When war is waged for the sake of pece

Last Monday, forty nine members of the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police were massacred in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Allegedly the police was to serve an arrest warrant to Zulkilfi bin Hir alias Marwan and Bait Usman. The former is a bomb expert from the Indonesian based terrorist group Jemaah Islamiya and the latter is a member of the MILF offshoot Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.


The MILF was keen on reiterating that what happened was a "misencounter", saying that the commandos of the SAF did not ask permission from them to infiltrate an area that was within their territory. The BIFF, on the other hand, was saying that they just joined in the fight because one of their officers was near the area.

The president has released his statement stressing out that he felt saddened by the recent event. He called for a  national day of mourning to commemorate the loss of lives. However, he emphasized that there will be no retaliation that will happen as this is what the secessionist groups would have wanted-to destroy the peace process that is being undertaken by the government and the MILF. The president said that these men died while performing their duty of keeping the peace. Stopping the peace process and fighting fire with fire will only patronize what these violent man would have wanted.

They said that it was a misencounter. They said that it was nothing but self-defense. However, when you look at the number of people that were killed. If you look at how savagely mutilated the bodies were. If you look at the reasons they published just to rationalize the killings. You will think otherwise.

It was nothing but murder. It was nothing but a massacre. It was nothing but a betrayal of a promise that they themselves made. Whatever happened to the peace process that these two parties agreed on?

Peace is nothing without justice. The government seem to be hoping against hope that what they are proposing will work, but not holding anyone culpable for these deaths is a betrayal for what these men died for. Pushing through with BBL without holding these murderers accountable is pointless. Though there might be some merit to what these two camps are pushing for, it should be clear that whatever abuses committed by either of them should not be treated as mere collateral damage. Whoever is at fault should pay whether it was the MILF for not exercising maximum tolerance or the government for not practicing foresight on the repercussions of such a meticulous operation.

The desire for a peaceful society should mean that justice will be served to where it is due.




Sources:

http://opinion.inquirer.net/82091/with-peace-process-why-did-massacre-happen
http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2015/01/28/1417559/do-state-milf-fighters-know-ceasefire-terms
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/01/28/a-pusillanimous-peace/
http://www.manilatimes.net/can-peace-process-without-peace/158645/
http://www.tribune.net.ph/commentary/editorial/no-succor-for-50-lives-lost
http://www.rappler.com/nation/81976-saf-killed-maguindanao
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/103759/pnp-saf-casualties-in-encounter-now-50---armm-police-chief