The Government of the Republic of the Philippines and Moro Islamic Liberation Front Peace Negotiating Panels extend their heartfelt sympathy to and solidarity with the families and communities affected by the devastation of super typhoon Haiyan.
Disasters result in the disruption of peace, the destruction of property, and the lack of order and security. In the same way that natural calamities bring havoc to people and endanger their existence, man-made disasters such as armed violence equally pose tremendous devastation to lives through blatant disregard for life and other human rights.
It is the moral responsibility of everybody to place maximum importance to the protection of life, that is, the right to live in a peaceful and humane society. The destruction from Yolanda and similar natural calamities and from man-made disasters such as wars and armed violence, though from different sources, all point to the same gravity of suffering that halt development and a better future.
Yolanda is a reminder, a call for unity and perseverance of everybody irrespective of status and political stance to face boldly these hardships and work together to mitigate, if not prevent, future disasters.
The Parties believe that our people’s resilience becomes our most potent tool during these challenges. Most especially, the GPH and MILF Panels commit to work together in order to find a just and lasting solution to the armed conflict in Mindanao so that together, we can focus on the even bigger challenges of a changing global environment.
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