June 21, 2001, The Philippine Star, Christian-Muslim Democracy and the Abu Sayyaf, Carmen N. Pedrosa,

June 21, 2001, The Philippine Star, Christian-Muslim Democracy and the Abu Sayyaf, Carmen N. Pedrosa, cache, 

The story about how Abu Sayyaf members asked their hostages how much they can afford to buy their freedom confirms what residents in Basilan tell us. They were trading as they would trade products, but the product in this case was the freedom of human beings. In these god-forsaken parts of our country, the men hold on to their guns as farmers hold on to their plowshares. Violence is both a livelihood and a way of life. I am afraid that the Abu Sayyaf is only part of the problem. Even if they are caught and justly punished, the violence will not end. Neither can it simply be blamed on relatives who pay ransom. Others will take it up regardless of solutions that attack the problem of crime.
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What is needed here is a political and economic program that will address the problem of land and poverty in Mindanao. As far as the people who live here are concerned, this Basilan resident tells me, there is just nothing to do for a living. For most of them no land, no house, no water, no electricity, nothing, nothing, nothing but guns. Guns earn money. That is the mindset that will have to be changed if kidnapping and hostage taking are to stop.
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Days before the Dos Palmas kidnapping, Wawell Osorio, a Christian who has lived and worked among Muslims for many years, wrote me an urgent letter of appeal asking for help for a crash teacher training program for Muslims. In his letter he wrote about how the culture of war has enveloped the Muslim landscape. "As far as the Muslims are concerned, the mujahadeen, the warrior is the ideal, the favored image of what young people want to be" he writes. That ideal has devastated Muslim communities not only in the Philippines but elsewhere in the world, Osorio continues. That is what we have to contend with and I am afraid, it is not a battle we can fight with guns no matter what firepower it brings. The answer to this challenge as it has been said said again and again by so many others is education and for this task both Christians and Muslims will have to come together in fraternal cooperation. In this connection, this column is happy to announce that Ambassador Howard Dee, our former ambassador to the Vatican was among the first to respond to the appeal. I understand that he has donated P100,000 to the Muslim teacher training course through the Ateneo de Zamboanga which is conducting the seminars.
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While the shooting continues, both Muslims and Christians should also build an economic infrastructure that will generate livelihoods. It may take time but we must take firm and vigorous steps in this direction. If we do not take these steps nothing else will be effective, not the military saturation or highpowered talks with OIC. Above all, we must persuade Muslim youth with both words and deeds that taking up guns to fight personal or religious causes is a dead-end road. It must be taught that the life of the mujahadeen is not necessarily the ideal. There is the Muslim scholar, the Muslim public servant, the Muslim diplomat, the Muslim businessman, the Muslim inventor. Some of the greatest inventions of civilization came from Arabs. Let education thrive, give livelihoods, and soon we will have a changed cultural landscape where true Islam as a religion for peace can flourish.
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It may not be immediately obvious but the development and peace in Mindanao being stymied by Abu Sayyaf problem and the race for the speakership are closely related. The Lakas-NUCD-UMDP, the dominant party of the PPC Coalition of which leading candidate former Speaker Jose de Venecia is chairman, is the only party that has formally incorporated a Muslim component. As the tireless advocate of Christian-Muslim democracy, Joe de V’s Plan 747 focuses on agricultural modernization and food security, among other things. Peace and development in Mindanao will be central to such a program.to mobilize the country’ s resources. For this reason alone, allies of President Macapagal-Arroyo should see the merit of adopting a common party platform for the sake of the country instead of skirmishing for the speakership or committee chairmanships.
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I am not sure that the areglo now taking place between contending parties within the Coalition cannot of themselves be cited astrapo arrangements to make everybody happy. Yet nobody seems to be complaining on this score. Even Congressman Florencio Abad of Batanes, who is said to be the non-trapo among of the contenders does not seem to mind provided the arrangements make everybody happy. On the contrary, he seems to have an open mind about areglo so long as his and his party’s interests are protected.