Thanks! And more power to you!

(Sorry for the delayed response though, been too pre-occupied lately. )

Wow, I guess you have gone extensively around Mindanao and I think it’s great! Of course, I love to visit Mindanao to see my relatives and even make a stopover to Davao City. Hi..hi…My mom even told me before that my grandparents even had a small cotton farm there in Isulan. A lovely countryside scene I’d imagine.

But I’m afraid I will sooner be deployed, again, as a temporary expat to our head office in Japan (which, honestly I find it lonely or even frigid in there) and then stop over to some other Asian cities before I could arrive in Mindanao. But I’ll make sure I will visit it soon and perhaps invite some friends. Well, ‘till then!

ROBERT

Just wanted to share Fidel V. Ramos’ (our ex-president) article below (2 parts). Hopefully, this will give your readers a better insight into the Mindanao conflict.

Stay safe always!

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=128789

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryID=128924

You are correct, the MILF is a breakaway from the MNLF, but that was decades ago, there is little affiliation now.

Personally, Mindanao will always be a special place for me, because it is my father’s land of origin (He hailed from Isulan, Sultan Kudarat). So I could say I’m a half-Mindanaoeno. But I have never been to my father’s province even though I have been to another country several times. I believe visiting Mindanao, my father’s homeland, will complete my identity as a Filipino. However, seeing parts of Mindanao ablaze, even from afar, pains me indeed, not just as a citizen of this country but also because I have relatives there including some of my aunts and uncles, who are my deceased father’s siblings.

About the MILF, what I have read about them is that they were actually a breakaway faction of MNLF as a result of some power mongering among their ranks. (The Republic was able to have had a formal peace pact with MNLF years ago). Even up to this day, certain commanders of MILF go with their own way even without the “consent” of their central command. That’s why we have these sudden violent attacks from them. Makes us wonder about the credibility of MILF as an integral entity that can proceed with formal negotiations with the Philippine government.

Anyway, I fervently hope this seemingly perpetual conflict would eventually subside at least within our generation, and hope it would not further metastasize into the peaceful and prosperous areas of Mindanao. In these turbulent times, I do hope everyone would continue to pray (and work) for peace whatever his/her religion maybe. God Bless!