Roxas Urges Business Support For Mindanao

Senator Mar Roxas discusses the peace and order situation in Mindanao with military officers and local officials, during a security briefing in Iligan City, which is among the local governments included in the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity (BJE) under the controversial GRP-MILF Peace Panel Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain. Roxas has called for a renegotiation of a peace agreement with Bangsamoro representatives that would include consultations with affected citizens and their elected leaders, as well as a revamp of the government peace panel. He also said that the government must quickly ensure that those responsible for recent killings and burnings in North Cotabato and Lanao del Norte are brought to justice. With Roxas are (left to right) Iligan City Councilor Joe Salas, Col. Agane Adriatico of G7 Civilian Military Operations, Col. Donato Peralta of the Army 403rd Brigade Command, Iligan City Vice-Mayor Henry Dy, Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz and Liberal Party Secretary-General Jun Abaya.

Senator Mar Roxas called on the business sector to reach out to local governments in Mindanao that are facing political and economic instability as a result of the government’s failure in dealing with the peace and order situation in the area.
"There is a need for big business reaching out and engaging small local communities, assisting the hundreds of thousands of Mindanaoans who are without homes and whose lives are in constant danger in these affected areas," Roxas told members of the Makati Business Club (MBC) and the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) in a meeting last week.
He was joined by North Cotabato Vice-Governor Manny Piñol and former Muslim Affairs Undersecretary Zamzamin Ampatuan.
"Most people in the local communities feel disconnected from whatever else is going on in Manila and nationwide. This is an opportunity for big business to have an impact on real lives, real people and real communities," Roxas said.
He noted that the MBC and MAP’s present outreach programs to the affected areas in Mindanao can be augmented and integrated into a "larger whole" where more people can come on board and participate.
The MBC and MAP have previously issued their separate statements condemning the manner in which the GRP-MILF Peace Panel Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain was drafted without consultations and with disregard for the Constitution.
Roxas also briefed the businessmen on his trip to Iligan City last weekend, where he discussed with military and local government officials, including Iligan City Mayor Lawrence Cruz, the security situation in the area.
"The peace achieved in some areas in Mindanao, such as in Iligan City, is being threatened by an agreement that is supposedly for peace, but that is actually borne of coercion and deception on the part of the government peace panel. The damage has been done, but it is now up to the government to keep citizens safe and bring those responsible for the killings and burnings in Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato to justice," he said.
"On the economic side, big business can provide the necessary resources for local communities to get back on track. I thank the MBC and the MAP for extending a hand and their willingness to discuss the matter further with me and local officials," he added./MP