Dear Editor,
Early this year, series of military operations have resulted to the displacement of communities in many areas all over Mindanao. Situations like this are not new. The Aquino administration’s Oplan Bayanihan continues to sow terror among civilians in the countryside, the AFP’s record of human rights violations getting longer year after year. But what sets apart the recent developments is the intensity of public outcry over the Aquino’s subservience and the nature of the military operations.
This presents the best chance so far to mobilize the majority of the people to finally overthrow the Aquino regime. Indeed, not since the Pork Barrel issue has the public been so enraged and disgusted with the government that many people from all walks of life were aroused to finally take the issue to the streets and call for reforms.
This opportunity to finally unmask Aquino’s puppetry and the role of the people in bringing out change is one that progressive forces cannot miss, if one thinks that to allow the President to stay longer in power will spell more suffering for the country.
There is a great need for a venue of exchange ideas about the issues and how these can be used to rally the majority towards change. The diversity of analysis stemming from the different sectors participating in the discussion allows the broadest form of unity among differing groups in the goal of finally replacing Aquino and the government as a whole with an alternative that truly serves to the interests of the people.
In this, we are happy to have formed the Truth and Accountability Caucus, a roundtable discussion group comprised of representatives from people’s organizations, NGO’s, religious groups, professionals, and other progressive organizations.
The report of the People’s Fact-Finding Mission in Mamasapano and the history of the Bangsamoro struggle have been the topic of lively exchange of ideas in the two separate meetings held last Feb. 21 and Feb. 28. Aside from engaging the public to take part in the current issues, the Truth and Accountability Caucus has also taken concrete action to be of aid to our brothers and sisters in need of help.
The last meeting led to the formation of the “Rice for Peace” drive, a relief mission set for the victims of the all-out offensive in Maguindanao. As of writing, 7,000 families are in need of food supplies and psychosocial intervention to help them survive the ordeal of the AFP’s anti-people campaign. The results of the past two meetings have been fruitful, and we are confident that we can do much more in the meetings to come.
We invite the public to be active discussants and agents of change. We invite them to take stand and to be critical of Aquino’s performance in the past weeks. It may be certain that Aquino will continue to reveal his true character, but unless these become the grounds for unity and concrete action to expel the President, then we can only expect greater and prolonged suffering for the people.
Rev. Israel Maestro Painit
Davao United Methodist Church
Convener, People’s Council for National Unity, Reforms and Peace
peoplescouncil2015@gmail.com
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