More photos here: Arkibongbayan.org

LFS, LKM STAGE PROTEST OVER “DAY OF TERROR”

Iligan City – “END ALL HOSTILITIES!”, “SPARE THE CIVILIANS!”, “PEACE NOT WAR!”

These were some of the appeals that the League of Filipino Students – MSU-IIT Chapter demanded on the day of the worst flare-up of fighting between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Government’s armed forces since the postponement of the signing of the MOA on Ancestral Domain two weeks ago.

“We call on the MILF and the AFP to end all hostilities and to get back to the negotiating table,” said Fervil Von Tripoli, Chairperson of the LFS-IIT. Tripoli also added that “peace cannot be achieved through bloodshed and intensified hostilities.” The latest count of the number of casualties when MILF insurgents raided the towns of Kolambugan and Kauswagan was 41, and ten more are held hostages.

Hannan Balindong, Secretary-General of the Liga ng Kabataang Moro, also pleaded to the people to remain objective and to not go with the usual terrorist-tagging of the Moro people. “I fear that the terroristic acts by the MILF would be exaggerated to encompass the whole Moro people. We Moros are one with our Christian brothers in denouncing these unspeakable acts,” Balindong stated.

Meanwhile, Kristian Mark Urbano, Secretary-General of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan – Lanao, castigated the Arroyo Administration for provoking the MILF to react violently after the MOA on Ancestral Domain was not signed due to massive opposition from the people. Urbano contended that because of “Arroyo’s lust for lasting reign, she has jeopardized the peace process in Mindanao.”

“We strongly believe that the real reason why Arroyo and her minions has been pushing for the creation of a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity, which she touts as the solution to the peace problem in Mindanao, is to generate substantial grounds for the Government to endorse Charter-Change so they can eliminate the provision on the term limit of the presidency,” Urbano further stressed out.

The group also announced their further plans vis-à-vis the GRP-MILF peace negotiations and Arroyo’s Cha-Cha, which includes a protest action on August 21, the National Day of Protest on Charter-Change. #