New Counter Insu Plan should be scrutinized-- Peace group

PRESS RELEASE
November 29, 2010

For reference:

Bishop Modesto Villasanta
0928-692-0141

DAVAO CITY –  Exodus for Justice and Peace, an aggrupation of peace advocates, urged President Noy-noy Aqunio to focus on the genuine reforms in the national policies instead of merely replacing the Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL) with a new counter-insurgency campaign being implemented by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). 

“As long as there are no changes in the national policies, and for as long as the people are still wallowing in discontent and crying for justice, the insugency and the armed conflict cannot be substantially addressed by replacing it with another oplan,” Bishop Modesto Villasanta of the Exodus for Justice and Peace said, in response to the reported new counter-insurgency plan to be unveiled to the public in January.

The bishop made the statement during  a recent Regional Multisectoral Workshop on International Humanitarian Law and Peace Talks co-sponsored by the Southeastern Mindanao Regional Ecumenical Council.  

According to Bishop Villasanta, “The purported new thrust of the AFP on human rights and good governance should be sharply scrutinized by all concerned parties, especially the church which continues to witness the AFP’s hand in the spate of extra-judicial killing, the culture of impunity and the worsening human rights condition in the country.”  

“Let us take our lessons from the past regimes. Counter-insurgency programs are only meant to quell people's legitimate dissent and their cry for lands, employment, just wage, and prioritization of social services,” said Bishop Villasanta.

“We call on President Noynoy Aquino to genuinely address the root cause of insurgency by pursuing peace talks and negotiations with the National Democratic Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.  These groups have legitimate demands for genuine land reform and national industrialization that will ensure the people of sustainable livelihood and employment free from exploitation and oppression,” he said.

The bishop also added that the Peace and Development Teams deployed recently by the AFP in several parts of Southern Mindanao will not address the problems besetting farmers but will instead instill among them fear and terror and prevent them from voicing out their sentiments to the government.  #

This post was written by: Exodus for Justice and Peace

Exodus for Justice and Peace is a clergy-led peace group. Follow EJP on Twitter