Dear Editor,
As we celebrate the International Women’s Day, we call for a cessation of the military operations in Maguindanao. No other call may be relevant in the spirit of pursuit of the betterment of women’s status in society today. AFP Chief General Gregorio Catapang’s declaration of all-out war against the BIFF and Aquino’s disregard of such actions consequence for women in Moro areas is the clearest manifestation of the government’s indifference towards women’s rights and those of children as well. It also serves as the primary reason to call for his ouster today, as allowing to keep him in power means allowing women to endure greatersuffering everyday.
Under Aquino, no efforts to uplift women and attend to their general needs have been made by the government. Such impotence in public responsibility deserves no greater condemnation than removing him from power and installing a better form of governance, one that recognizes the role of women in society and their significance in history.
Women are not only the bringers of children into this world; they are also the movers of history. As an oppressed sector, they have the potential to become powerful agents of change, to transform the inequalities that affect society as whole into relations that provide peace and security among the people.
Early this year, women from all over Mindanao have stood up to the challenge of resisting Aquino’s anti-people Oplan Bayanihan campaign. From Bai Bibyoon of Talaingod, who demanded accountability for the injustices done to her by the fascist troops of the 68th IB, to the nuns in Agusan del Sur who called for the pull-out of soldiers from civilian communities, to the Moro women who acknowledge the importance of their participation in overthrowing the administration that for so long has not heard their cries for peace and better living conditions, women in Mindanao continue their struggle that contributes to the struggles of other oppressed sectors as well.
As Aquino’s rotten nature continues to unfold and the nation is plunged into greater instability, there is no other recourse but to remain in adamant in our calls for accountability for the injustices wrought by the administration. To choose to remain silent is not just to be blind to these depravities; it is to betray other women as well.
From the evacuation centers in Maguindanao, Moro women will rise up to the occasion and extend efforts to show that the fight has not ended, that they have not been silenced, that the force of women grow stronger as every day goes by. The struggle today is not just against abuse and other forms of violence easily perceived by the senses, but the systemic problems affecting the nation as a whole. Aquino’s subservience to US imperialism, remains at the top of these, alongside the culture of impunity for those committing human rights violations against the people, as is the case in the all-out war of the AFP in Central Mindanao.
Today, we call for an end to the agony of women. In doing so, we call for the ouster of Aquino, in order to end the war in Mindanao. No other call shall be shouted today nor any other reason that the Moro women will raise clenched fists. With women all over the country and the world we shout, “Long live the women’s struggle!”
Jerome Succor Aba – Suara Bangsamoro (Cotabato City – peoplescouncil2015@gmail.com)
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