhorbitantly expensive endless negative consequences unless it will pay the steep price to capture or wipe out the elements perpetrating this kind of crime. Email: workers@rebus21.shop.ms.

Threat of Fourth Generation Warfare

With immense pleasure this site hosts the following guest article contributed by Rebus 21.

Guest commentary by Rebus 21:

Events in Western Mindanao at the present time all point towards escalating fourth generation war.

4G warfare is defined as amorphous (without shape and specific definition), stateless, borderless, non-conventional war. However, it is also timeless. For demonstration, the overly protracted conflict between Israel and selected Middle East neighbors have overblown into 4G warfare.

In its most meaningful manifestation as the burning of Islamic villages at the outset of the 1980s in Mindanao that led to the long-standing Muslim secessionist posture and the rise of highly non-conventional war in Western Mindanao that spilled over disproportionately to Central Mindanao after the late Salamat Hashim broke ties with Misuari Nur.

This is being repeated in a formerly Islamic trading capital town, Zamboanga City now populated also by a dominantly Christian population who learned to speak a language that is half Spanish and half vernacular dialect.

Failure in negotiations and lack of crisis scenario planning and management, futures modeling and war gaming exercise among many other significant and trivial factors, brought the present situation in Western Mindanao to what it is today. Read more from here.

Related articles:

Business Mirror: Increasing number of Zamboanga casualties

Bloomberg.com on spreading violence in Zamboanga

Xinhua.net warning about threat escalating

ANC: Analyst says government must listen to Misuari

Sunstar: Cebu raises alert level

Philippine Star: Government force augmentation - 500 Scout Rangers sent to Zamboanga

Blogger: Is Sabah and Sarawak going to be attacked

CNN early news on hostage taking in Zamboanga