War and Peace Adviser

The appointment of newly retired General Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. to the position of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process shows that Mrs. Arroyo is either controlled by the military or is completely insincere about the peace process (or both). General Esperon, as the head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines until recently, was adamant about crushing the communist and Moro insurgencies as well as terrorism. Today, we are asked to believe that the general has had a change of heart with the change in his position.

General Esperon’s military record shows him leading the 602nd Infantry Brigade during the all out campaign implemented by then President Joseph Estrada against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). He led his troops in many victorious but bloody skirmishes in dismantling of the MILF camp in Rajamuddah at the Liguasan marsh complex in 1999. He also led troops in Basilan against the feared Abu Sayyaf Group. Are we to believe that this man whose career was built on a foundation of war would suddenly trade in his sword for a plowshare?

The Malaysians have withdrawn from the International Monitoring Team (IMT). The IMT is withdrawing from several satellite offices in Central Mindanao. With a much diminished presence of peace monitors, who will be the buffer between the military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front when the Peace Adviser himself is a firm believer in the effectiveness of military solutions over peace processes? What of the Communist insurgents whom he and Mrs. Arroyo have vowed to eliminate? Symbolic gestures are critical to the success of peace processes, especially when they are stalled. What message is this government trying to send with the appointment of Esperon?

Machiavelli once advised rulers that even when they do something evil, they should at least appear to be good. Mrs. Arroyo obviously doesn’t care at all. We might as well end the charade of a peace process now.

Amina Rasul
Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy
Dateline: May 19, Marawi City

May 19th, 2008

1 Comment Add your own

1. Lotlot Aguilar | November 22nd, 2008 at 1:47 pm

What can we do? Mr. Esperon has the trust and confidence of the President. Of course, Mr. Esperon has some credentials knowing the state enemies would be a good person to deal with them. Why if someone was a warrior could not change to being a peace-maker?

Now if we reverse this question. Assuming Chairman Salmat is still alive. Would he be the better person to represent the MILF in the peace talk because he has always been a warrior?

Another one, would Mr. Murad be a better peacemaker for the MILF when all his life he has been a warrior.

Now tell me Mrs. Rasul, would you be a better peacemaker and trusthworthy to deal with th governmet, say you are the representative or the MILF, when all of your write-ups and pubished are against the government?

Mrs. Rasul, sorry to disagree with your babying comment. People do change and if you don’t believe with that, then I don’t believe that you either will change in attacking the government.

Simple as that!

You may praise a bit the government but in most of your write-ups you have never been affront and constantly and continually attacking the government.

Perhaps you will be a top officers of the Bangsamoro, if and when you have your own state, then perhaps you will be a happy person, that if you will have your own!

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