PRIVATE sector and local government units (LGUs) in Mindanao urges national government to restart peace talks with communists as conflicts does not only amount to human losses but economic losses as well.
“If these talks will not happen, peace will not be achieved,” said, Indigenous People Mandatory Representative of Provincial Board in Compostela Valley, Agusto Blanco.
Just this year, two lumads of the Mandaya community in New Bataan, Compostela Valley were shot dead by the military.
Several other cases of lumad killings, most, were unrecorded have been occurring not only in the Davao region but in the whole Mindanao. The numbers of the deceased are not just alarming but horrifying.
“The government, together with those sectors directly affected by the conflict should work hand in hand to end the communist insurgency,” said
Francisco Lara, Jr., country manager of International Alert, a peace building organization.
Companies in the Caraga Region, Davao Region, and Compostela Valley are forced to pay millions for the so-called, ‘revolutionary taxes’ yet they have seen many of their facilities and equipment, destroyed.
The local governments cannot attract investments and tourists that should have boosted their economy; indigenous people are displaced or persecuted, if they are not recruited by either side.
Aquino administration made attempts since 2010 to restart the peace negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed political wings, the National Democratic Front and New People’s Army.
Informal talks last year were aimed, it even pushed for Bangsamoro Basic Law in Congress but these eventually collapsed.
The National Government remains silent, although they appear to be occupied with other stuff, especially now that the 2016 elections come close.
By focusing attention on the impact of the communist insurgency on business and local communities, International Alert hopes the national government to exert more vigor and urgency in reviving talks with communists.
In Davao City, Wednesday, it (International Alert) brought together local chief executives and officials of companies operating in the region, including agribusiness, mining firms, and private contractors, in a dialogue.
It also organized a forum with political science students at the University of Mindanao.
These two activities signal the start of a grassroots-based peace campaign. They will be followed by two similar gatherings in other cities in Mindanao in the coming months.
“We should work as one so we will be heard. Peace is everybody’s business,” said business leader, John Gaisano.