A Just War

Written on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 6:17 pm | by cocoy

Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came… Neither party expected for the war, the magnitude, or the duration, which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God’s assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces; but let us judge not that we be not judged. The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully. The Almighty has his own purposes.  

-Abraham Lincoln, 2nd Inaugrual address, March, 1865  

War. We know it theoretically. We can’t smell the burnt stink of firing artillery or RPG. We can’t hear the marching of tanks and the rolling of armored personnel carriers. We can’t taste the fear and absolute dread that refugees feel fleeing from the conflict. In Berserkers and a Breather, mlq3 paints a more complete imagery, which i’m certain you’ve read before this.

To see this on my timeline might have been surreal if there wasn’t a real war going on:

“The MILF hav penetrated GenSan and are at the bak of the mall where we were at. We left just an hour ahead before they arrived. Holding my b” @thebitchgoddess plurked.

Real War is happening.

Real innocent lives hang in the balance.

We can point fingers at everyone. Was it Arroyo’s firm and unrealistic view of what constitutes Peace in Mindanao? What is the cost of peace? Was this a miscalculation on her part? Is this the price of miscalculated scheming to railroad Charter Change? Does it matter anymore?

Wasn’t it just a few days ago we were talking about Federalism? The Jester had been commenting on the Pimentel Proposal. I even blogged about an Articles of Republic and Decentralize Tomorrow.

In the greater scheme of politics, is this War merely the chess game, with dimensions we can not see nor say?

When the PCIJ blogged asking, what is the MILF thinking (and feeling)? I can not help but remember MOA-AD, as MLQ3 pointed out several times, was the prize sought by The Moro National Islamic Force (MILF). I agree with him. MOA-AD should never have happend. It merely reduced the Government’s negotiating position.

DJB, has blogged numerous times about the history behind the war and what constitutes indigenous people and recently “Lost and Found Commands and the Crime of Terrorism” and I agree with that point of view. Perhaps, the MILF thought, if they kept saying it over and over again, the false truth that they believe would be real.

In some quarters, people are saying there should be peace. I construe this as meaning, government should be the one to ask for peace. By dangling MOA-AD, MILF knew they could get what they wanted, and thus the negotiating position of the Philippine government dwindled even further. I submit, it dwindled the moment Government sought to negotiate with them.

The truth that one should never negotiate with terrorists holds true when up against MILF.

The MILF today is surprisingly a powerful armed force. Wasn’t it a few years ago that Erap Estrada had almost crushed them? Why are they more powerful now? I submit they’ve had the space they needed to rearm.

If MILF really meant the good of Mindanao that money would have been better spent buying the Children of Mindanao, food, text books and teacher’s salaries, hospitals and infrastructure to rebuild that island instead of guns. That money could have been used to lay down the infrastructure so that business could flourish and provide for food, textbooks, salaries, a living wage, and trade! In the end, I believe MILF to be a bandit force. They have no legitimate grievance that this government or any government can appease them with.

The battle that the Moro National Liberation Front is waging isn’t a battle between Muslim and Christian. I am Catholic and I have no grievance against any Muslim. I can not speak for every Filipino but certainly as many flaws as this nation has, this country has not dragged a Muslim to jail because of his religion nor has it jailed a Catholic for being Catholic. Every Filipino in this country is free to do as he pleases— even blog, to trade. The text of BJE speaks of resources that they wish to enjoy. What can’t they enjoy within the existing framework of ARMM or the larger community that is the Philippines? What can’t they enjoy by laying down their arms and dealing openly, trading openly? 

What about the accusation that the Government has not negotiated in good faith? for all the mistakes Arroyo has done, that charge we can not point at her on this issue.

The battle of the Moro National Liberation Front is the same battle waged and gambled since history began: men aspire to rule and profit from that rule.

How much blood from our brave soldiers must we spend to end this cancer that is MILF from our society? How many of our people’s lives and properly are we willing to spend to keep the farce of MILF alive? Should those who brought this farce on the table be the ones to prosecute this war? 

Bring the MILF Central Committee to justice. If we’re lucky, they’d die on the field of battle they helped create.

Some men fear this will spread, that the fighting will not just become a battle in Mindanao. Some people fear that this would become Christian versus Muslim, or Muslim versus Muslim. Our imagination can certainly spread to the worst— civil war. At the worst imaginable scenario plan, bombs can blow up even at the heart of Manila or Cebu. Imagined or not. Possible or not. Does it really matter? Real war is already happening and it is bloody and it is vicious. It cares not who you are or where you are. To borrow from Lincoln, “one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came”.

However our differences with Arroyo, whatever our disagreements why we are here, right now, the only recourse left is wish our Brave men, our Dogs of War, “Godspeed”. If you believe in God, or Allah, or to whatever Higher Power, pray this Republic prosecutes this war as quickly and justly as possible. Perhaps there are alternatives, but I submit that we must accept this war.

This is a Just War.

When the battlefield goes silent, when only widows’ lament can be heard at night, when orphans’ sorrow at never knowing their father are the only things left in the dark, we need to build a Just Peace for Mindanao. The dawn will surely come. I began this post with the words from Abraham Lincoln. I end it by quoting his words anew. Call it, food for thought. We need a game plan for after this war is prosecuted:

“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”

-Abraham Lincoln, 2nd Inaugrual address, March, 1865

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About The Author: cocoy Mac. Linux. Tech. Comics. Free Market. Politics. New Media. Coffee. Geek. He hangs out on twitter as @cocoy, on Plurk, FriendFeed and blogs at Big Mango.

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Comments

6 Responses to “A Just War”

  1. Dean Jorge Bocobo on August 20th, 2008 10:01 pm

    Cocoy,
    I think the whole concept of disarmament has to be re-introduced into the peace negotiations. It’s the missing link in the endless cycle of war and peace.

  2. Bencard on August 21st, 2008 1:46 am

    djb, why would criminals surrender their only bargaining chips? unless you find a way to alter their reasoning processes, i doubt that “missing link” would ever be found.

  3. A Just War: Road to A Just Peace | Filipino Voices on August 21st, 2008 6:57 am

    […] -Dean Jorge Bocobo, on August 20th, 2008 10:01 pm, comment to A Just War […]

  4. Manuel L. Quezon III on August 28th, 2008 9:26 pm

    […] a more philosophical note, two entries discuss A Just War | Filipino Voices and A Just War: Road to A Just Peace | Filipino Voices (what is a “Just War”? See […]

  5. Current » Wrapped in the flag on August 28th, 2008 9:36 pm

    […] a more philosophical note, two entries discuss A Just War | Filipino Voices and A Just War: Road to A Just Peace | Filipino Voices (what is a “Just War”? See Just […]

  6. taxj on November 12th, 2008 9:03 pm

    Bencard’s right. The DDR’s senseless. The MILF’s power rise from the barrel of the gun. Without it, why hold talks with that group? With it, same question.

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