Hataman: Peace without bloodshed ‘not impossible’

By Jefry M. Tupas
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Mujiv Hataman reminded those who are calling for an all-out war in Mindanao about how the country overcame the violence of the dictatorship through the bloodless EDSA People Power Revolution.
Hataman said the victory of People Power 29 years ago must guide Filipinos now especially in the midst of calls for the abandonment of the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) following the bloody Mamasapano carnage on January 25.
Hataman noted how Filipinos “responded with a collective courage” to revolt against the rule of then-President Ferdinand Marcos.
“It was a revolution that left a mark and stunned the world that froze in sheer admiration over a people, a nation that successfully ended the reign of terror. It was peaceful,” Hataman said.
“Fast forward to today, we reminisce with a smile and pride how Filipinos ended the country’s dark years without blood. It’s not impossible, we say,” he added.
Hataman, however, lamented the Filipinos’ change of heart.
“As we look back, we also realize how time changed us as a nation, as a people. As times passed us by, many of us lost it,” he said. “The recent Mamasapano incident exposed how Filipinos have become over the years. While the EDSA People Power 29 years ago saw the unison marching of millions of feet under the rhythm of peace, a stark contrast is unfurling before our very eyes today, something that is doubly ominous given that we are a nation that values democracy.”
He said what happened in Mamasapano was tragic, adding that “there is not enough act of anguish for the lost loved ones.”
However, he said, justice for all of the victims will not be achieved through violence.
“What happened on January 25 in Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao was, as has been said, tragic. Right now, it is the civilians that are suffering the brunt of that tragedy. And in the middle of the clamor for violence, the civilians’ wounds are left open, gaping wide, bleeding profusely, as their cry for justice slowly silence to only disappear through a sky darkened by a looming war,” he said.
Filipinos, he said, must reject calls for an all-out war in Mindanao.
Following the Mamasapano incident, deliberations for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law were suspended. Investigations are also being conducted on the incident.
“We are not strangers to battles, as countless battles have gone beyond the fields and into our lives. Here at home, it is our collective experience in the Bangsamoro that makes our voice and actions all the more valuable in realizing this country’s dream for the future, our quest for just and lasting peace,” Hataman said.
“Together, we have moved forward and have gone from the dark days of a dictatorship to days of hope and promise. More than ever, we need to take care of our hard-earned gains, to remind each other why there is no other option but peace, and to ensure that the message is not lost despite the noise of a few who have forgotten what we fought for,” he added.